1 / 10

Continuity and Change in Hmong Gender Values: Mai’s Story to the Present

Continuity and Change in Hmong Gender Values: Mai’s Story to the Present. Wednesday, September 20, 2000. Some business. Papers due Monday in lecture Format of papers: Reports to Medical Center and to Southeast Asia Center Reading guides being distributed now Website

orrin
Download Presentation

Continuity and Change in Hmong Gender Values: Mai’s Story to the Present

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Continuity and Change in Hmong Gender Values:Mai’s Story to the Present Wednesday, September 20, 2000

  2. Some business • Papers due Monday in lecture • Format of papers: Reports to Medical Center and to Southeast Asia Center • Reading guides being distributed now • Website • Alert about Twilight Years xerox in your Course Reader

  3. Mai’s mother’s proposal • Her proposal • the guy in Minneapolis • Her pointed plea • Mai wasn’t getting any younger • Invoking education as a burden • For the sake of the kids...

  4. What did Mai say? • Did she simply say “no way”?

  5. Mai’s reply • She started to weep quietly but with an air of desperation. • Mai’s mother was worried. What was wrong? • Mai said: “Mom, I don’t think he is a nice guy. I think he will be a tyrant at home.” • What Hmong traditions was Mai relying on here?

  6. Hmong traditions tapped into by Mai • Respect for elder • Right to have opinion on specific men heard (while not challenging right of parents to determine final choice) • Veiled threat of other possibilities: • suicide • elopement with unapproved man • embarrassing her family by playing the inept woman • being unavailable for communication

  7. The deal • Mai’s mother: OK, won’t coerce. Won’t tell dad. • BUT: Mai would have to drop this guy in Oswego. • AND: she could take the time she wanted to marry • BUT: she would have to marry a Hmong • What did Mai say?

  8. Mai’s reply and feeling • Mai: OK. First priority would be to find a Hmong man. She promised to stop seeing the Oswego guy. • But she would seek one out who would treat her more equally at home, even if she conformed to certain traditions. • AND: the man she chose would not stand in the way of her education and career.

  9. Change and continuity • What has stayed the same? • What has changed? • What do you think will happen?

  10. Film clip • What is the difference between how the young women and the young man feel about gender inequality? • Do you have the feeling that the women are ready to challenge the perspective of the man? Why or why not? • What does this short clip suggest to you about the prospects for cultural change around gender among the Hmong?

More Related