Dia Cha is a notable Laotian American author and academic who has written books for both children and adults.

Early life

She was born in the early 1960s in Southeast Asia.[1] After the Vietnam War, her family immigrated to the United States of America.[1]

In 1975, Dia and the surviving members of her family, were forced to flee the advancing communist movement, Pathet Lao in their takeover of her home country of Laos. She soon found herself a refugee in Thailand.[2]

She eventually settled in the United States in 1979,[3] where she was able to begin formal studies in the ninth grade. In 1983, she graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, in Denver, Colorado, ranking thirtieth in a class of 251 students.[4] In 1987, she joined the Institute of Foreign Studies and spent a semester studying at the University of London.[5]

Career

In December 1989, Dia received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado.[6] In December, 1992, she was awarded a Master of Arts in applied anthropology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. After additional studies, she received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado.[5][7] Dia Cha is considered to be the first Hmong women to receive her PHD.[2][8]

In the 1990s, Dia wrote Dia's Story Cloth which is now considered to be one of the utmost popular books on Hmong story clothes.[4][9] Along with Norma Livo, she co-wrote Folk Stories of the Hmong and Teaching with Folk Stories of the Hmong: An Activity Book. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in "Bamboo Among the Oaks" as well as the "Paj Ntaub Voice" Hmong literary journal.

Additionally, she was an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies at St. Cloud State University, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.[7][10] There, she taught courses in cultural anthropology, ethnic studies, Southeast Asian communities, Asian American studies, and Hmong studies.[10][11]

As of 2013, she was CEO of Your Consulting Services, Inc.[11]

Bibliography

  • Cha, Dia (April 1, 1996). Dia's story cloth. Illustrated by Chue and Nhia Thao Cha (1st ed.). Lee & Low Books. pp. 1–24. ISBN 978-1880000632.
  • Cha, Dia (March 1, 2004). Hmong American concepts of health, healing, and conventional medicine (1st ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0415944953.
  • Cha, Dia; Livo, Norma J. (May 15, 2000). Teaching with Folk Stories of the Hmong: An Activity Book (Learning Through Folklore Series) (Kindle ed.). Libraries Unlimited. pp. 1–109. ASIN B00ET8OVJK.
  • Cha, Dia (January 1, 2005). "Hmong and Lao refugee women: reflections of a Hmong-American woman anthropologist" (PDF). Hmong Studies Journal (Essay). Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center. 6. GALE|A207351169.
  • Cha, Dia; Vang, Chia Youyee; Her, Leena; Lee, Pao; Jalao, Ly Chong Thong; Schein, Louisa; Vang, Ma; Xiong, Yang S. (March 13, 2008) [2005]. "Perspectives: Knowledge, Authority and Hmong Invisibility". Diverse. DiverseEducation.com. Retrieved 31 July 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 Zia, Helen (1995). "Dia Cha". In Zia, Helen; Gall, Susan B.; Takei, George (eds.). Notable Asian Americans (illustrated ed.). Gale. ISBN 0810396238. GALE|K1620000016. Retrieved 31 July 2019 – via Gale In Context: Biography.
  2. 1 2 Chiu, Jeannie (June 22, 2004). ""I salute the spirit of my communities" (1): autoethnographic innovations in Hmong American literature". College Literature (Critical essay). Johns Hopkins University Press. 31 (3): 43–69. doi:10.1353/lit.2004.0030. S2CID 145750899. GALE|A119900697 – via Gale In Context: High School.
  3. ↑ "Dia's Story Cloth". publishersweekly.com. PWxyz, LLC. March 4, 1996. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Dia's Story Cloth: The Hmong People's Journey of Freedom | Lee & Low Books". www.leeandlow.com. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  5. 1 2 Vang, Chia Youyee (2009-06-25). Hmong in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 9780873517379.
  6. ↑ Moua, Mai Neng (2014-12-06). Bamboo Among the Oaks: Contemporary Writing by Hmong Americans. Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 9780873516556.
  7. 1 2 Cha, Dia (January 1, 2005). "Hmong and Lao refugee women: reflections of a Hmong-American woman anthropologist". Hmong Studies Journal (Essay). Hmong Studies Internet Resource Center. 6. GALE|A207351169. Retrieved 31 July 2019 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  8. ↑ Vang, Nengher N. (June 22, 2017). Vang, Chia Youyee; Nibbs, Faith; Vang, Ma (eds.). "Claiming Place: On the Agency of Hmong Women". Journal of American Ethnic History. University of Illinois Press. 36 (4): 98–100. doi:10.5406/jamerethnhist.36.4.0098. ISSN 0278-5927. GALE|A503309920. Retrieved 31 July 2019 – via Gale In Context: U.S. History.
  9. ↑ Hickner-Johnson, Corey (July 1, 2016). "Taking care in the digital realm: Hmong story cloths and the poverty of interpretation on Hmongemboridery.org". Journal of International Women's Studies. Bridgewater State College. 17 (4): 31+. GALE|A472266220 – via Gale OneFile: Business.
  10. 1 2 Cha, Dia (March 2004). Hmong American Concepts of Health. Routledge. ISBN 9781135944391.
  11. 1 2 "Professors visit the Hmong of Vietnam | Asian American Press". aapress.com. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
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