"This book explores the debate over communal and cultural belonging in three contexts: domestic transracial adoptions of non-American Indian children, the scope of tribal authority over American Indian children, and cultural and communal belonging for transnationally adopted children"-- Provided by publisher. "Providing families for children in need is unquestionably a worthy goal. Adoption conjures soft-focus images of abandoned and vulnerable innocents welcomed into families who can love and nurture them. People who choose to engage in stranger adoptions - adoptions that do not involve kin or stepparents - are typically motivated both by a desire to become a parent and by a wish to do good in the world. The families thus created are, in fact, miraculous, and these families often work hard not only to provide for a found and chosen child but to give back to the communities from which the child originated. The uplifting story of family creation enabled by adoption, however, tows a darker story of marginalization and loss in its wake. Historically, adoption in the United States was not simply about providing care for needy children; it was also explicitly driven by the desire to move children from unsuitable to suitable families"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.