HMONG STUDIES NEWSLETTER, Spring 2017
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION: The Hmong Studies Newsletter has since 2001 provided a very consistent source of up-to-date information about new works in Hmong Studies and Hmong-related research resources. To access back issues of this online publication dating back to 2001 visit: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-newsletter.html
Hmong Studies Newsletter Editor: Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD
ABOUT THE HMONG STUDIES INTERNET RESOURCE CENTER:
The Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center (www.hmongstudies.org) is the online home of the Hmong Studies Journal academic journal. This unique scholarly site also contains extensive bibliographies in Hmong Studies as well as census data and an online research paper library.
Most of the Hmong Studies articles, books and dissertations listed in this newsletter and on the website may be found at the Hmong Resource Center Library (www.hmonglibrary.org) at the Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, the largest depository of Hmong Studies academic journal articles and graduate theses and dissertations in the United States.
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION: The Hmong Studies Newsletter has since 2001 provided a very consistent source of up-to-date information about new works in Hmong Studies and Hmong-related research resources. To access back issues of this online publication dating back to 2001 visit: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-newsletter.html
Hmong Studies Newsletter Editor: Mark E. Pfeifer, PhD
ABOUT THE HMONG STUDIES INTERNET RESOURCE CENTER:
The Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center (www.hmongstudies.org) is the online home of the Hmong Studies Journal academic journal. This unique scholarly site also contains extensive bibliographies in Hmong Studies as well as census data and an online research paper library.
Most of the Hmong Studies articles, books and dissertations listed in this newsletter and on the website may be found at the Hmong Resource Center Library (www.hmonglibrary.org) at the Hmong Cultural Center in Saint Paul, the largest depository of Hmong Studies academic journal articles and graduate theses and dissertations in the United States.
RECENT WORKS IN HMONG STUDIES:
Books/Theses/Reports
Carolyn Wong. (2017). Voting Together: Inter-generational Politics and Civic Engagement among Hmong Americans. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. In this monograph, the author explores how the Hmong came to pursue politics as a key path to advancement and inclusion in the United States. Utilizing interviews with community leaders, refugees, and the second-generation children of immigrants, Wong posits that intergenerational mechanisms of social voting underlie the political participation of Hmong Americans. Younger Hmong Americans engage older community residents in grassroots elections and conversation about public affairs. At the same time, within families and communities, elders often transmit stories that draw connections between ancient Hmong aspirations for freedom and contemporary American egalitarian projects. To learn more more about this new work visit: http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=20998
Ton Cha. (2016). An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Hmong Literacy Programs at the Secondary Level in California. EdD Dissertation, California State University, Fresno. This graduate study conducted by a Hmong Native Speaker teacher at the secondary level assessed Hmong World Language programs in California to determine elements within the teaching profession that define effective teaching practices in Hmong language courses. This study encompassed four California districts with Hmong World Language programs to analyze student and teacher perceptions, literacy skills, teaching pedagogy, and resources.
Xao Saychou Her. (2016). The First Hmong American College Students' Experiences and Their Educational Success. EdD Dissertation, Alliant International University, San Diego. This graduate study examines the experiences of ten first generation Hmong American community college students from Laos with a focus on cultural adjustment and educational adaptation into mainstream educational environments.
Fue Ricky Vang. (2016). Factors Contributing to Hmong Female Student Success at an Urban High School. PhD. Dissertation, Alliant University, Fresno. The purpose of this graduate study was to explore the factors that contributed to the success of Hmong female students at an urban high school. Through in-depth ethnographic interviews with students, parents, and counselors, the research examined patterns and traits that made a difference in the educational success of the students. The study participants consisted of ten Hmong female students who attained the status of valedictorian between the school years of 2010 to 2015.
Yeng Yang. (2016). At the Mainstream's Margins, Re-Examining Hmong Students' Schooling Through the Eyes of Hmong Administrators, Teachers and Parents. PhD Dissertation, University of Texas at San Antonio. This graduate study focuses on exploring the first Hmong-based charter school in Northern California; the study examines how the school operated and executed its curricula, instructional practices, and pedagogies to meet the linguistic, cultural, and academic needs of Hmong students. The research questions that guided the author's work include the following: (1) What are the views and beliefs of the administrators, teachers, and parents about the rationale for and mission of the school and the school’s effectiveness in meeting the academic, linguistic, and cultural needs of Hmong-American students? (2) What are the instructional practices and pedagogies used to address the needs of Hmong students classified as ELLs? And (3) how does the school incorporate Hmong language and culture into the curriculum?
