Week 9: Transnational Diasporic Experiences

Thanks to Linda and her presentation on the impact of Vietnamese variety shows on family relation, I can see that the Vietnamese variety shows, such as Thuy Nga Paris by Night, Asia, and Van Son, are the connections of the first and second generation Vietnamese American. Because according to Linda, many of her participants said that they did not watch variety shows, but they watch with their families. Hence, the Vietnamese variety shows. Families also family time thanks to variety shows.   Variety shows are reliable sources for children to understand how struggle their family has when coming to the U.S as refugees.  The two MC Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Ki Duyen usually talks about the past of the South Vietnam, The Vietnamese variety shows are also a way for the second generation to not to forget their identities because watching those shows is a great ways for them to learn their heritage language. The Vietnamese American shows help the Vietnamese who lives overseas to maintain a strong tie with their homeland. If there were no such variety shows, the Vietnamese community would miss their homeland more. It also maintains a firm anti-communism political stand because they still refer the Vietnamese government as “Cong San (communist)”

I see in Justin’ presentation the idea how transnationalisim affects the title of the movie “Hot Boy Noi Loan.” The English title “Lost in the Paradise” is nothing related to the original title. After I watch the movie, I understand why they name it. The title “Lost in the Paradise” reminds me of some American movies. I think they made that English title to aim to the world market. Anyways, I think the Vietnamese society is more open to homosexuals; thus, the government gives permission for the movie to be public. Honestly, I did not really understand Justin’s main focus on his research.

Melissa presentation is the idea about transnationalism of Confucianism.  Confucianism of the Vietnamese again is influenced by Chinese. Chinese invaded Vietnam since 111 BC. The Vietnamese Confucianism is the 3 principle and the 4 virtues which Professor Valverde already discussed in class. However, Confucianism is rejected by many second generation girls in the United States. I agree with Melissa because there is a gap between two cultures. American culture values individualism and equality. Therefore, girls tend to stay with the new culture because the new culture makes girls same with guys. They do not want to do such housework that is defined as “girls’ duty.” In other words, they want equality. For instance, our guest speaker Louansee Moua said that her husband and she both have to work, thus, they should also divide the housework. Yes, I completely agree with her. To conclude, I can see Melissa point how transnationalism creates the difference between Vietnamese girls who live in Vietnam and Vietnamese girls who live in the U.S. Vietnamese girls tend to accept their cultural role and expectation more than Vietnamese American girls.

Question to Melissa: I think the Vietnamese girls who live in Vietnam nowadays tend to “Americanize themselves.” Many of them do not even have the four virtues. Am I correct? Do you have any source in Vietnam to clarify my opinion?

Trieu Nguyen

Reflection for Wk 9

Shoua Her

May 31, 2012

Reflection Paper for Week 9

ASA150E

            In the first presentation, there was a lot of new info presented about how Chinese individuals view Vietnamese individuals and how that affected government policies. It was interesting to note from the video clip that after China gained lots of publicity from holding the Olympics in Beijing, they became arrogant and wanted to invade other countries just because they felt more superior. Another topic that I did not know much about was the situation in which the governments were blocking internet sites like youtube and google; I have heard about this occurring but did not know why and in which countries. I did not know about this situation until it was presented in class. It would have been more helpful if the presenter had provided a reading to give more in depth information about his presentation or the situation that is going on because it was sort of hard to follow along with the presentation. He did not discuss much of the research that he is doing and I felt that if he had done so, it would have provided more information that was not just all background information and would have included his analysis of the research that he was doing.

            In the second presentation on how variety shows affect Vietnamese individuals, she did a really good job in explaining what the variety shows were and how they are used to maintain relations to the culture itself. She did a great job in presenting her research because she provided background information and then went on to talk about the methodology and who the individuals were. She also went into depth in explaining what the interviews or findings of the surveys were however, I felt like it could have been summarized because after a certain point, I started to get lost in the findings because she was discussing so many different findings all at once. She did a great job in explaining the math and stats part of her research but there did not seem to be much analysis of the findings.

