What We Do
Teaching
Minors in Hmong Studies
In the fall of 2006, the Center for Hmong Studies launched the first Hmong studies minor in the world, with seven core Hmong-specific courses. The minor offers undergraduate students the opportunity to explore the culture, history and language of the Hmong people throughout the world. It is a good way to apply methods or ways of thinking from one’s major to a particular part of the world. It also allows students to use the region of Asia as well as the Hmong as a case study for work in their primary discipline. The minor will also provide a unique opportunity for students to augment their knowledge, language skills and cross-culture expertise in a region and a community that is of strategic and global importance.
Dr. Gary Yia Lee, a world renowned Hmong scholar from Australia, became the Center for Hmong Studies’ first Scholar-in-Residence in 2006. After gathering feedback from Hmong scholars throughout the world as to what courses should be developed, Dr. Gary Yia lee was then asked to develop the minor and taught it until conclusion of his residency in 2007. The minor is comprised of the following courses:
- Introduction to Hmong Studies;
- Introduction to Hmong History;
- Hmong Culture and Society;
- Hmong Literature and Art;
- Hmong Cosmology and Beliefs;
- Reading and Writing for Hmong;
- People and Culture of Southeast Asia/China
Non-Concordia University students and community members can audit the courses for a nominal fee of $150. To learn more about the minor or to find out
what classes will be offered and when, please let call Lee Pao Xiong at 651-641-8870 or email at xiong@csp.edu.
Research
The Center for Hmong Studies actively supports and conducts scholarly research on the Hmong people worldwide.
Currently, the Center is a partner in a research and education project with the Women Environmental Institute, the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women and Ready 4 K to assess the potential impact of perfluorochemical (PFC) on Hmong families and individuals living in the East Metro area of the Twin Cities.
The Center for Hmong Studies is also providing support to Concordia University’s history professor, Dr. Paul Hillmer, in his work in collecting oral histories from Hmong as well as non-Hmong individuals whose lives intertwined during the Vietnam War. With advice from the Center staff, Dr. Paul Hillmer recently concluded a documentary film on the journey of the Hmong to Minnesota. He will soon finish a book on the same subject.
The Center served as the fiscal agent for a documentary film produced by Kao Kalia Yang, a faculty of the College of St. Catherine, a poet and an author, documenting the lives of Hmong living in the refugee camp of Ban Vinai in Thailand. Currently, the Center for Hmong Studies is working with the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, Hmong American Institute for Learning and Coffee House Press to promote Kao Kalia Yang’s latest book, the Latehomecomer, which will be released in April 2008.
Lectures
Since its inception, the Center for Hmong Studies has had the privilege of bringing many outstanding scholars of Hmong Studies to Concordia University and the community at large. We have had guests from around the world: Dr. Yang Tinghsua of China, Dr. Gary Yia Lee of Australia and Dr. Kou Yang of the USA—to name a few. All of our lectures and symposiums are free and open to the general public. Check our Calendar of Events link for our latest scheduled lectures and events.
Conferences
On March 10th and11th, 2006 the Center for Hmong Studies convened the first international conference on Hmong Studies. Titled “The Impact of Globalization and Trans-nationalism on the Hmong” the Conference brought together over 500 scholars, researchers, and community members from around the world, each from a unique perspective on what it means to be interested in the scholarship around Hmong.
The 2nd International Conference on Hmong Studies will take place from April 11 – 12, 2008 at Concordia University. Continue to check our International Conference website for further information.
Tours of Asia
The Center for Hmong Studies organizes several tours to Asia each year.
- In November of 2000, 26 individuals participated in a two week tour of China. They visited the Great Wall, sailed down the Guilin River, and visited the National University of Kunming. The group experienced an authentic dinner in a Hmong village. They learned about the Hmong as an ethnicity of wide ranging diversity in China.
- In January of 2005, students and faculty participated in an academic tour of Thailand, the only country in Southeast Asia that has never known the presence of colonial rule. The group studied the multiple facets of Thai society: its history, language, culture and people.
- In January of 2007, the Center for Hmong Studies hosted a course in China. Fifteen students from Concordia University and interested community members attended a two week sojourn through China’s great landscapes and historical grounds. The course focused on the development of the country and its people, the trajectories of history and modernity, the contentions of place.
- January 2009, the Center will once again led a tour to China. A significant part of the tour will include visits to Hmong villages throughout the many provinces in China.
All of tours are open to the public. If you have interest in joining us, please email to Lee Pao Xiong at xiong@csp.edu or 651-641-8870.
These are just some of the exciting opportunities through the Center for Hmong Studies.
Community Engagements
The Center spearheaded several community engagement activities. They include:
- Haiv Hmong radio, a weekly public affair program about the Hmong people and issues affecting the Hmong community. The radio program is broadcast live every Wednesday night from 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm on KFAI Radio 90.3 FM in Minneapolis and 106.7 FM in St. Paul or Streaming live on the World Wide Web at www.kfai.org.
- Speakers’ bureau. Since 2004, Center staff has been asked to keynote many events within the community. Activities included keynoting addresses for two Hmong New Year celebrations and countless graduations ceremonies.
- Non-profit board membership. Because of expertise, staff have served on several non-profit boards, such as Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and the St. Paul Public School Foundation.
Collaborations
The Center for Hmong Studies takes great pride in the partners that we have within Concordia University, the rest of the country, and the international world in advancing the field of Hmong Studies.
Within Concordia we are working with: The Southeast Asian Teacher Licensure Program (SEAT), the Hmong Culture and Language Program and the Hmong Oral History Project. In the St. Paul, we are working with Hmong Academy, General John Vessey Jr. Leadership Academy, Community School of Excellence charter schools (institutions sponsored by Concordia University) and the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association of Minneapolis. The Center for Hmong Studies is also home to the Hmong American Institute for Learning (HAIL) and the Hmong Archives.
We are proud of our network of resources across the country. We correspond and actively engage with scholars from all over the United States of America. We work closely with organizations from other states who are interested in learning more about our mission and our projects.
Internationally, we are working with Guizhou University and Guizhou University for Nationalities in China in the areas of: research exchanges, student exchanges, faculty exchanges; and publication exchanges.
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