Kaozong Nancy MouaVangSou. (2012). The Mis-Education of the Hmong in America. MA Thesis, University of California, Davis. This graduate study integrates Woodson (1933/1972) and Constantino’s (1982) concepts of mis-education to examine how the American education system impacts Hmong students and their community. These scholars focus on: controlled thinking/captured mind (i.e. using education as a tool for American imperialism), community division (i.e. an American education can create divisions within one’s community), and United States history (i.e. social studies distorts the true history of minorities). The author's study incorporates this framework to create what she calls, the mis-education of the Hmong. This entails studying the Hmong community while recognizing that: education is seen as a path to financial stability (i.e. the belief that education is critical for a successful future); to divide the Hmong community (i.e. how education publically and privately creates spaces of division within the Hmong community); and the absence of Hmong in discourses on U.S. history (i.e. social science classes not including Hmong history into their curriculum).
Academic Journal Articles/Other
Maichou Lor, Phia Xiong, Linda Park, Rebecca J. Schwei, and Elizabeth A. Jacobs. (2017). "Western or Traditional Healers? Understanding Decision Making in the Hmong Population." Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol. 39(3) 400–415. In this paper, the authors describe their findings of how Hmong refugees and immigrants to the United States make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health services. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 Hmong adults. They found their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness. Hmong participants’ expectations for effective treatment in traditional or Western health care encounters combined with physical evidence of an illness influenced their decisions and often led them to shift from one type of care to the other. Understanding cultural differences in perceptions of the causes of illnesses and the link between perceived cause and treatment is important to improving care for the Hmong population.
Bic Ngo. (2017). "Naming Their World in a Culturally Responsive Space: Experiences of Hmong Adolescents in an After-School Theatre Program." Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 32(1) 37–63.
This research article utilizes ethnographic research of a youth theatre program within a Hmong arts organization to assess the ways in which a culturally responsive program nurtured critical consciousness among Hmong immigrant youth. Hmong youth “named” struggles with stereotypes and acculturation expectations, and constructed positive ethnic identities as Hmong Americans in the theatre program.
Elisa K. Tong (2017). "Lay health educators increase CRC screening in Southeast Asian immigrants. Colectoral Cancer Screening Among Hmong Americans: A Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial." Cancer 123 (1), 98-106. Asian Americans have lower colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates than non-Hispanic white individuals. Hmong Americans have limited socioeconomic resources and literacy. The randomized controlled trial described in this research paper was conducted to determine whether bilingual/bicultural lay health educator (LHE) education could increase CRC screening among Hmong Americans. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among Hmong Americans in Sacramento, California. LHEs and recruited participants were randomized to intervention or control groups. The outcomes involved changes in self-reported ever-screening and up-to-date CRC screening after 6 months.
Raiza Beltran, Tina Simms, Hee Yun Lee and Melissa Kwon. (2016). "HPV Literacy and Associated Factors Among Hmong American Immigrants: Implications for Reducing Cervical Cancer Disparity." Journal of Community Health, 41:603–611. Previous studies show that certain minority and ethnic communities experience low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates despite a higher cervical cancer burden. HPV is known to be responsible for almost all cervical cancer cases. Hmong Americans, a growing Asian American population, appear to be at increased risk. The cervical cancer incidence rate among Hmong American women is three times higher than other Asian/Pacific Islanders and more than four times higher than Non-Hispanic Whites. Despite such alarming statistics, there is limited research focusing on HPV literacy and its associated factors in the Hmong American community. This research study’s objectives include to investigate the following: (1) the level of HPV knowledge among Hmong Americans; (2) HPV vaccination initiation and completion rates of Hmong Americans; and (3) factors associated with HPV literacy in the Hmong American community.
Books/Theses/Reports
Carolyn Wong. (2017). Voting Together: Inter-generational Politics and Civic Engagement among Hmong Americans. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. In this monograph, the author explores how the Hmong came to pursue politics as a key path to advancement and inclusion in the United States. Utilizing interviews with community leaders, refugees, and the second-generation children of immigrants, Wong posits that intergenerational mechanisms of social voting underlie the political participation of Hmong Americans. Younger Hmong Americans engage older community residents in grassroots elections and conversation about public affairs. At the same time, within families and communities, elders often transmit stories that draw connections between ancient Hmong aspirations for freedom and contemporary American egalitarian projects. To learn more more about this new work visit: http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=20998
Ton Cha. (2016). An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Hmong Literacy Programs at the Secondary Level in California. EdD Dissertation, California State University, Fresno. This graduate study conducted by a Hmong Native Speaker teacher at the secondary level assessed Hmong World Language programs in California to determine elements within the teaching profession that define effective teaching practices in Hmong language courses. This study encompassed four California districts with Hmong World Language programs to analyze student and teacher perceptions, literacy skills, teaching pedagogy, and resources.