            I can sort of relate to this because even though we do not have variety shows in the Hmong community, we still have movies and music videos that are made in Laos and Thailand and while growing up, I remember my parents always playing these videos. They would always play in the background even when we have guests over, eat dinner, or just doing chores. I grew up in this environment and I felt like I had some sort of connection to my culture even though the Hmong people do not have a country of our own. Growing up, I never really thought much about why I still watched them and throughout high school, whenever my parents put the movies on, I would tell them to turn it off because I would get annoyed. However, it was not until I attended college that I started to understand and embrace my culture more.           

In the third presentation by Justin, he discussed the film, “Hot Boy Noi Loan” and also discussed the queer community and the discrimination that they, the queers, encounter. Because he provided so much information altogether, I was lost and confused about what he was talking about. Again, if a short reading was provided, it would have provided a basis or background to his presentation. I thought the film was really interesting and it was good how he was able to tie it in with transnationalism and also provided the reasons why and how they demonstrated these concepts. He seemed really engaged in his topic and it was good because it allowed me to see and understand his concepts even though I was lost at times. A question that I was wondering is, has the film been publicized much in Vietnam and in the United States?

Reflection #4 for week 9

Presentation #1:

            I thought it was interesting especially the presenter’s perspective about the why Vietnam seems to side with other communist countries like North Korea and view them as “brothers.”

            Like Professor Valverde stated in class, the presenter should take into account both the wider American community as well as just the Vietnamese American community when talking about freedom of speech because yes I do agree that there is more freedom of speech in the United States but at the same, when it comes to the point of not being afraid to express your own opinions just because the majority of the community is against that kind of thinking, then is it still really having freedom of speech?

            I like the little video clip that was shown in class as well. It went well with the topic, but it would have been a lot better if it talked more about Vietnam than China but then again, who’s the more powerful and better known country? China, of course, so it’s not surprising that its political opinions were expressed more. Something the presenter can consider or look more into is the comparison of China and Vietnam’s relationship before Vietnam became communist to the present Vietnam.

Presentation 2:

            I liked it. It was very informative and interesting at the same time. Never really thought about how certain things can equate to spending some quality family time. The presenter gave a really good outline and explanation about her research and it seems that she has a pretty decent amount of participants as well. However, I feel like the only flaw is that it’s not demographically inclusive like most of the people surveyed were from the Bay Area, but I understand that there are some limitations.

            Something that I wasn’t too keen on was when the presenter asked her subjects how many times a year/month/week they would watch Vietnamese variety shows. Is this looking just at this year alone? Or is it averaging it as a whole? I think it’s difficult to average something if you were exposed to it a lot more when you were younger than when you’re like off to college or something. Anyhow, it was a good presentation overall.

Presentation 3:

            I liked this presentation a lot because it challenges and compares the Western’s view of homosexuality with how it is viewed in Vietnam. I thought the presenter made many good points. It was A LOT of info but it was interesting nonetheless.

            The presenter did a really good job and covered a great deal of material so I don’t think there’s much for him to improve on except that he should definitely choose a specific focus for his paper. 

Pajkub Vahchuama

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Attitude Toward Chinese of the Vietnamese/Vietnamese Variety Shows

Michael Nguyen
5/31/2012
ASA 150E

Chinese of Vietnamese/Vietnamese Variety Shows

 Justin starts off by giving a brief explanation of Valverde's lecture from Tuesday about globalization, transnationalism and diasporas. Trieu than explains about the history of the Chinese influence on Vietnam. Vietnam has been under direct Chinese domination for 1000 years. The Sino-Vietnamese War happened in 1979. China has no human rights, meaning they block 2600 websites. China also exports fake and low-quality products. The Vietnamese practice many Chinese traditions and views China and other communist countries as brothers. Vietnamese do not have freedom of speech. Then there was a CNN video shown about China vs Vietnam and how China has made recent attempts on taking over Vietnam. Than Linda explains about Vietnamese Variety shows influence on Vietnamese Americans. These variety shows incorporates dancing, singing, comedy skits, etc. Most of the Vietnamese songs sung are pre-Vietnam war and are usually outdated songs. Justin than starts talking about the Hot Boy Noi Loan film. Where sexuality is questioned amongst the Vietnamese community. Western influence has changed the title of the movie to Lost in Paradise. 

