Hmong Studies Journal (Dec 2009)
A Photo Essay of the Hmong Experience at Wat Thamkrabok in Thailand
Abstract
In this photo essay, I share photos and information I gathered from my two visits to the Hmong at Wat Thamkrabok in Thailand in 2004 and 2009. The July 2004 visit was a part of a Fulbright Hays Study Abroad Project, and the January 2009 visit was a part of a study abroad course I led to Thailand. The photos capture segments of Hmong life inside Wat Thamkrabok. These life segments include living conditions, education, employment opportunities, religion, technology, and others. In addition to the photos, I included narratives to provide contextual information and to enhance the substance and significance of the photos. The descriptive information shared in this photo essay came from several sources: the observations I made during the visits, the data and information about the Hmong in Wat Thamkrabok that were shared by the Thai Authorities Task Force 546, and conversations I had with several Hmong individuals I met inside Wat Thamkrabok. My purpose for this photo essay is twofold: one, to share what I saw and to report on the information that was shared with me during my two visits to the Hmong at Wat Thamkrabok, in an effort to capture an important segment of Hmong history and to advance the understanding of the Hmong experience and two, to use the photos to enhance the descriptive data about the Hmong experience in Wat Thamkrabok.
