A Systematic Review of Empirical Research on Transracial Adoption in South Africa

Transracial adoption is a relatively new and controversial practice in South Africa. We undertook a systematic review of empirical research by adhering to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guideline. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on research, both peer-reviewed and unpublished academic work, between January 1991 and April 2021. We report on the scientific nature, rigour, quality and scope of studies of the items found and outline the themes which emerge from the empirical research. These include attitudes towards transracial adoption, the experiences of adoptive parents and transracial adoptees as well as recommendations for practice. Different theoretical paradigms, variable methodology, small sample sizes of poorly defined target groups impact negatively on comparability and generalisability of results. This research fails to engage with the specificities that might impact on successful outcomes for transracially adopted families and guide professional practice including post-adoption support. Developing this research field will require large-scale studies on the outcomes for transracial adoptees and adoptive families, and research using the comparable methodology and theoretical frameworks. Such research can guide local policies and practices in South Africa and will enhance the international research into transracial adoption.

White envy and piggy-backing privilege : exploring adult Korean transracial adoptees' identities in the Canadian context

The purpose of this study is to explore how adult Korean transracial adoptees reflect on their racial and adoptive identities throughout their lifetimes, developing a unique sense of belonging and membership in the Canadian context. The main question under investigation is: If transracial adoptees have been raised among predominately white family and community members, then how do their processes of racial and adoptive identity formation fit into to critical theories of racialization and frameworks of normalized whiteness and colour blindness: Six interviews explore processes in which Korean transracial adoptees develop complex identities to navigate through difference, engaging with ethnic communities and their birth cultures to develop a distinctive membership in society. Research in the field of transracial adoption is crucial for revising policy and practice, engaging with adoptive parents' racial (in)sensitivities, expanding the notion of the traditional family, and pushing social workers and adoption agencies to step outside their comfort zones.

White envy and piggy-backing privilege : exploring adult Korean transracial adoptees' identities in the Canadian context

The purpose of this study is to explore how adult Korean transracial adoptees reflect on their racial and adoptive identities throughout their lifetimes, developing a unique sense of belonging and membership in the Canadian context. The main question under investigation is: If transracial adoptees have been raised among predominately white family and community members, then how do their processes of racial and adoptive identity formation fit into to critical theories of racialization and frameworks of normalized whiteness and colour blindness: Six interviews explore processes in which Korean transracial adoptees develop complex identities to navigate through difference, engaging with ethnic communities and their birth cultures to develop a distinctive membership in society. Research in the field of transracial adoption is crucial for revising policy and practice, engaging with adoptive parents' racial (in)sensitivities, expanding the notion of the traditional family, and pushing social workers and adoption agencies to step outside their comfort zones.

Reframing Adoptee Narratives

Very public transnational, transracial adoptions by celebrities and the inclusion of transnational, transracial adoption in prime-time television sitcoms make this form of family making increasingly visible. Yet the majority of representations privilege the adoptive parent’s point of view. Drawing on two recent Korean-adoptee-created media, the Netflix documentary Twinsters (2015) and NBC Asian America’s docuseries akaSEOUL (2016), this chapter examines how adoptee-centered media converge with and diverge from traditional renderings of transnational adoption. In doing so, these media provide not only new portrayals of transnational, transracial adoptees but also new conceptions of Asian and Korean American racial, ethnic, and familial identities.

Being Uprooted and Re-planted

The ethnographic study focuses on the experience of inclusion and exclusion for young transnational women who were adopted from India, by Indian-Canadian immigrant parents. The study examines the process of international adoption, and the emerging themes of belonging, identity and connectedness in Canada. The feelings of inclusion and exclusion will be analyzed through the lens of the self and relationships with family, friends and the local community. The paper will unpack the meaning of identity and belonging through reflecting on the experiences and memories of growing up in a single parent Indian family as an international adoptee from India. The focus of the paper will further contrast theories of scholars (Manzi, Ferrari, Rosnati, and Benet-Martinez, 2014) who have introduced concepts of multiple identities, and belonging. These scholars have applied these concepts to transracial adoptees, who have been adopted by families of a different race and/or ethnic background. By interviewing other international adoptees and analyzing their experiences, this paper will establish the similarities international adoptees encounter, and the challenges adoptees face in families of the same origin when they deal with integration into Canadian culture. Through a compare and contrast I will examine these factors in relation to my identity and its development. In conclusion, I have used my experiences and recent travel back to India to address the feelings of inclusion and exclusion. This has resulted in a cultural identity conflict between the country of origin and my adopted country. Therefore, I find myself neither included nor excluded, but rather I am placed in the center of both cultural identities.

Microfictions and Microaggressions: Counselors’ Work With Transracial Adoptees in Schools

In the United States, transracial adoptions make up 85% of international adoptions and 40% of all domestic adoptions, and most consist of White parents and adoptees of color. This article describes transracial adoptee population trends, provides a transracial adoptee student case illustration, and outlines suggestions for school counselors working with transracial adoptees, whose unique experiences include microfictions and microaggressions (transracial, racial, and adoption-related).