New pioneers in the heartland: Hmong life in Wisconsin
Author(s):
Koltyk, Jo Ann
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1995.
Pages:
485
Language:
English
Abstract:
This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the Hmong in Wisconsin. It concentrates on the daily lived experiences within particular places, in order to understand how locality manifests itself in diasporic communities, and the effects that a transnational and global diaspora community has on the adaptational process of the Hmong in America. It examines Hmong life from various vantage points, from that of individuals, their families and kinship networks, and the communities they live in. Its primary focus is on daily life routines. The main chapters cover research on families, work, self-sufficiency issues, attitudes about saving, spending and consumption, and entrepreneurial activities including Hmong-made video productions. The research analyzes how the Hmong see their own adaptational process and how they represent and define their Hmongness in America. Social and economic decision-making are explored in order to delineate the kinds of adaptive strategies that the Hmong make with the resources and constraints on hand. Although over half of all Hmong families on welfare assistance at the time of the study, the research data yields a rather positive picture of a group's economic adaptation and well-being. Hmong families reflect a creative and flexible aptitude for managing and maximizing the resources and opportunities available to them.