Monday, December 23, 2019

Culture And Lack Of Understanding Between Hmong And Hmong...

Throughout this ethnography about the cultural group known as the Hmong, there are several anthropological concepts that can be found due to differences in culture and lack of understanding between the Hmong and the Americans. Two concepts that are prevalent throughout are medical anthropology and ethnomedcine. For example, Lia’s mother, Foua, was restricted to specific foods because of her culture, which were criticized by the medical staff which shows the dissonance between American and Hmong culture. This is a perfect example of ethnomedicine, in that the medical staff at Merced Community Medical Center expressed a completely different way of administering medicine with vastly different medications than that of the Hmong. This idea of ethnomedicine is explained later on and is constantly seen throughout the novel. Later on the Lee’s took Lia home in order to have her â€Å"hu plig† which is a cultural birth ritual that â€Å"includes a sacrifice for ancestral soul to invite a soul into Lia’s body.† (Fadiman, 21) After some time, Lia becomes diagnosed with severe epilepsy by the doctors at Merced, where the Hmong call it â€Å"qaug dab peg† (aka the title of the book!) (Fadiman, 21). This is an example of medical anthropology because the Hmong see illness as something that is physical where the soul and the body are tangled or conflicted. Whereas the doctors (whom are classified as agreeing with the cultural views of American culture) see illness as biological, with viruses, bacteria,Show MoreRelatedOvercoming Barriers : Hmong Culture917 Words   |  4 PagesOvercoming Barriers: Hmong Culture For many Hmong people, immigrating to the United States of America is a large form of stress as it involves adapting to new cultures and new environments. In the documentary, the Split Horn, a Hmong shaman and his family immigrates to the United States to pursue a better life for themselves. The immense change from living in the countryside of Laos to moving to Wisconsin, America affects the family greatly. As the Hmong shaman tries to preserve his ancient traditionsRead MoreMedical Beliefs of the Hmong People Depicted in the Book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down1495 Words   |  6 PagesSome of the Hmong beliefs are they prefer traditional medicine, are culturally active, host ritual ceremonies, and are spirituality influenced. In the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, refers to the Hmong culture and their beliefs on medicine while their baby Lia Lee, is suffering from epilepsy in which they have a hard decision. Traditional Hmong’s have their own medi cinal beliefs which they obey prior to obtaining Western medicine. The gulf between Western medicine and Hmong health beliefsRead MoreCross-Cultural Misunderstanding in Anne Fadimans In the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down1483 Words   |  6 Pagesusing Lia, a Hmong, her medical history, the misunderstandings created by obstacles of communication, the religious background, the battle with modernized medical science and cultural anachronisms. Handling an epileptic child, in a strange land in a manner very unlike the shamanistic animism they were accustomed to, generated many problems for her parents. The author dwells on the radically different cultures to highlight the necessity for medical communities to have an understanding of the immigrantsRead MoreTraditionally, A Common Hmong’S Custom Is That A Soul Can1180 Words   |  5 Pagesforces. Therefore, a shaman is capable of healing illnesses at the spiritual level. The Hmong have a belief that ancestral spirits, includ ing the spirits of shamans are reincarnated into the same family tree. The Hmong’s believe in their Shaman more than western doctors. They prefer to perform their treatment by hosting their rituals to save and cure their sicknesses. Unfortunately, the major problem that Hmong refugees encounter upon arrival to this country is conflict with the US medical systemRead MoreGrand Torino Essay1089 Words   |  5 Pagesthey are essential to understanding the reasons why in general individuals are racists, stereotypical and unable to adapt to different cultures as well as living with those who are different to us. We will first examine how Walt’s character adapts to the cultural diversity. Next, we will examine the cultural differences and conflict between the Hmong people and Walt; an American. Later I discuss the difference between the communication and friendship styles of both cultures. In order to do thisRead More The Hmong Culture Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pages The Hmong Culture nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Hmong Culture of South Asia is a very interesting ethnic group. Between 300,000 to 600,000 Hmong live in Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. About 8 million more live in the southern provinces of China. Since the Vietnam War ended in 1975, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia have settled in Australia, France, Canada, and the United States. The largest Hmong refugee community lives in the United States withRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down1692 Words   |  7 PagesYou Fall Down is the story by author Anne Fadiman, which explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Lia’s parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of communication between them led to tragedy.1The lack of communication due to cultural misunderstanding, mistrust, lack empathy, and poor health literacy led to care being comprised for Lia, whichRead MoreThe Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Essay1566 Words   |  7 PagesSpirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Talks about a Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures written by Anne Fadiman. Anne Fadiman is an American essayist and reporter, who interests include literary journalism. She is a champion of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Salon Book Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest. In the book, Anne Fadiman explores the clash between a county hospital in California and a refugee familyRead MoreThe Hippocratic Oath, First, Do No Harm 1380 Words   |  6 PagesIjeoma Unachukwu Culture and Health Professor Gezmu Fall 2014 The Mosaic The Hippocratic Oath, is â€Å"First, do no harm†. Being a doctor is a profession solely dedicated to helping others, but what about when helping hurts? Often times the doctor doesn’t fully understand the patient due to a language or cultural barrier. A misunderstanding between the doctor and the patient can cause the patient to mistrust and discount everything the doctor says. The only thing worse than a noncompliant patient isRead MoreMy Grandpa Was A Man1404 Words   |  6 Pageshealthy throughout his life. He lived in a small town where hospitals did not exist, they only had small medical clinics. My grandpa lived in the time where medical science was not advanced as much as it is today. People would die at a early age due to a lack of knowledge in medicine, but luckily my grandpa did not get sick. At the age of 94, my grandpa was diagnosed with high blood sugar. High blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If the

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.