 I feel it is true that Vietnamese do not have the freedom of speech. That is why I have always been quiet most of my life, because I did not want to lose face for myself and my family. Not speaking on a constant basis has caused me to mumble quite often and speak with speech impediments. I feel that the importance of keeping a healthy conversation with anyone everyday is very important. In order to speak better, one must practice speaking everyday. In relating to the Vietnamese, many Vietnamese want anti-communism and want all communists to never speak, which is unfair for the communists. Because every side has multiple stories or reasoning for what they believe in. Communism is for equality for all, while anti-communism wants people to earn money themselves. It is such a controversial topic, and I cannot really elaborate more on it myself. But communism is certainly the biggest topic of Vietnamese debate. 

 I do not watch the Vietnamese variety shows, but my parents do and I always see it playing in the background at my house. So I got a certain gist of the Paris By Night series. These variety shows are made in order for Vietnamese American to keep their Vietnamese'ness, and I do want to keep that, but I cannot speak Vietnamese. And I could barely understand the songs because it is not like the basic Vietnamese I could understand in a Vietnamese household. In Paris By Night, I do take note of them constantly lip-syncing their performances. The comedy skit seems to make my parents laugh out loud all the time.

This movie Justin is explaining about involves prostitution amongst men, and how there is a lot of gossip as usual amongst Vietnamese. There is hybridity of white gay men with gay Vietnamese men, and I believe that the ideals of white gay men have certainly made the image of a gay person in my perspective due to the fact that gay white men are shown more in media based on what I have seen. 

Presentation #5: Transnationalism of Confucianism

Michael Nguyen
ASA 150E
Week 9

Transnationalism

 On the first slide, Melissa states she will explain transnationalism on a micro level about the acceptance of Confucian ideology among Vietnamese women that are in Vietnam and compare it to acceptance among Vietnamese American adolescent girls. Confucianism involves Chinese influence and primary principles of female instruction. The Chinese influence came into Vietnam when Chinese invaded Vietnam in 111 B.C. 

 Female instruction in Confucianism is basically a patriarchy where the females always have to obey a male figure and in comparison to the Vietnamese instruction, it is based more on life virtues. The four Vietnamese Confucianism virtues consists of: Cong, Dung, Hang, and Ngon. All in which describe about diligent work, appearance, morality, and proper speech. I find this interesting particularly because I think it is true for Vietnamese women today. Vietnamese women are strong and they do try their best in order to impress the Vietnamese men in Vietnamese society. I am not saying it is expected but it most certainly does happen since it is relating to ones virtue. Yes, it is wrong that Asian women have to succumb to that of the man's world, and I do want to see change happen in order for more equality. 

 The role of the woman in a Confucian Society explains about arduous labor and filial duties. In relating to my family, at family gatherings. Basically the women always cook all the food while all the men eat and get drunk. There is one similar activity both the women and men engage though, which is gossip. All family get-togethers involve gossip about relationships and about the accomplishments made by sons and daughters. But the women also eat last and clean up after both the men and women, which is completely unfair to the women in this Confucian society. 

Presentation #4: Hmong Culture

Michael Nguyen
ASA 150E
Week 8

Culture and Identity

 In this weeks presentations, there were two presentations about the Hmong and their culture. The first presentation primarily focused on how the Western media views  the Hmong from a different perspective and how they have portrayed the Hmong in good and bad ways. The second presentation primarily focuses on how the Hmong culture and identity is formed in America and how the newer generations in America are obedient to their parent figures in order to prevent future punishment. Meaning the Hmong are obedient to their parents and are willing to make educational sacrifices for their parents. 

 Brenda and Hue used clips from Grey's Anatomy to show a good representation about the Hmong Shamanism, which I found particularly interesting because I am usually not exposed to Hmong Shamanism since it is a usually closed door activity to the Hmong Shamans. It is amazing how it is shown in a popular show in America, meaning the Hmong are on the rise and I am for that since they are highly underrepresented in America. Gran Torino was brought up in during this presentation and how it has shown many bad portrayals of the Hmong, even though the movie did well for the average American. Lastly they talked about animal sacrifices, in which families still slaughter pigs in the backyard, which is illegal but it is for their religion, therefore they still carry on in order to fulfill their needs. I find animal sacrifice interesting because I wonder who they sacrifice the animal for?

