First Name Selection among the Hmong in Laos and in France. Diversity, Complexification and Individuation
Author(s):
Hassoun, Jean-pierre
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Revue Francaise De Sociologie, Volume 36, Issue 2 (1995-04). pp. 241-271.
Language:
French
Abstract:
Following a study on the types of names used by the Hmong, in Laos & later on in France, the author has distinguished five types of first-name choice & several underlying logics for these choices, ie, of cultural continuity, of cultural adaptation using assimilation, & of internal cultural innovation, as well as a dual-culture multilogic. These logics are not always independent of each other, but are often combined. Apart from this distinction, the morphology & "physiology" of these first names reflect a complexity & a process of individuation similar to those influencing the choice of first names in French society as a whole. Furthermore, this process of acculturation can also be observed through the prism of social change, as was the case in Laos, just before the wave of migration &, especially, the change that followed in France. Social change & the process of acculturation, governed by the pull between the wish to be alike & the need for differentiation, have a mutual effect on first-name choice. 40 References. Adapted from the source document