When Lee Pao Xiong helped launch the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University-St. Paul, he hoped it would become a destination for not only scholars worldwide, but also for non-academicians curious about Hmong people and communities.
The center has evolved into a unique resource. Xiong, its director, and his staff have been hosts to more than 8,000 visitors since 2004, including many residents of St. Paul, which boasts the largest urban contingent of Hmong nationally. Minnesota has more than 60,000 people of Hmong descent, according to the 2010 census; about one-third live in St. Paul. Hmong Americans make up about 5 percent of Concordia’s student body of 2,800.
The center houses a museum and an archive of more than 2,000 books, historical documents, videos and artifacts related to Hmong life and traditions. Events open to the public include frequent film screenings and book-signing parties by Hmong authors.
The majority of U.S. Hmong claim roots in several Asian countries; their exodus began in 1975 after communist forces prevailed over U.S. troops in Southeast Asia.
DI: Tell us about the conferences held at the Center for Hmong Studies every two years.
LPX: We’re supporting research in Hmong studies in ways other entities aren’t necessarily structured to do. Many aspects of the Association for Asian American Studies, for instance, are organized by country of origin, but, because Hmong are in diaspora with no single homeland, it’s difficult for scholars to secure slots to present a paper at their annual meetings. Hopefully, we’re pushing boundaries of the ethnic studies field. Our next conference is in March, and attendance always fills to capacity at 500. We have to take ownership of our history because about 90 percent of scholarly works in Hmong history are still authored by non-Hmong who, unfortunately, often write with an unfair Western bias. There are fewer than 25 full-time U.S. Hmong college faculty teaching in the field, so it’s imperative we mentor young people to join the ranks.
DI: What topics are explored at conferences?
