We all agree: A study of cultural consensus in a Hmong community
Author(s):
Lucke, Joyce Joanna
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, 1995.
Pages:
305
Language:
English
Abstract:
Culture in the past has been treated as a unitary phenomenon. There are many reasons for anthropology's confusion over the definition of culture, but only one will be explored in this dissertation: the problem created when a uniformist view of culture confronts the reality of intracultural variability. Incorporating intracultural variability into anthropological analyses has drastically altered the way anthropologists think and write about culture and society. The critique of the uniformist view of culture means that what was formerly taken for granted--that societies or ethnic groups have a shared culture--has become the focus of empirical research. The Cultural Consensus Model developed by Romney, Weller and Batchelder is one among anthropology's recent attempts to explain and describe the complexities of culture. This dissertation uses the logic and methodology of consensus theory to explore some implications that the documentation and explanation of intracultural variability hold for the study of ethnicity. The uniformist view of culture sees societies as bounded entities containing members who share a common set of traits. Can a group be described as "having a culture" if there are no longer any shared traits, despite many individuals claiming that they belong to that community or ethnic group? The model determines if a consensus exists for given cultural domains. If a cultural consensus does exist, additional questions can be asked: is informant competence in the domain differentially distributed; and, if it is, along what social network lines (e.g., gender, age, religion, etc.)? Cultural consensus research tools are used to analyze the structure of culture in the Hmong community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The primary research question was: do the Hmong in Milwaukee exhibit a cultural consensus in the domain of traditional Hmong culture? A consensus for this domain exists, but there is evidence that the consensus is eroding along the lines of generation and religion. The implications of this situation for Hmong ethnic identity are discussed.