Includes bibliographical references and index. New Book -- May -- 2013
Contents:
Stitching the fabric of Hmong lives: the value of studying Paj Ntaub and story cloth in multicultural education / Mary Louise Buley-Meissner. Part III: Cultural integration through education and the arts. Searching for sources of Hmong identity in multicultural America / Vincent K. Her ; Homeland narratives and Hmong Americans in Wisconsin / Jeremy Hein ; From war to resettlement: how Hmong have become Americans / Keith Quincy ; The spirit of enterprise and the emergence of Hmong and Hmong American identities: reflections of a Hmong anthropologist / Gary Yia Lee -- Part II: Family challenges and community transitions. The good Hmong girl eats raw laab / Ka Vang ; "There are no GLBT Hmong people" : Hmong American young adults navigating culture and sexuality / Bic Ngo ; The challenges and contributions of Hmong American elders: a personal and professional perspective / Song Lee ; Hmong American professional identities: an overview of generational changes since the 1970s / Pao Lor ; Forging new paths, confronting new challenges: Hmong Americans in the twenty-first century / Kou Yang -- Part III: Cultural integration through education and the arts. Pieces of the puzzle: a Hmong American teacher's multifaceted identity / May Vang ; Transforming the world and oneself: the arts and Hmong American identity / Don Hones, Shervun Xiong, Ma Lee Xiong, Chan Vang, Hue Vang, and Amy DeBroux ; Making the invisible visible: confronting the complexities of identity, family, and culture through art / Kou Vang ; To see a bigger world: the home and heart of a Hmong American writer / Kao Kalia Yang ; Stitching the fabric of Hmong lives: the value of studying Paj Ntaub and story cloth in multicultural education / Mary Louise Buley-Meissner.
Summary:
Farmers in Laos, U.S. allies during the Vietnam War, refugees in Thailand, citizens of the Western world, the stories of the Hmong who now live in America have been told in detail through books and articles and oral histories over the past several decades. Like any immigrant group, members of the first generation may yearn for the past as they watch their children and grandchildren find their way in the dominant culture of their new home. For Hmong people born and educated in the United States, a definition of self often includes traditional practices and tight-knit family groups but also a distinctly Americanized point of view. How do Hmong Americans negotiate the expectations of these two very different cultures? This book contains a series of essays featuring a range of writing styles, leading scholars, educators, artists, and community activists who explore themes of history, culture, gender, class, family, and sexual orientation, weaving their own stories into depictions of a Hmong American community where people continue to develop complex identities that are collectively shared but deeply personal as they help to redefine the multicultural America of today.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.