We must be organized: Dual organizations in an American Hmong community
Author(s):
Olney, Douglas P.
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
Ph.D.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of Minnesota, 1993.
Pages:
211
Language:
English
Abstract:
The Laotian Hmong have formed many types of ethnic associations since their arrival in the United States. This dissertation describes two such associations in Des Moines, Iowa. These associations are also referred to as Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs) by the refugees and others working in the refugee field. The Hmong have used both pre-migration forms of organization and American forms of organization in the development of these associations. To illustrate this I describe an American model of a nonprofit association and the pre-migration Hmong model of organization. I draw on Max Weber's concepts of communal and associational organization to contrast these two models of organization. These forms of organization are illustrated in case studies of the two Hmong associations. Hmong have actively sought to organize their associations in ways that the Hmong understand, while at the same time they use the concepts of a nonprofit organization to appeal to American helpers, patrons, and funders. Thus the Hmong leaders have created dual organizations that are at once Hmong and American. A dual organization is one where there is an active interaction of pre-migration patterns of organization with the patterns of organization of the host society. The two organizational styles are blended when possible, but they remain simultaneously distinct and are sometimes in conflict. The dual nature of the Hmong associations is illustrated in discussions of events that took place during the period of fieldwork. Americans, or non-Hmong, have had an important role in the development of the associations which underlines the dual nature. Finally, comparisons are made with other immigrant associations which suggest the value of using the concept of dual organizations in further study of immigrant associations.