How Hmong Refugees Survived in French Guiana, 1977-2015
Mentor 1
Dr. Chia Youyee Vang
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
28-4-2017 1:30 PM
End Date
28-4-2017 4:00 PM
Description
Refugee crises are issues that the world continues to face. Sometimes people are forced to leave because of natural disaster and most of the time, refugees flee war. My presentation is based on research I conducted with Professor Chia Youyee Vang's Hmong across the World Oral History Project in 2015. After the Vietnam War, over 150,000 Hmong refugees from Laos were resettled in Western countries. Since the refugees came from agrarian backgrounds, the French placed almost 1000 men, women and children in its department in South American, French Guiana. From nothing but the clothes on their backs, the refugees have worked hard to build their new lives in the South American jungle. The Hmong Guianese population increased to approximately 3000 in 2015. They represent slightly more than one percent of the French Guiana population, but they provide an estimated 70-90 percent of fresh produce and fruits sold in the department. Many are happy with their new lives because of the economic opportunities, but they are isolated from the rest of French Guiana society because they live in their own Hmong villages.
How Hmong Refugees Survived in French Guiana, 1977-2015
Union Wisconsin Room
Refugee crises are issues that the world continues to face. Sometimes people are forced to leave because of natural disaster and most of the time, refugees flee war. My presentation is based on research I conducted with Professor Chia Youyee Vang's Hmong across the World Oral History Project in 2015. After the Vietnam War, over 150,000 Hmong refugees from Laos were resettled in Western countries. Since the refugees came from agrarian backgrounds, the French placed almost 1000 men, women and children in its department in South American, French Guiana. From nothing but the clothes on their backs, the refugees have worked hard to build their new lives in the South American jungle. The Hmong Guianese population increased to approximately 3000 in 2015. They represent slightly more than one percent of the French Guiana population, but they provide an estimated 70-90 percent of fresh produce and fruits sold in the department. Many are happy with their new lives because of the economic opportunities, but they are isolated from the rest of French Guiana society because they live in their own Hmong villages.
