Reading & Study Guide:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Context & History
Describe briefly the history and migrations of the Hmong people. What was their relationship
with the Chinese? With the French? With the Americans? Why did they come to the
United States?
Mode of Production
What was the Hmong mode of production?
How has this mode of production changed in the context of the United States?
Kinship/Social Organization
What are some of the basic principles underlying Hmong concepts of family?
How have these principles affected their migration and settlement patterns in the United States?
How have they affected their interactions with Western medicine?
Concepts of the Body, Illness, and Health
Describe Hmong concepts of the self and its body.
What did the Hmong believe had happened to Lia?
Describe their attitudes towards this condition.
How did the Merced doctors interpret her condition?
How has this condition been interpreted in other eras of Western history?
How did the Lee family feel about Western bio-medicine (several examples, such as blood
sampling, or surgery)?
Describe the differences in duties and obligations between a txiv neeb and a doctor.
How did the Merced medical community view the Hmong?
How have some Western medical practitioners adapted to Hmong belief systems?
Language & Communication
Describe the problems of communication between Hmong and Americans.
What are the implications of this in a hospital setting?
How did these problems of communication affect Lia and her treatment?
Religion
Describe Hmong beliefs, especially regarding spirits and souls.
How does this intersect with their attitudes towards illness and health?
What is a soul-calling ritual? How does it work?