Boon and Mai-Moua mainly focused on the newer Hmong generations in America and how they take on responsibilities in a Hmong family. Explaining how the Hmong are fairly obedient and take school seriously but also there are many Hmong dropping out of school. I am for more Hmong in higher education, because I believe it is important for the children of the Vietnam War need to make a stand for Southeast Asians. 

Ricky Lai

ASA 150E

Week 8

                                                                                Culture and Identity

                The first group of presenters for this week’s topic of Culture and Identity did well to find/connect Hmong shamanism to Western media. The presentation itself could’ve run much smoother considering that they were having issues with playing their video. I also found it distracting that they had to fast forward through parts to present different areas of the episode without really explaining why we were seeing the particular scene Despite these drawbacks, I could tell the presenters knew what they were speaking about and had extensive knowledge on the topic of Hmong Shamanism. On an unrelated note, I appreciated the fact that the writers of the episode made it clear in the end that western medicine isn’t the end-all-be-all for medical treatment.

                I also liked the video showing various students and community members speaking about Hmong shamanism. As a Vietnamese-American with little knowledge on Hmong, Laos, Cambodian, and Mien culture, I appreciated seeing other people with various opinions speaking on the topic of shamanism. I also found it very thought-provoking to consider how Western influence has, to some degree, corrupted shamanism due to shamans performing their services for money. Unfortunately, I believe that this group relied too heavily on their videos and did not do enough presenting of the topic. Their presentation also ran longer than expected, causing delays for the other presenters and a shortened lecture by Professor Valverde.

              

               The second group of presenters presented on the topic of Hmong youth. I enjoyed this 

presentation because the problems Hmong youth face relate to the problems that all Asian youth face. Although the presentation was about Hmong youth, I believe that all Asian American youth face the issue of having a “dual identity”. The notion of having a dual identity or becoming acculturated to Western society while being reared in traditional households is a problem many of us can relate to. I found it highly intriguing that Boon and Mai tied in cartoons like “The Fairly Odd-Parents” and “Pokemon” to suggest that the media makes it easier for children to rebel since these cartoons don’t really portray any sort of family hierarchy with their parents. I realized that this problem isn’t related just to cartoons, but also to live-action shows on Nickelodeon such as “I-Carly”. It makes me wonder if these shows really do play a significant role in causing rebelliousness in our Asian American youth. My question is, should the presenters have limited the topic to only Hmong youth? This topic seems to encompass a large majority of Asian Americans as a whole, not just Hmong children.

Presentation #4: Culture

The theme of this week’s student presentations were centered on culture. Due to being sick I was not able to make it to class and therefore cannot provide feedback on the presentations. I will however comment on the readings and little on the presentation from what I have heard from others.

Written by an anthropologist, “Commentary: The (H)mong Shaman’s Power of Healing Sharing the Esoteric Knowledge of a Great Mong Shaman” provides insight on Hmong culture, specifically focusing on the Hmong Shamanism. This paper is very intriguing as it detailed the anthropologist’s firsthand experience living in the village for two years. The anthropologist, Jacques Lemoine, offers insight from an outsider perspective and tries to make sense of Shamanism. Prior to reading this paper, I had no knowledge of Shamanism. I appreciate the way in which Lemoine attempts to understand the religion and its practice but it is apparent that as an outsider complete understanding is ultimately inevitable. In addition to this reading, the presenters have also included a combination of interviews from second generation Hmong individuals and examples of Shamanism in the media. Incorporating a broad range of perspectives within their research on Shamanism will most definitely add to the analysis of its role and impact on the younger generation.

