The dream of the Hmong kingdom: Resistance, collaboration, and legitimacy under French colonialism (1893–1955)
Author(s):
Lee, Mai Na M.
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : The University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2005.
Pages:
371
Language:
English
Abstract:
The Hmong played a central role in Indochina's political conflicts for over half a century, yet the history of their early response to French colonial rule, the origin of their modern politics, remains largely unknown. Weaving together oral and archival sources collected from three continents, this thesis examines Hmong political history in colonial Indochina and explains the impetus for their resistance against and collaboration with the French from 1893 to 1955. Whether fighting or working with the French, the Hmong sought an immediate autonomy while yearning for ultimate sovereignty. Amidst this incessant political maneuvering, there emerged two kinds of Hmong leaders—the secular political broker, legitimated by both the colonial and indigenous authorities, and the messianic or prophetic leader who proclaimed the mandate of Heaven to become the Hmong “king” incarnate. As long as the political broker could negotiate autonomy, the Hmong accepted him as legitimate. When this leader became an instrument of colonial oppression, however, the Hmong turned to competitors. Under certain conditions of extreme duress, the Hmong followed a prophetic leader who promised an independent kingdom. Since the political broker faced strong competition from other clan leaders and the prophet who always lies dormant, the Hmong broker sought the support of powerful, external patrons to become a paramount leader. His efforts invariably resulted in collaboration with authorities, indigenous or colonial, who mobilized the Hmong for highland labor, both military and civil. Negotiating the boundaries between the Hmong desire for autonomy and his patron's demand for services, the Hmong political broker necessarily played an extractive role. When he failed to balance Hmong aspirations and the requisites of his patron, his followers turned to competing leaders or he faced displacement by his patron. Consequently, Hmong leaders rose and fell with marked frequency, precluding the development of a more enduring leadership system in colonial Hmong society.