Week 3 - Kaitlin Zheng

Kaitlin Zheng

ASA 002 Sec A03

Week 3

Kaozong Mouavangsou’s “Hmong Does Not Mean Free: Miseducation of Hmong Americans” opened my eyes to the different facets of education for Hmong youth. These different aspects included miseducation of and to the Hmong people themselves as well as the stereotypes of the divide of gender in Hmong youth. The miseducation of Hmong people subtly and subconsciously influence the Hmong community in America due to the particular phrasing used to describe Hmong culture as written by non-Hmong individuals. Phrases such as, “no written language,” “no country of their own,” and, “primitive, mostly illiterate tribe group,” are often used to label the Hmong culture as less educated and oversimplifies their cultural values with negative connotations. Therefore, this leads to Hmong youth feeling a reluctance to have pride for their own ethnicity. This is known as the miseducation of the Hmong and is shockingly prevalent across other Asian cultures but largely impactful on the Hmong. Personally, I’ve experienced a lack of my Chinese culture accurately and thoroughly expressed in history classes; we are merely skimmed over and mentioned in periods of time when imperialism reigned and when the Chinese were laborers to construct the transcontinental railroad. Seeing the lack of Hmong culture covered in history influences the Hmong youth moreover because they believe that there is a lack of importance for their race. Another influential part of Hmong culture is the construct of gender roles in Hmong youth. Mouavangsou discusses the idea that there is a stereotype of Hmong females valuing and succeeding in their education compared to Hmong males. She further discusses the root of this stereotype in which she brings in her personal experience as a female Hmong American. Mouavangsou describes the idea that in Hmong culture, the males of the family are regarded as more important than females because they would carry down the family name. Therefore, Hmong female youth would feel the need to work harder and excel in academics in order to prove their significance in the family structure. Males on the other hand, face the struggle that due to a lax nature of Hmong males, they fail to often have a strong bond with other Hmong males since there is a lack of them represented in classes with higher academic difficulty. 

The theme of the reading is miseducation of Asian culture by American education as well as the struggle of Hmong youth for their identity whether it be male or female. I find these themes prevalent in my own personal life as well where I can be misrepresented and regarded as submissive and lesser than individuals of other races. 

Question: In high school, I was able to take an advanced placement class on European history. If American education can have courses focused on the details and history of Europe, can’t they provide information on Asia as in depth as well? How can American K-12 education become more inclusive with representation of Asian countries in curriculum in order to promote a sense of diversity and accurate portrayal of home countries for Asian-American youth? 

References: 

1.  Mouavangsou, K. N. (2016). Hmong does not Mean Free: the Miseducation of Hmong Americans. Retrieved October 07, 2017.

2. Waking Up On The Moon: Hmong in America. Retrieved October 8, 2017 from http://aliciapatterson.org/stories/waking-moon-hmong-america

3. Mydans, S. (1990, Nov. 7). California says Laos refugee group is a victim of leadership’s extortion. ​The New York Times. ​Retrieved October 1, 2016, from  http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/07/us/california-says-laos-refugee-group-is-a-victim-of-leadership-s-extortion.html