The second presentation was centered on the often conflicting identities of Hmong Americans. The reading “Caught Between Culture: Hmong Parents in America’s Sibling Society” was very interesting. It explores parents’ perspective on American society and their ways of childrearing in response to mainstream American culture. Additionally, it introduces the idea of a “sibling society” and the implications of American culture on traditional Hmong values. Although it was specifically about the Hmong community, I believe that it could be applied to the broader Asian American experience. As a first generation Vietnamese American, there are definitely times in which I feel like my Vietnamese culture and my American culture clash. This often takes form in disagreements with my parents over different values that we hold. It would most definitely be interesting if the researchers on this topic incorporated their own findings through interviews with parents and students. Although this paper is relatively current, there may in fact be some differences uncovered especially since the population studied was a Hmong community in Minneapolis.

I really wish I could have been in class to hear these two presentations as I have heard that they were both topics were well presented and insightful!

Christina Nguyen

Presentation #4 Hmong

Diana Lu

Brenda and Hue’s presentation on Hmong Shamanism was eye opening to me. They both had a firsthand experience and shared with us what they knew, which was very interesting to hear. Though the presentation was extremely long, it was interesting. When Brenda/Hue talked about generations losing tradition and custom is like losing their roots, I think that is not only a constant battle between the Hmong culture, but also a battle between more Asian ethnicities. My grandparents always tell me that I am too “American” and I do not know anything about my Chinese and Vietnamese culture.  I also like how they incorporated various pop culture media for us to give us a sense of what is Shamanism and if the media portrayal is correct or not.

I used to have this Hmong family who lived next door to our family and they would have Shamans come to their families every week to do ritual things. Like Brenda mention, they sacrificed animals, but that was no big deal to me, since we all kill animals in a sense. But the one thing that bothered me most was when they sacrificed dogs L Dogs are cute and lovely, and I would hear them squeal and bark. I will then go hug my dog and go whew!

In each culture, there are going to be different religions and practices. I do not think it is necessary a bad thing, but because one does not practice the same thing, does not mean they should put down other’s religion. 

Boon and Mai Moua’s presentation on the Hmong Youth was quite interesting as well, even though it was way shorter than the first one. I think the discipline that parents used on Hmong kids are pretty similar to other Asian cultures as well. My mom used to physically punish me when I did something wrong. When I was younger, I used to like playing with the toilet water, I would throw bath toys in there, flush it and watch it spin around. My mom then slammed my hands with the seat cover, and I never dared played with toilet water again. I didn’t see it was an abuse, but more as a lesson learned. 

The media creates an individualism, which I think it is a good thing in a way. We have to learn to be individual sooner or later, and by being individual, it does not necessarily mean that we are losing of culture. My mother gave me a lot of freedom as a child, but til today, I still keep the culture that I have learned and know, close to heart. 

Week 8 Reflection

Linda Phan

May 23, 2012

ASA 150E

Week 8 Reflection

            I thought both presentations on Hmong were well done. The first presentation focused on Shaminism while the second one focused on Hmong children and family relations. The first presentation had a great example when they used the video clip from the popular TV series “House.” I thought that this was a particularly good idea because House is one of the very mainstream TV series that focuses on medicine. This episode was essentially a clash between Eastern and Western medicine. In the beginning of the episode, there is a spirit that attempts to claim the child by choking him and taking over his body. To Hmong people, this is interpreted as a spirit possessing the child but to the West, this is simply dismissed as a bad dream followed by a series of unexplainable symptoms that will eventually go, or not go, away. While the Western doctors in this episode again and again refused to believe in the potential of a Shaman’s power, the certainly could not deny it. By the end of the episode, the child had been cured of his ailment but there is a mystic tone which suggests that we still cannot be certain if the western medicine or Shaman had cured the child. This episode can be extended to a power struggle between Southeast Asian traditions and values in American mainstream culture and how White Supremacy tends to dismiss traditions and values that do not have Anglo origins.

            I also thought the video with interviews asking Hmong people what Shaminism is was also a good idea. Since many documentaries and interviews watched in class are several years old, it is very refreshing to be able to watch a series of interviews that not only interview Hmong students at UC Davis, but local community members in the Sacramento area as well—an area that has a predominantly large Hmong population. This video also highlighted the importance in maintaining tradition and religion because the defining a specific religion is very difficult as it can be very broad or there may be different aspects and versions depending on who practices it and from what region they came from. The only things that I feel these presenters can improve on is making sure they finish according to the specific time frame that they were intended as to not take away from other’s presentations or need to cut their presentation short. I also would recommend that the presentation be more interactive as while the visual parts of the presentation, the lecture about Shaminism was quite dull since it was a lot of information to take it and little room to process it.

