The Hmong in Argentina and their 'convergence' with the Rankülche.
Author(s):
Luesakul, Pasuree
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Hmong Studies Journal, Volume 17, (2016-01). pp. 21-Jan.
Language:
English
Abstract:
After the defeat of the United States in Laos in 1975, the Hmong's resettlement in Argentina during their diaspora from refugee camps in Thailand is a topic that has yet to be fully studied. At the moment of their arrival, the Argentine political and historical context, that is, the military regime during the Dirty War (1976-1983), which was internationally condemned for thousands of cases of violation of human rights, and the Centenary Celebrations of the Conquest of the Desert (1878-1885), when the indigenous population was destroyed under the Europeanization plan of the government, specifically influenced the situation of the newcomers. One of these Argentinian ethnic peoples was the Rankülche who display surprising similarities with the Hmong. This coincidence has suggested a novel perspective from which to study the presence of refugees from Southeast Asia through a comparative study with the Argentine native group, who once occupied the land allocated for the newcomers a century later. In spite of a huge geographical gulf, both ethnic groups share geopolitical and cultural commonalities. They were also considered by the central governments, in Argentina, Thailand and nearby countries, as the 'other' in their 'marginal' land and, thus, constituted a 'problem' of national security that have resulted in them facing different destinies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]