In the mid-1980s, the federal government designated the community in which this study was conducted as a relocation site for Southeast Asian refugees. The local school district received more than 300 students in grades k-8 from Cambodia and Laos. The students had limited formal schooling, had lived in refugee camps for 2-5 years, and less than 5%…

In her ethnographic study of Lao American students at an urban, public high school, Bic Ngo shows how simplistic accounts of these students smooth over unfinished, precarious identities and contested social relations. Exploring the ways that immigrant youth identities are shaped by dominant discourses that simplify and confine their experiences…

An illustrated guide to aspects of life in the United States is presented in Lao for recent Laotian arrivals. The guidelines address such topics as resettlement agencies, community relations and national customs, the U.S. government, local and long distance transport, mail and telephone communication systems, employment practices, the educational…

This book explores what it means to be a new American through the history of a refugee from Laos, Shou Cha, a community liaison for an elementary school. The experiences of Shou Cha, evangelical preacher, community leader, and father, show the historical and sociological contexts that have shaped his life. These contexts include the history of…

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the influx of 56,000 Indochinese refugees into Orange County, California between 1975 and 1982 and to make recommendations for integrating these people into the local labor force. In order to identify employer needs, characteristics of the refugee population, and the perceptions of both the…

Papers presented at a 1984 conference on research on the Hmong in the United States are collected in this book. The 24 papers are organized around four central themes (Hmong culture and change, adaptation to a new society, language and literacy, and health care issues). Titles and authors are: (1) "Stages of Hmong Cultural Adaptation"…

This publication provides autobiographical essays by students originally from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, all of whom arrived in the United States as refugees between 1975 and 1982. Following an introduction is an initial essay, "Becoming a Refugee, Being a Refugee, Ceasing To Be a Refugee," by L. Nguyen-Hong-Nhiem. The student essays are…

This document comprises three booklets that serve as a foundation for understanding the cultural diversity and values of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese students. Each booklet reviews the country's history and geography. "Introduction to Cambodian Culture" (S. Chhim) discusses the following topics: (1) the Khmer concept of individual…

A longitudinal study of the economic self-sufficiency and academic achievement of Indochinese refugees, commonly known as "Boat People," concludes that cultural background and family influence play key roles in achievement in American society. Statistical data were drawn from two surveys of 6,775 individuals in 1,384 Chinese, Laotian, and…

This volume of essays on migration was written primarily by graduate students in the social sciences. The authors, natives of six different countries, discuss population displacement by emphasizing these four themes: (1) the alienation of refugees; (2) the interplay between hosts and newcomers; (3) the consequences of the growth of agencies that…

The dramatic increase in the number and proportions of Asian American students over the last two decades has influenced the curricula and academic programs of many colleges and universities. This book provides background for the study of Asian American issues through data on sociologically important variables and issues for Asian Americans as a…

This research anthology is the fourth volume in a series sponsored by the Special Interest Group Research on the Education of Asian and Pacific Americans (SIG-REAPA) of the American Educational Research Association and National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education. This series explores and explains the lived experiences of Asian…