March 23, 2006
The Coming of Age of Chinese Adoptee Girls
The NYTimes online has a front page story on the coming of age of the first wave of Chinese girls adopted into White, American families. The story, titled "Adopted in China, Seeking Identity in America," describes the story of three families who adopted girls from China in 1991 and 1992, shortly after China had enacted adoption laws. These girls are now 'tweeners and teenagers and, like all kids this age, are trying to make sense of their place in life. Who am I? Where am I going? What am I doing? How am I doing? The storyline is quite familiar if you have friends or family who were adopted from South Korea.
Molly (15), McKenzie (17), and Qiu Meng (13) reflect three different pathways that many transracial, transnational adoptees negotiate as they work through the transracial adoption paradox -- the set of true but contradictory experiences of being raised in a White family and surrounding community with its racial privileges and benefits, including being perceived and treated as a part of the majority culture, while at the same time being perceived and treated by the larger society as a racial minority. This paradox is an additional developmental hurdle that children must work through, as they search for their identity and place in society.
Overall, I thought the writer (Lynette Clemetson) did a good job in addressing these issues without presenting a rosey or essentialist view. She interviewed Hollee McGinnis (AKA and Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute), Nancy Kim Parson (Documentarian), and Jane Brown (social worker and Adoption Playshops creator). I've met all three of these people and think they have solid, good things to say. I also should disclose that Nancy Kim Parson interviewed me for her documentary on international adoption from China and Korea.
One things that is terribly overlooked in understanding international adoption from China is the circumstances in which these children become available for adoption. Yes, China has a one-child policy and a patriarchal lineage system with a natural preference for a boy, but this is too simplistic. It makes the issue seem cold and calculated. It is far from this easy. Kay Ann Johnson has written extensively on this issue, including in her book "Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son."
I have lots more to say on this issue, particularly the fallacy of abandonment, but no time to write about it right now. Alas... well, I guess that is the good thing about a blog. I can always return to the subject.
Posted by richlee at March 23, 2006 09:55 AMwow nice story. I think kids who are adopted on average tend to make better use of opportunities than those who are born into homes with opportunities.