Hmong: History of a People [Hardcover]

Keith Quincy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995

"This survey of Hmong history and culture answers a keenly felt need for a study that combines comprehensive coverage with concise scope". -- C.T. Yates, Earlham College

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This combination of history and anthropology provides a wealth of information about this little-known Asiatic culture. Emphasis is divided between an account of the workings of Hmong society, such as its shamanistic practices, and their 20th-century history, particularly the participation in U.S.-backed fighting against communist forces in Laos and subsequent flight from Laos to, among other countries, Thailand and the United States.

But the Hmong have a long history of refusing to assimilate into any of the dominant cultures of the region. This has resulted in a nomadic existence throughout Indochina and occasionally, as the gripping first-chapter account of battles between Hmong and Chinese imperial forces reveals, in outright combat. Keith Quincy brings the reader to a closer understanding of why a culture whose people make up less than .01 percent of the world's population would put up such a fierce struggle to preserve their cultural autonomy.

About the Author

Keith Quincy is professor of government at Eastern Washington University. He is also the author of Harvesting Pa Chay’s Wheat: The Hmong and America’s Secret War in Laos. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Eastern Washington University Press; 2 Sub edition (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910055246
• ISBN-13: 978-0910055246
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,633,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars unreliable, December 1, 1999

By 

Robert Entenmann (Northfield, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hmong: History of a People (Hardcover)

It is unfortunate that there is no good history of the Hmong published in any Western language. Keith Quincy must be commended on his effort, but it is disappointing. He is not a professional historian. The first chapter in particular, ostensibly dealing with the Hmong experience in China, shows his unfamiliarity with Chinese history and inability to use Chinese sources. (The story of the "Hmong" king's defeat by China actually concerns the conquest of the Jinchuan people, who were not Hmong.) Quincy uncritically uses an unreliable account by F. Savina, _Histoire des Miao_ (Hong Kong, 1924). For a better study of Hmong in China see Robert Jenks, _Insurgency and Social Disorder in Guizhou_ (University of Hawaii Press, 1994). The rest of the book is a little better, but must be read with caution and cross-checked with other sources.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative/Interesting/Inquisitive, February 27, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hmong: History of a People (Hardcover)

As time passes I learn more and more about SE Asia and the US involvement there over the past many years. My daughter in law (daughter) is Hmong. This book revealed a great deal for me and opens my mind to questions regarding the Hmong,Laos, and the US. This book is well written, an easy read, but shares a great deal of information in its few pages. I recommend this book to anyone interested in SE Asia and the folk who live there.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should be read by those with an interest in the Hmong, July 29, 2005

By 

Bryan Thao Worra (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hmong: History of a People (Paperback)

Like all the books about the Hmong, there will be at times glaring inaccuracies and mistakes in the material, and Quincy has taken a lot of heat over the years for his attempts to help the Hmong reconstruct their history, most of which was lost during the 4,000 years between their roots in ancient China and the 20th century.

Considered by most to be one of the less reliable texts to work from, I nevertheless found many interesting elements within it, that, when combined with additional research, yields some fine and fun reading.

It should definitely not be taken on its own- one should try and double check statements by using other materials, but most people who read this will feel inspired to study and learn more about the Hmong and their true histories, and that's not such a bad thing.