            The second presentation was understandably rushed since the presenters were given less time than they had anticipated. Given the time constraints, I thought the presentation as very thorough and  interesting. The two powerpoint slides that particularly stood out to me were the ones about Pokemon and The Fairy Odd Parents. I thought it was a good idea to take media examples that that most of the audience were familiar with and analyzed them in the context of the presenter’s topic. While the presentation was still lecture style, the connections that the audience made with the examples provided made the presentation more interesting, therefore more intriguing and even engaging as it provided an avenue for the audience to rethink about the messages that the mainstream American media are conveying, specifically to children. 

Culture and Identity presentation 4

Hue and Brenda’s presentation was interesting to me even though I am Hmong and do already have prior knowledge about Shamanism, particularly Hmong Shamanism. They introduced more specific topics that I have not heard much about such as how Shamans are taking advantage financially of their roles and how the dominant American culture has impacted how Shamanism in practiced here. I know that Hmong Shamanism is one of the biggest aspects of the Hmong culture and Hmong identity, but I feel that my personal experience growing up here in American society has impacted my views of Shamanism and being Hmong.

            I was born in Thailand but my family came to California when I was only 2, so I basically grew up here like a second-generation child. Due to my environment I was raised in and the lack of exposure to had to the practice of Shamanism, I personally do not feel a deep connection with Hmong Shamanism and do not believe I will carry on the practice, although I do acknowledge it and participate in it with my family. I do believe that Shamanism has played an important role in my family and has helped us out a lot, but I don’t think I would be able to preserve that aspect of my culture in this modern world where I have more roles and responsibilities that I would not otherwise have in Laos or Thailand, such as being a student and working to support myself.

            Today many Hmong who practice Shamanism have simplified it to make it more convenient and cost efficient, losing the authenticity and effectiveness of the practice. Most of these modifications may either be due to American regulations or just the individual’s decision to get it done with. I also see that many the Hmong children now are losing interested in continuing the Shamanism practices because they are rarely taught the importance and purposes of the practices. Many children today see these Shaman ceremonies as a time to gather with family, cousins, and relatives to have fun and play, while the adults and older generations partake in the Shaman rituals.Many Hmong parents, mine included, are saying that their children are losing their Hmong roots and are becoming too American, thus not caring for the practice of Hmong culture, or more specifically Hmong Shamanism. Even though I do not feel that I will carry on the tradition of Hmong Shamanism I do not think I am any less Hmong because there can be many ways to be Hmong. I

            I think Hue and Brenda’s topic is an interesting one because they can explore the impacts of American customs and mainstream culture on Hmong Shamanism. Because religion is such a big part of the Hmong people’s culture, it would be interesting to see how many of the youth identify themselves and their identity as Hmong. 

Boon Khang 

Presentation 4 Reflection (Culture and Identity)

Mimi Dao

May 23, 2012

ASA 150E

            In accordance to this week’s theme of culture, I think both presentations did a good job of presenting aspects of culture and identity within the Hmong community. Brenda and Hue presented their research topic on Shamanism and their three areas of focus which is the dominant culture’s impact, significance of religion to an individual, and critiques of the 1^st and 2^nd generation.  Boon and Mai Moua presented their research topic on Hmong young in education and roles at home. 

