© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permissionhmongstudies.org/GenderinHmongSocietyPart2.pdf · Discussion Topics/Questions yBackground: yHistory: list historical events that

Kou YangProfessor of Asian American Studies

Ethnic and Gender Studies DepartmentCalifornia State University, Stanislaus

© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

Map and flag are from CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vm.html

The Hmong of Vietnam: Gender Roles



A Hmong coupe and their child


A father and his son

© 2008 Kou Yang No duplication without permission

Older sister babysits for her younger siblings© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

• A young mother and her child in Can Cau, Bac Ha


At the Saturday Market Place in Can Cau

2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

Women come to the market to sell their produces and other goods

Many men come to the market to drink with their friends


Like people of other countries, man does the driving


It is unusual for a woman to plough the family’s rice paddy field, but here it is; because her sons work in the city


Globalization and adaptation

Gathering firewood© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

The Hmong of China: Generation and Gender Roles

Mp and Flag are from CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

Chinese Flag and Map: from CIA World Factbook: Link to © 2008 Kou Yang No duplication without permission

This sculpture honors both man and woman Qeej masters as symbol of the Hmong


Cooking for the New Year Feast is the responsibility of the Men while cooking for every day is done by the women


New year feasting: Men eat in a separate table© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

When parents hold their children, boy with dad and girl with mom


A girl comes to the market with her mother


Women do the sale© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

Both boys and girls play together


The wife feeds the animals while the husband does the watching with their child


A grand father and his grand daughter


Plough the land is usually man’s work: two men train a young ox to plough the land


A mother and her adult daughter © 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permission

Equal, but not so equal


A grand father and his grand child


Two future Qeej masters play side by side


Gender equality: officials of both gender toast each other


A younger person offers a toast to her senior person


Men perform the Qeej and woman does the dancing


Hmong museum paintings show women carrying foods home and men performing the Qeej


Discussion Topics/Questions

Background:History: list historical events that have contributed to the making of Hmong patriarchal societyList some aspects of Hmong legend/folk tales that are related to gender in/equality or gender rolesIdentify Hmong words that help you to understand Hmong gender roles and issuesIdentify some of the roles of the paternal grand‐parents in the home?List roles of maternal grand‐parents that differ from paternal grand‐parentsList some of the roles of the husband and fatherList some of the roles of the wife and mother


Agriculture and GeographyHow do the climate and geography of the regions where Hmong live affect their patterns of generation/gender roles , and patriarchal practicesHow do their agricultural practices affect their way of life, culture and patterns of generation/gender roles

Hmong LanguageDoes Hmong language show preference for male or female?What aspect of Hmong language and religion that might indicate past matriarchal society


Hmong Religion and CultureWhat aspects of Hmong culture and religion support their preference for boy over girl?Do both maternal and paternal grand‐parents have equal share of caring and socializing their grand‐children?How is knowledge about various aspects of life passes on from one generation to the next?

People of DiasporaCompare and contrast gender roles of the Hmong in different countriesIdentify some of changes in gender roles among the Hmong in Laos, China, and Vietnam?

Discussion Topics/QuestionsHmong Americans

Gender/Generation rolesIn which and what ways have gender roles changed in Hmong American society?Donnelly (Donnelly, 1997: 113) found tremendous changes in the conduct of daily life of the Hmong in the US and stated that changes was proceeding at lightning pace, too fast too record. Identify some of the changes?List factors that influence the changes of gender roles in HmongAmerican societyCompare and contrast Hmong gender roles in Laos and in the US

Others:

About the Author:Kou Yang is Professor of Asian American Studies at California State University, Stanislaus. He holds an Ed.D. from the Joint Doctoral Program of Educational Leadership, California State University, Fresno/University of California at Davis, and an MSW from California State University, Fresno. His articles appear in the Journal of Asian American Studies, Ethnic Studies Review, Asian Pacific Migration Journal, Hmong Studies Journal, Journal of Guizhou University for Nationalities and Journal of Hubei Institute for Nationalities. He has also contributed to several books, including The Hmong: An Introduction to Their History and Culture, Emerging Voices: The Experiences of Underrepresented Asian Americans, Hmong Migration, Passage, and Hmong Forum.Professor Kou Yang was the Co‐Director and Travel Director of the CSU, Stanislaus’ 2004 Fulbright‐Hay Group Project to China, and is a recipient of the 2005 Sasakawa Fellowship. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, and a member of the Board of Advisory of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul, and the Bridge. He served on the Board of Directors of Hmong National Development from 2002 to 2008.

References

Barney, George, L. Christianity: Innovation In Meo Culture A Case Study in Missionization. Unpublished master's thesis. University of Minnesota (1957). http://www.como.stpaul.k12.mn.us/Vue‐Benson/.

Donnelly, Nancy D. Changing Lives of Refugee Hmong Women. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.

