Christianity and community: Conversion and adaptation among Hmong refugee women.

This paper examines the role of Christian conversion on the early adjustment experience of Hmong refugee women in Ontario, Canada. This transition from a traditionally animist and preliterate past did not result in the wholesale abandonment of Hmong practices and beliefs, but rather a dynamic relationship of custom and innovation. Women in particular tuned to the Hmong Christian Church (Mennonite) as a resource for empowerment (for example, through the establishment of women-centred networks) but also to maintain key Hmong social practices and values. As this paper demonstrates, the church proved to be a valuable resource in helping these refugee women to cope more effectively with the constraints of gender and minority status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]