Xao Saychou Her. (2016). The First Hmong American College Students' Experiences and Their Educational Success. EdD Dissertation, Alliant International University, San Diego. This graduate study examines the experiences of ten first generation Hmong American community college students from Laos with a focus on cultural adjustment and educational adaptation into mainstream educational environments.
Fue Ricky Vang. (2016). Factors Contributing to Hmong Female Student Success at an Urban High School. PhD. Dissertation, Alliant University, Fresno. The purpose of this graduate study was to explore the factors that contributed to the success of Hmong female students at an urban high school. Through in-depth ethnographic interviews with students, parents, and counselors, the research examined patterns and traits that made a difference in the educational success of the students. The study participants consisted of ten Hmong female students who attained the status of valedictorian between the school years of 2010 to 2015.
Yeng Yang. (2016). At the Mainstream's Margins, Re-Examining Hmong Students' Schooling Through the Eyes of Hmong Administrators, Teachers and Parents. PhD Dissertation, University of Texas at San Antonio. This graduate study focuses on exploring the first Hmong-based charter school in Northern California; the study examines how the school operated and executed its curricula, instructional practices, and pedagogies to meet the linguistic, cultural, and academic needs of Hmong students. The research questions that guided the author's work include the following: (1) What are the views and beliefs of the administrators, teachers, and parents about the rationale for and mission of the school and the school’s effectiveness in meeting the academic, linguistic, and cultural needs of Hmong-American students? (2) What are the instructional practices and pedagogies used to address the needs of Hmong students classified as ELLs? And (3) how does the school incorporate Hmong language and culture into the curriculum?
Kaozong Nancy MouaVangSou. (2012). The Mis-Education of the Hmong in America. MA Thesis, University of California, Davis. This graduate study integrates Woodson (1933/1972) and Constantino’s (1982) concepts of mis-education to examine how the American education system impacts Hmong students and their community. These scholars focus on: controlled thinking/captured mind (i.e. using education as a tool for American imperialism), community division (i.e. an American education can create divisions within one’s community), and United States history (i.e. social studies distorts the true history of minorities). The author's study incorporates this framework to create what she calls, the mis-education of the Hmong. This entails studying the Hmong community while recognizing that: education is seen as a path to financial stability (i.e. the belief that education is critical for a successful future); to divide the Hmong community (i.e. how education publically and privately creates spaces of division within the Hmong community); and the absence of Hmong in discourses on U.S. history (i.e. social science classes not including Hmong history into their curriculum).
Academic Journal Articles/Other
Maichou Lor, Phia Xiong, Linda Park, Rebecca J. Schwei, and Elizabeth A. Jacobs. (2017). "Western or Traditional Healers? Understanding Decision Making in the Hmong Population." Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol. 39(3) 400–415. In this paper, the authors describe their findings of how Hmong refugees and immigrants to the United States make decisions about whether and when to use traditional and/or Western health services. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 Hmong adults. They found their decisions depended on whether they classified the illness as spiritual or not and how they evaluated the effectiveness of different treatment options for their illness. Hmong participants’ expectations for effective treatment in traditional or Western health care encounters combined with physical evidence of an illness influenced their decisions and often led them to shift from one type of care to the other. Understanding cultural differences in perceptions of the causes of illnesses and the link between perceived cause and treatment is important to improving care for the Hmong population.
Bic Ngo. (2017). "Naming Their World in a Culturally Responsive Space: Experiences of Hmong Adolescents in an After-School Theatre Program." Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 32(1) 37–63.
This research article utilizes ethnographic research of a youth theatre program within a Hmong arts organization to assess the ways in which a culturally responsive program nurtured critical consciousness among Hmong immigrant youth. Hmong youth “named” struggles with stereotypes and acculturation expectations, and constructed positive ethnic identities as Hmong Americans in the theatre program.
Elisa K. Tong (2017). "Lay health educators increase CRC screening in Southeast Asian immigrants. Colectoral Cancer Screening Among Hmong Americans: A Clustered Randomized Controlled Trial." Cancer 123 (1), 98-106. Asian Americans have lower colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates than non-Hispanic white individuals. Hmong Americans have limited socioeconomic resources and literacy. The randomized controlled trial described in this research paper was conducted to determine whether bilingual/bicultural lay health educator (LHE) education could increase CRC screening among Hmong Americans. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among Hmong Americans in Sacramento, California. LHEs and recruited participants were randomized to intervention or control groups. The outcomes involved changes in self-reported ever-screening and up-to-date CRC screening after 6 months.