            Although I am a Vietnamese American, I have strong understanding of the practice of Shamanism from my roommate who is Hmong and whose family practices Shamanism.  My roommate, Samantha, is the daughter of a very strong Shaman so she has informed me with a lot of details of what her father does and what their practice is all about.  I have also heard about certain rituals and know a great deal about the customs of the practice such as the paper that gets burned, to the clothing, and the instruments that are used during the actual rituals.  Although I may have a good sense of the background information of Shamanism, I thought Brenda’s and Hue’s was very interesting and helpful because it deepened my knowledge about Shamanism and also brought new concerns that I was not aware about.  I would like to start and say that I thought they did a very good, long, and informative presentation.  The presentation had a lot of information and covered all aspects of the stated topics.  I thought it was a very smart and organized to state three areas of focus on Shamanism because the practice can be such a broad topic to speak about.  Brenda and Hue has a very strong understanding of their topic and had a lot of confidence within their presentation.  I think they did a good job with their findings and research because there were of lot of societal connections and personal interviews that gave the class a good understanding of how Hmong people and others view the practice of Shamanism.  I really enjoyed watching the personal interviews because it gave me the sense of how the perspectives of Shamanism within the 1^st and also the 2^nd generation.  I was able to see that within the 1^st generation the practice of Shamanism is still highly important and keeps traditional ties to the homeland.  Although America has altered some parts of the traditional rituals, the 1^st generation Hmong people still have belief to preserve their cultural practices.  In a sense, being practicing Shamanism has a strong a lot of influence of being Hmong.  Within the 2^nd generation I saw that there were two different groups: the group that still believes in the importance of preserving the practice and the group that believes in the practice but does not intend maintain their Shaman beliefs.  A question to consider is: What are the perspectives of the Hmong community in other cities that contain large Hmong population?

            Mai Moua and Boon research topic on Hmong youth roles at home and in education brought a lot of attention and awareness to the customs of children and parent within traditional Hmong homes.  I thought it was interesting to see that forms of punishment upon the children is a normalized and also a way of expressing care from parent to the child.  Although the children are expected to go to school and do well, the children are also given the responsibility to carry on their duties at home such as providing or cleaning for the entire family.  I thought it was also interesting to find out that male Hmong students in high education who are ASA major are more aware of the community problems and are likely to maintain roles back hom home.  Do male Hmong students who are biological science majors also likely to continue with their roles at home? What are the common findings in your research that might explain this dual role mentality of the Hmong children?

Presentation: Hmong Culture & Identity

            For the group that presented on Hmong Culture and Identity, I think that the presentation compliments the research that the group is working on.  It presents some possible explanations of why Hmong men have behind Hmong women in terms of education and careers.  Although they did not remember their exact research question, I think that the article that they analyzed and their presentation offer some important points that would be helpful for them when they write their research paper. 

            In terms of the overall presentation, I think that despite the little time that they had for their presentation (SORRY!), they still did a great job of going over everything.  As both a Hmong male/female and college students, these two presenters were able to offer their own personal experiences to bolster the analysis that they made from the reading.  However, it would be better if there were also able to get some information/data from other Hmong students on campus who can also add on to their research.  So as a suggestion, the Hmong Student Union on campus is a great start to conducting more research for their paper.  Other Southeast Asian organizations on campus also have Hmong students who are involved in that can also help them out.  For example, I know that SAFE’s Outreach program mentor high school and middle school students in Sacramento, so as an outreach coordinator (Boon), I think that you can use some of your students as examples. 

            For my group presentation, we spent too much time looking through the clips and videos that it made it hard for us to present all our analysis.  That wasn’t the main issue though.  Our main problem was that everything was really unorganized.  I didn’t know how to set up my laptop with the projector, so that took up twenty minutes of our presentation.  Even though we used a powerpoint for our presentation, we weren’t organized with how we presented the information.  Hue and I did not go over on how much information we were going to give about each points our presentation, some of our personal references/insights took up a lot of the presentation time.  But I was really glad that the class had a lot to ask during our presentation.  What I found really difficult with our presentation is that we didn’t have the time to offer a clearer background knowledge on the religion itself.  If we did this, the class would have a better understanding of our research.  Then again, this backgroun knowledge should have been incorporated in my video clip (which it was, until I accidentally deleted the whole scene while editing). 

            Honestly, I think that the organization of my presentation really made it hard for the students to understand what I am researching about.  Not only that, but my research participants are really uneven since I mainly have responses from the second generation.  So with the rest of the time that I have left for the research, I will have to conduct more interviews and balance out this sample size.  As for my analysis, because I have such a small sample size, I really need to organize and improve what I have so that audiences can have a better understanding of the research.  

-Brenda Vue