Nostalgia and Cultural Re-creation: The Case of the Hmong Diaspora
Author(s):
Lee, Gary Yia
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Crossroads, Volume 19, Issue 2 (2008). pp. 125-154.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Known as migrants of the mountains, the Hmong used to move every few decades from one mountaintop to another and from one country to the next in Southeast Asia. However, they have not been scattered so far and wide as they have been since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, when those serving on the side of the Americans had to leave Laos as refugees and resettle in various Western countries. This article1 explores the responses of the Hmong in the diaspora to their nostalgia in its various forms for their old homelands of Laos and China. It will also examine what gives rise to this longing for the past, the strategies they have used to meet their cultural re-creation needs, and the outcomes of this ad hoc diasporic project It concludes that the uneven process of self-rediscovery and cultural reinvention in the past thirty years has produced many new elements of Hmong culture, such as mixed traditional costumes that transcend subgroup demarcations, new dances, modern music, a body of written literature in place of an oral tradition, modern arts, new forms of embroideries, a thriving media industry, a much changed belief system, and a reclaimed written history. The diaspora, access to capital, and nostalgia for the past have put the Hmong in touch with each other through the Internet, international travel, and widespread use of commercial music and videos. This has resulted in a new transnational consciousness, a global identity that encompasses the geographical borders of the countries in which they now live. Adapted from the source document.