Geddes, W.R. Migrants of the Mountains. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1876). Lemoine, Jacques. “What is the actual number of the (H)mong in the World?” Hmong Studies Journal, 6 (2005). Available from: http://hmongstudies.org/LemoineHSJ6.pdfLee, Gary Yia, Diaspora and the Predicament of Origins: Interrogating Hmong Postcolonial History and

Identity. Hmong Studies Journal, Viol. 6 (2007). 1‐25._ _ _ _ The Hmong of Laos: Overview of their Transnational Adaptation, a paper

presented at the first international workshop on the Hmong/Miao in Asia 11‐13 September 1998, Aix‐en‐Provence, France (retrieved on May 13, 2008). Link to view from:http://members.ozemail.com.au/~yeulee/Topical/hmong%20of%20laos.html#Demography%20and%20econom

y

_ _ _ _ Hmong World View and Social Structure (Cited on November 10, 2008). Link to view from:http://home.vicnet.net.au/~lao/laostudy/hmrelate.htm

_ _ _ _ The Shaping of Traditions: Agriculture and Hmong Society. Hmong Studies Journal, Vol. 6 (2005). 1‐33.

Hamilton‐Merritt, Jane. Tragic Mountains. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999. Moua, Mai Neng. Bamboo Among the Oaks. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2002.

References

Olney, Douglas P. “We must be organized: dual organizations in an American Hmong community.”Ph.D. Diss., The University of Minnesota, 1993.

Pfeifer, Mark, and Serge Lee. “Hmong Population, Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Educational Trends in the 2000 Census.” In Hmong 2000 Census Publication: Data and

Analysis. Hmong National Development, Inc., and the Hmong Cultural and Resource Center, 2004.Ranard, D. (Editor), The Hmong: An Introduction to their History and Culture. The Center for

Applied Linguistics, 2004. Swinkels, Rob and Carrie Turk, Explaining Ethnic Minority Poverty in Vietnam: a summary of

recent trends and current challenges. Draft Background paper for CEM/ MPI meeting on Ethnic Minority Poverty, Hanoi (28 September 2006). Link to view from:

Resources/Ethnic_Minority_Poverty_in_Vietnam7.doc.Toyota, Mika, Subjects of the Nation Without Citizenship: The Case of the ‘Hill Tribes in

Northern Thailand. In, Kymlicka, Will and Baogang He, Multiculturalism in Asia, Oxford University Press (2005). Link to view from: google.com/books?isbn=0199277621.

Vuong Xuan Tinh, Looking for food: The Difficult Journey of the Hmong in Vietnam (No Date). Link to view from: www.ies.wisc.edu/ltc/live/vxt0211loo.pdf

Yang, Dao. Hmong at The Turning Point. Minneapolis: WorldBridge Associates, 1993.‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ The Hmong: enduring traditions. In Lewis, J. (Ed.), Minority Cultures of Laos:

Kammu, Lua, Lahu, Hmong, and Iu‐Mien. Rancho Cordova, CA: Southeast Asia Community Resource Center‐Folsom Cordova Unified School District, 1992.

References

Yang, K., Contemporary Hmong Americans – In, Ling Huping, Emerging Voices: The Experiences of Underrepresented Asian Americans, Rutgers University Press (2008).

_____ Hmong Americans at the Dawn of the 21st Century. Accepted to be presented at the 16th World Congress of the Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Kunming, China (to be held from July 15 to 23, 2008; postpones until July 27‐30, 2009).

_____ The Immigration and Emigration of Hmong Americans. Accepted to be presented at the 16th World Congress of the Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, Kunming, China (to be held from July 15 to 23, 2008; postpones until July 27‐30, 2009).

_____ An Assessment of the Hmong American New Year and Its Implications for Hmong‐American Culture. Hmong Studies Journal, Vol.8 (2007). Online link to view: http://hmongstudies.org/KYangHSJ8.pdf.

_____ Research Notes from the Field: Tracing the Path of the Ancestors – A Visit to the Hmong in China.” Hmong Studies Journal 6 (2005):1‐38. Available from: http://hmongstudies.org/YangHSJ6.pdf.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Hmong Americans: 30 Years In‐Review. Paper presented at the First International Conference on Lao Studies, DeKalb: May 20‐22, 2005.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Hmong Americans: Felt Needs, Problems and Community Development. Hmong Studies Journal, 4 (2003): 102‐124.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Hmong Diaspora of the Post‐War Period. Asian Pacific Migration Journal 12 (3) (2003). 271‐300.

_ _ _ _ Hmong Men’s Adaptation to Life in the United States. Hmong Studies Journal Vol. 1, No. 2 (1997).

Documents

© 2008 Kou Yang. No duplication without permissionhmongstudies.org/GenderinHmongSocietyPart2.pdf · Discussion Topics/Questions yBackground: yHistory: list historical events that