The Critical Refugee Studies Collective
by: Connie, Ivan, and Sally

Hamara Ghar (our home)

Vietnamese Boat People, stories of hope, survival and resilience
By: Tracey Nguyen Mang

1975- The Vietnamese Boat People

  • houses were confiscated
  • family were being forced to separate
  • the only joy was to escape from the boat
  • the story was still taunting a lot of people nowadays
  • Vietnam have always been at war

Refugee By: Maya Espiritu

Description of the image

Story

In the image, it describe that they are many people on the boat trying to get through the dangerous wave

The waves in the image has include multiple kinds of colors, including blue and dark green and black. I believe the color represent how hard is to get over the wave and survive and how dangerous the wave is.

There are people in green and blue in the image, and I believe that they are people that have been trying to get through the waves but they have failed, which means they are dead

click to edit

  • After 9/11 attacks, the U.S government declared a “War on Terror”
  • They are targeting the Muslims as the enemy
  • years after the attack, Muslims has been considered as a potential threat
  • A program called “Countering Violent Extremism,” have been targeting Muslim communities, they operate under the assumption that terrorism and violence are inherent to these communities

Time: midnight, since there is only some moonlight flashing behind the clouds. I believe that represents that there are only few hopes for the people who is trying to get through the ways and survive. Hope=light

The boat: the boat is colored with mostly dark colors with only a few light colors, including black, yellow and red. In addition, there are also some people with black on the boat. I believe that represents that people are dead since the usage of color.

The white "cloud", I believe the clouds above the boat represent the dead spirits since it has show a huge difference between the dark tone of the image. Or it probably represents hope?

  • fingerprints symbolize that the government has information on them

Militarized Silence
by: Ryan Nguyen

The image describes the experience of the refugee boat people, which they are life in a bad condition on the ocean. It emphasizes how dangerous and tumultuous the ocean is.

Artwork

  • artist purpose: create a complete picture of the Vietnam War’s psychological and physical aftermath on its people.
  • the actions of the US military have taken away the Vietnamese people's ability to tell their story of escape and survival
  • The physical aftermath of the Vietnam War is as intergenerational as the psychological aftermath of the war
  • Millions of Vietnamese have suffered from birth defects, disabilities, and other toxic effects caused by Agent Orange.
  • There are even more Vietnamese who suffer not from the toxic effects themselves but from the stress and fatigue that comes with taking refuge away from the ecological devastation of Agent Orange.
  • A collaboration between James Dinh and the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA)
  • The project will be implemented through the Gallery Beyond Walls program, one of the organization’s key community programs
  • The Illuminated Recipes Project is a 12-week program where the participants will be mentored and trained by expert instructors on how to collect information
  • Through this program, young Vietnamese-Americans were able to use food as a medium to open up the conversation and bring connection across generations, as well as learn the basics of recording oral history, photography, and mixed media

Illuminated Recipes: Cravings, Customs, & Comforts