Research Proposal
WG4
Ethnic Minority in Development
1) Purpose of the research
In the process of development, Hmong people have got many “opportunities” to improve their life and they also have faced to “challenging” situations for their culture. We will examine the influence of development on the “opportunities” and “challenges” of the Hmong Hill tribe. We would like to know what kind of opportunities and challenges they have.
2) Research question
What is the influence of modernization on the culture of the Hmong Hill Tribes and how are the youth of the tribe balancing the need for economic opportunities with preserving their culture heritage?
3) Site selection
Core site: Hmong Hill Tribe Village
Sub site: Wat Nong Lom Primary School, Wat Don Chan, Education Welfare School,
Wat Sri Suphan, Baan Tawai Handicraft Center, Lanna Wisdom School,
Night Bazaar, Saturday Evening Walking Street,
Sunday Evening Walking Street
4) Younger generation issues to pursue
What are the roles of younger generations to play in Hmong hill tribe?
How do youth utilize the rural-urban linkage to generate income?
What kind of influence does education have on youth?
What is the expected role of youth in the tribe to preserve tradition?
5) Local Resources and Culture Issue to Pursue
How do Hmong people utilize their local resources and culture for income generation?
How do Hmong children study local resources and culture?
How do Hmong people keep their culture in the urban area?
6) Rural-Urban linkage to pursue
How to utilize rural-urban linkage in order to access to market?
What are influences of education on rural-urban linkage?
How are Hmong culture influenced by urban culture?
7) Three aspects
Income Generation
How do Hmong hill tribe people generate income with utilizing local resources and traditional culture?
What kind of local resources do they have?
What kind of business (products and services) are they utilized?
What kind of rural-urban linkage do they have?
What is advantage for their business? (local government support, local organization, cooperation etc) How do they cooperate to access to the market?
What kind of disadvantage do they have for their business?
Education
How are the children influenced by the education and what role does the education play?
Do children have any chance to learn about their culture in the school?
How does education influence on the future life of hill tribe children?
What are the differences in education for children who go to the city compared to those who stay in the village.
What do children think of staying/leaving their own village?
Is there any problem for parents and children to think of in terms of keeping Hmong culture?
Tradition and Culture
How do Hmong hill tribe people recognize their culture?
- Difference between highland people（rural）and lowland people（urban）
What impact does city life have on traditional practices and culture?
What is the mindset of the youth living in the city and those who in the village?
Are there any linkages that help Hmong people to preserve their culture between city and village?