Where Is the Place to Call Home? The Diasporic Writings of Hmong Americans

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Hmong are an ethnic group with a rich cultural and historical background. They are primarily found in Southeast Asia, particularly in the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Hmong have immigrated to the United States in large numbers as war refugees. The process of their integration into the new culture has engendered the formation of Hmong English writing. This body of literature mainly includes autobiographies, short stories, essays, and poems, most of which depict the Hmong experience of exile, and whose central preoccupation is the pursuit of a homeland. Focused exclusively on the literary works of Hmong Americans, this paper examines classic and experimental texts to amplify independent narratives. Drawing from diaspora literature scholarship by Stuart Hall and Homi K. Bhabha, it positions Hmong American literature as a representative form of diasporic writing. It seeks to unravel the complexities of their cultural transition, identity, and the role of literature in constructing narratives and opens up fresh dimensions in understanding its unique features and contributions.