Week 7_Natalie Lortz_ASA 114

In Louisa Schein's "Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics, and the Materializing of Memory, she delves into the multiple facets of the diasporic homeland, particularly the Hmong homeland. The homeland, for all diasporas is more than a physical location. Nostalgia labels refugees as linked to violent struggle and no progressive. Earlier analyses of the nostalgia perspective do not focus on contemporary generations in social and political economic contexts. There is a lot of misconception regarding the origin of Hmong people, particularly their location of origin and their original written language. Additionally, in the Central Valley, organized Hmong events such as the Hmong National Beauty Pageant. At the beauty pageant, members of the Lao royal family were invited. There, an extravagant ceremony was performed to remember the lost culture of hospitality that is not displayed in contemporary times anymore. The Beauty Pageant served as a safe space to perform cultural rituals, have Hmong representation, and share cultural values. Hmong, in particular have a unique history that constructs deep partnership with neighboring cultures. She discusses sex in the diaspora, largely referring to the gender disparities and sexualized Asian women stereotype. Transnational marriages, particularly international brides, are a common occurrence. When Asian brides are ordered by non-Asian men in the U.S., it feeds into sexist Orientalism. The Laotian royalty visiting the Hmong Beauty Pageant represents a connection to the powers that do not exist in the physical, original homeland. Where do you find power in a community where power has been strategically stripped?