Illuminating the Complexities of a First-Generation, Hmong American Mother in Graduate Education
Author(s):
Moua, Manee
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : Washington State University, 2017.
Pages:
189
Language:
English
Abstract:
The purpose of this dissertation is to highlight the various identities of a Hmong American woman, mother, and graduate student by deconstructing the intersectionality of race, gender and culture that influences the way she navigated higher education and graduate school. To support a more holistic view of Hmong American women’s experience, I use a Critical Race Feminism (CRF) theoretical lens to analyze how one performs and is empowered to navigate successfully through our society and education. Furthermore, my autoethnographic research highlights the diverse stories and experiences of one Hmong American woman, and illuminates on the struggles and challenges one may encounter to succeed. I also look at how one navigates motherhood in combination with the other various identities, (i.e., race and gender), that are commonly seen as hindering many women of color in higher education, and how these identities operate together. Furthermore, I deconstruct the gender and racial discourses that also revolve around family, culture, and academia through autoethnography to create space and agency that will illuminate my personal stories as political learning.