Week 7 - William Chan - Louisa Schein, "Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics, and the Materializing of Memory"

In Louisa Schein's article, Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics, and the Materializing of Memory, Schein brings up multiple ideas and conflicts within the Hmong people. It seems like the idea of displacement or the idea of having no homeland is what causes a lot of these issues that Schein talks about to be created. The idea that the Hmong women are being used and manipulated to be perceived as sexual beings. The idea that Hmong women are 'known' for tourists sexual attractions is problematic within the Hmong people and the article also brought up the idea how Chinese people would use them or marry them as a 'trophy' wife rather then to have a connection through affection and caring. This desensitizes the idea of romance and affection within their people and also brings up different ways women can be exploited and taken advantage of. I just feel like its dehumanizing to the Hmong women as well as the Hmong people to perceive their women to be 'less than' or not of equal value to other's because at the end of the day we're all human. It disrupts the Hmong people's livelihood because people of their own ethnicity view themselves as not worthy, which creates people in teaching the younger generation different about their own culture and ultimately makes their own culture messy because their is conflict among themselves.

What can progress and help the Hmong people to be aware of the exploitation of their women and how can the image of Hmong women be portrayed different?

http://calvcp.blogspot.com/2014/01/changing-cultural-attitudes-on-domestic.html

Louisa Schein. “Diaspora Politics, Homeland Erotics and the Materializing of Memory.”