Raiza Beltran, Tina Simms, Hee Yun Lee and Melissa Kwon. (2016). "HPV Literacy and Associated Factors Among Hmong American Immigrants: Implications for Reducing Cervical Cancer Disparity." Journal of Community Health, 41:603–611. Previous studies show that certain minority and ethnic communities experience low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates despite a higher cervical cancer burden. HPV is known to be responsible for almost all cervical cancer cases. Hmong Americans, a growing Asian American population, appear to be at increased risk. The cervical cancer incidence rate among Hmong American women is three times higher than other Asian/Pacific Islanders and more than four times higher than Non-Hispanic Whites. Despite such alarming statistics, there is limited research focusing on HPV literacy and its associated factors in the Hmong American community. This research study’s objectives include to investigate the following: (1) the level of HPV knowledge among Hmong Americans; (2) HPV vaccination initiation and completion rates of Hmong Americans; and (3) factors associated with HPV literacy in the Hmong American community.
HMONG STUDIES JOURNAL PUBLISHES VOLUME 17
At the end of December 2016, the Saint Paul-based Hmong Studies Journal published volume 17.
Articles in Volume 17 include the following:
Comparative Racialization and Unequal Justice in the Era of Black Lives Matter: The Dylan Yang Case by Pao Lee Vue, Louisa Schein and Bee Vang
Evaluation of a Pilot Nutrition Education Program Delivered by Hmong Community Health Workers (CHWs) by Jeanette Treiber, Nestor Martinez, Kendra Thao, Jyotti Pannu and Diana Cassady
Perceptions of Risk for Hepatitis B Infection among the Hmong by Jennifer Kue, Sheryl Thorburn and Laura A. Szalacha
The Centrality of Ethnic Community and the Military Service Master Frame in Hmong Americans’ Protest Events and Cycles of Protest, 1980-2012 by Yang Sao Xiong
The Hmong in Argentina and their ‘convergence’ with the Rankülche by Pasuree Luesakul The Qing Response to the Miao Kings of China’s 1795-7 Miao Revolt by Daniel McMahon
Frontier Livelihoods: Hmong in the Sino-Vietnamese Borderlands, Book Review by Mai Na. M. Lee
View the Hmong Studies Journal Volume 17 Press Release here: http://hmongstudies.org/HSJPressRelease17.pdf
View Volume 17 here: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hsj-volume-17-2016.html
Articles in Volume 17 include the following:
Comparative Racialization and Unequal Justice in the Era of Black Lives Matter: The Dylan Yang Case by Pao Lee Vue, Louisa Schein and Bee Vang
Evaluation of a Pilot Nutrition Education Program Delivered by Hmong Community Health Workers (CHWs) by Jeanette Treiber, Nestor Martinez, Kendra Thao, Jyotti Pannu and Diana Cassady
Perceptions of Risk for Hepatitis B Infection among the Hmong by Jennifer Kue, Sheryl Thorburn and Laura A. Szalacha
The Centrality of Ethnic Community and the Military Service Master Frame in Hmong Americans’ Protest Events and Cycles of Protest, 1980-2012 by Yang Sao Xiong
The Hmong in Argentina and their ‘convergence’ with the Rankülche by Pasuree Luesakul The Qing Response to the Miao Kings of China’s 1795-7 Miao Revolt by Daniel McMahon
Frontier Livelihoods: Hmong in the Sino-Vietnamese Borderlands, Book Review by Mai Na. M. Lee
View the Hmong Studies Journal Volume 17 Press Release here: http://hmongstudies.org/HSJPressRelease17.pdf
View Volume 17 here: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hsj-volume-17-2016.html
COMPREHENSIVE AND EXPANDED HMONG STUDIES RESEARCH BIBLIOGRAPHIES ARE ONLINE:
Doing research on a Hmong Studies research topic? More than 40 comprehensive and frequently updated online subject bibliographies of Hmong Studies works are available at the following link: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-bibliographies.html
A 2007-Present research bibliography is updated every few months with information about the latest research publications in Hmong Studies, online links to full-text are included where applicable:
http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-publications-from-2007-present.html
Doing research on a Hmong Studies research topic? More than 40 comprehensive and frequently updated online subject bibliographies of Hmong Studies works are available at the following link: http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-bibliographies.html
A 2007-Present research bibliography is updated every few months with information about the latest research publications in Hmong Studies, online links to full-text are included where applicable:
http://www.hmongstudiesjournal.org/hmong-studies-publications-from-2007-present.html
