In Louisa Schein's "Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics, and the Materializing of Memory, one of the things she analyzed was Hmong New Year celebration, having held a beauty pageant to showcase young women held at high standards in the community. They decided to incorporate Lao Royalty in their pageant because they want to tie Laotian and Hmong culture into one, especially for the children who spoke both languages. Hmong New Year is also a stepping ground to display different food, vendors, culture practices, and even art. A mindset that Hmong men tend to think women “must depend solely on their male counterpart to survive, are much more susceptible to being exploited” (Schein 715). This mindset leads to a gender division in their community, creating gender disparities. Since young girls are realizing their worth in the community, seeking further education, it gives them a voice to speak what’s on their mind and gives Hmong men little opportunities to exploit them emotionally. There is a power struggle in the Hmong community between men and women based on status, but it’s important that women are creating a higher role for themselves by taking up space in society.
Question: How has the women in Hmong community came together in order to create a safer space to influence younger generations of girls?
Work cited:
Schein, L. “Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics, and the Materializing of Memory.” Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique, vol. 7, no. 3, 1999, pp. 715.
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