Barry, Alexis. 1994. - Mutual Assistance Associations and the Laotian Hmong of California: Maintaining Ethnic Identity. Abstract: Since the fall of the govemments of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam in 1975 over 1,000,000 Southeast Asians have come to live in thc U.S. California has received the majority of these refugees. One group that has shown a great resilience through the resettlement process is the Hmong of Laos and Northern Thailand. They have managed to maintain extended family groups, community and family celebrations, and political alliances through local and national mutual assistance associations. Some have criticized this maintenance of community claiming it is a resistance to the so-called assimilation nccessary to survive and prosper in the U.S. Others contend that in order to survive and maintain their ethnic identities it has been necessary for the Hmong and other refugee communities to develop enclaves. This thesis will examine the role of mutual assistance associations in the maintenance of the Hmong community in California, and their future role in the resettlement of refugees. .