Cultural Tourism in Transnational Adoption: “Staged Authenticity” and Its Implications for Adopted Children

The discursive practices of adoptive parents in two online transnational adoption forums (2006-2008) and observations of five international adoption workshops suggest that what Heather Jacobson described as culture keeping, the cultural socialization of children that retains a sense of native group...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2012-04, Vol.33 (4), p.527-555
Main Author: Quiroz, Pamela Anne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adopted Children
Adoption
Children
Children & youth
Cultural Background
Cultural Identity
Culture
Discourse Analysis
Discussion Groups
Ethnic Identity
Identification
International Adoption
Observation
Parent Attitudes
Parent Workshops
Parents
Parents & parenting
Socialization
Tourism
Transnationalism
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Summary:The discursive practices of adoptive parents in two online transnational adoption forums (2006-2008) and observations of five international adoption workshops suggest that what Heather Jacobson described as culture keeping, the cultural socialization of children that retains a sense of native group identity, is more aptly characterized as cultural tourism, the selective appropriation and consumption of renovated cultural symbols, artifacts, and events that serve as the source of identity construction for adopted children. A feature of consumer capitalism, cultural tourism in transnational adoption helps shape the contours of cultural and racial identity. It also provides a partial understanding of how adopted children often fail to develop hybrid identities and how adult adoptees exist on the margins of two cultures.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X11418179