In this week’s discussion, and in preparation for your weekly response assignment, you are asked to reply to 4 questions of your choice (two from A and two from B lists below), and cite at least one key idea from the assigned reading to support your comments or arguments.

Your posts must refer to each film to discuss how memory is constructed by the Hmong community in France, the United States and South-East Asia, by using specific examples, quotes, and other details from this week’s videos.

Question #A  – Choose TWO discussion points from the following list to present your critical reflection on the main issues and themes explored in the film Hmong Memory at the Crossroads (2015):

a.    In the film, experts, historians and French and American government officials offer their specific perspectives on the history of the Hmong people.  What do we learn from them about Hmong people ? Give specific examples from the film.

b.    What are the highlights of Liachoua Lees trip to France? Why is this trip important for him ?  How does his personal story & family history help us gain insight into what was erased from official French History and America History?

c.    What are the most important moments of Liachoua Lees trip to Laos (his native country)? How did this trip change him? What more facts did his son Cedric learn about his fathers past and his family history ?

d.    During his travels, Liachoua Lee encounters different people along the way.  Give one example of these encounter and describe how it unfolded and its significance for Liachoua.  What are the moments that you find emotionally powerful or interesting in the film and why ?

Question #B – Choose TWO discussion points from the list below to share your critical reflection on the main issues and themes explored in the film Growing up Hmong at the Crossroads (2017):

a.    Describe the highlights of the journey of Justin, Joshua and Bella to Laos, to their cultural roots, through their travel to the country of origin of their parents for the first time in their lives: who did they travel with? why? who are the people they meet there? what places do they visit? what is the focus of their conversations? how does this trip impact them?

b.    How do the stories of other young Hmong people interviewed in the film portray their relationship to French society? Discuss how they view their place in French society: do they feel completely integrated as French citizens, or do they feel invisible, and how/why? Give a specific example from the film and discuss.

c.    How do experts interviewed in the film explain the situation of Hmong people in American and French society? cite specific quotes that reflect their views on factors that contribute to their situation.

d.    How does Cedric Lee, the voiceover and key young Hmong participant in the film, describe his own journey and identity? how does he view his relationship to Detroit and to American society?  How does he view his relationship to France and Laos? how do they fit in his individual identity?  How is their memory work connected with their desire to fit and create a place for themselves in French society and American society? What moments in the film do you consider thematically significant and why? give very specific examples from the film to support your answer.