Topicalcontents

This section contains articles on topical issues that have been of major concern to the Hmong, or have affected them personally and as a group, whether they have to do with politics, cultural change, political survival, economy and livelihood, hopes and dreams, or identity problems.

For the Hmong in the diaspora, cultural needs in the face of alien social environments and identity crisis present the greatest challenge, not only to the first generation but also to the younger Hmong who are faced with the need to know who and what they are, where did their parents come from, and where are they themselves heading in the future, what do they need to know in order to have a better sense of identity and who or what they want to be.

Topical issues are discussed here through the following articles:

Culture identity in post-modern society: reflections on what is a Hmong.
Bandits or rebels: the Hmong in the jungle of Laos and their struggle for survival.
Hmong dream talk: what should be the Hmong in the future.
Minority politics in Thailand: history of the Hmong in Thailand and their needs.
12-point statement: summary of 12 major Hmong issues around the globe.
Transnational Adaptation of the Hmong of Laos: overview of the Hmong after the 1975 communist take-over of Laos.
Hmong refugees in Australia: cultural issues faced by Hmong settlers in Australia.
Tribal socio-economic change: what is wrong with planned socioeconomic changes among the Hmong of Thailand.

New in this 2008 update is an in-depth examination of the plight of small bands of former Hmong CIA recruits and their descedants in their resistance and fight for survival in Laos. The article is entitled "Hmong Rebellion in Laos: Victims of Totalitarianism or Terrorists?".