Description
Book SynopsisWhen the US government resettled thousands of Hmong in 1975, the work was done by Christian organizations deputized by the state. Exploring the resiliency of tradition amid shaky US commitments to pluralism and secularism, Melissa May Borja shows how Hmong Americans developed a new way that blended Christianity with their longstanding practices.
Trade ReviewSuperb…Borja’s book is a beautiful study of how people work out the meaning of faith in their homes as much as in their religious communities. -- William J. Schultz * Christian Century *
A fascinating, deeply perceptive, and highly readable study of the Hmong experience in America. Borja’s pathbreaking book will appeal to a broad readership in religion and cultural studies, refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid, and church-state relations, as well as to the Hmong community itself. An exemplary model of careful scholarship with far-reaching significance. -- Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a NationBeautifully written and sensitively told,
Follow the New Way foregrounds the resilience of Hmong ‘religious migrants’ while highlighting the power of the state. This illuminating book is a must-read for anyone interested in migration, pluralism, and religious freedom. -- Kathryn Gin Lum, author of
Heathen: Religion and Race in American HistoryA deeply nuanced story of the politics and practices of religious pluralism. Borja deftly illuminates how American refugee resettlement policies have shaped the spiritual lives of Hmong Americans and raises timely questions about the promise of religious freedom in America. Required reading for anyone interested in American religion. -- Carolyn Chen, author of
Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon ValleyA story that changes the way we tell stories. In the histories it recounts, the characters it follows, and ‘the way’ it illuminates,
Follow the New Way stretches the bounds of what we mean by religion, culture, immigration, and tradition. With compassion and a deeply held humanity, Borja renews our thinking not just about Hmong Americans, but about America as such. -- Jonathan Tran, author of
Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial CapitalismA superb book. Tracing the complicated process of religious change among Hmong refugees, Borja persuasively demonstrates how state policies disrupted Hmong traditions. Yet she also shows how refugees creatively and resiliently drew upon a variety of religious resources to gain spiritual strength in their new land. -- Russell Jeung, author of
Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese AmericansFor far too long, writing about Southeast Asian refugees, and specifically Hmong Americans, has ignored the issue of faith. In a refreshing, much-needed analysis, Borja draws out the unexpected connections between US refugee resettlement policy and religious change among Hmong migrants. Readable, engaging, and innovative,
Follow the New Way is a tremendously important contribution to Asian American history. -- Sam Vong, Curator of Asian Pacific American History, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
An outstanding, profoundly original book. Borja brings together methods from migration history and religious studies to show how the pluralist ambitions of the post-1965 United States shaped both Hmong refugees and the Christian churches that sponsored their resettlement. In the process, she offers a nuanced and compelling way to think about both the power and the limitations of religious pluralism. -- Alison Collis Greene, author of
No Depression in Heaven: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Transformation of Religion in the Delta
