Kinship with Strangers : Adoption and Interpretations of Kinship in American Culture

Adoption challenges our understanding of the core symbols of kinship in American culture--birth, biology, and blood. Through the lens of anthropological theory, Judith Modell examines these symbols and the way they affect people who experience the "fictive" kinship of adoption. Her findings are timely and profoundly moving and contribute valuable insights to the current debate about removing the veil of secrecy from adoption records and procedures.Modell draws on interviews with birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees, some of whom are involved in reforming the adoption process. That reform--the opening of records, the acknowledgment of a biological and a legal parent, the blending of families that are related only through a child--spotlights the very meanings of mother and father, "blood," and identity in this country. Thus her book complements other recent anthropological literature that argues for a radical rethinking of the way we define, and use, those concepts.Certain rhetorical motifs emerge in the language used by members of the adoption triad: "surrender" is the critical motif for birthparents, "telling" for adoptees, "love at first sight" for adopting parents, and "reunion" for the search process. Throughout, we hear the words of those involved in adoption, and we come to understand the ambiguities regarding love and responsibility, nurture and competence, well-being and wealth--concepts that underlie the "transaction in parenthood" in American culture. Modell's findings should have important ramifications for policy, practice, and individual participation in the adoption experience. Adoption Challenges Our Understanding Of The Core Symbols Of Kinship In American Culture - Birth, Biology, And Blood. Judith Modell Examines These Symbols And The Way They Affect People Who Experience The Fictive Kinship Of Adoption. Her Findings Are Timely And Profoundly Moving; As Presented Here, They Contribute Valuable Insights To The Current Debates About Removing The Veil Of Secrecy From Adoption Records And About Giving More Decision-making Power To The Participant In An Adoptive Relationship. Modell Draws Extensively On Interviews With Birthparents, Adoptive Parents, And Adoptees, Some Of Whom Are Active In The Movement To Reform American Adoption. The Proposed Reform - The Opening Of Records, The Acknowledgment Of A Biological And A Legal Parent, The Blending Of Families That Are Related Only Through A Child - Challenges Accepted Meanings Of Mother And Father, Parent And Child, Ancestry And Identity In This Country.^ But Modell Shows That Uncertainties Have Long Surrounded These Familiar Concepts And That Adoption Has Always Upset Our Conventional Cultural Interpretations Of Being Related. Kinship With Strangers Explores For The First Time The Profound Impact Of This Need To Interpret And Reinterpret Kinship On The Part Of Those Who Experience Adoption. As The Members Of The Adoption Triad Tell Their Stories, Certain Motifs Appear That Organize Each Person's Experience Of Adoptive Kinship And At The Same Time Offer A Profound Critique Of American Adoption Policies. Surrender Is The Dominant Motif For Birthparents, While Love At First Sight Captures An Adoptive Parent's Sense Of Parenthood. For The Adoptee, Telling Is Central - The Moment When One Learns One Is Not Like Everyone Else. Modell's Book Not Only Presents The Personal Side Of An Increasingly Urgent And Public Debate But Also Demonstrates The Persistence Of These Debates.^ From Nineteenth-century Movements On The Part Of Adoptees, Birthparents, And Adoptive Parents, There Have Been Efforts To Modify This Institution That So Deeply Alters Individual Lives. The Last Chapter On Recent Upheavals In American Adoption Places Kinship With Strangers At The Heart Of A Discussion That Has Moved Out Of The Privacy Of Families, Agencies, And Even Legislatures And Onto The Front Pages Of Newspapers. With A Perspective Drawn From The Anthropological Analysis Of Kinship, This Insightful Analysis Reveals How Complex, And Perplexing, The Discussion Actually Is. 1. American Adoption: A Kinship With Strangers -- Pt. 1. The Setting: American Adoption Policy. 2. In The Best Interests: The Background Of American Adoption Policy. 3. This Child Is Mine: The Mechanisms For Delegating Parenthood -- Pt. 2. The Experience Of Adoptive Kinship. 4. The White Flag Of Surrender: Birthparent Experiences Of Adoption. 5. Everyone Else Just Has Babies: Becoming An Adoptive Parent. 6. The Chosen Child: Growing Up Adopted -- Pt. 3. The Revision Of Adoptive Kinship. 7. Just My Truth: The Adoptee Search For A Birth Family. 8. Lost To Adoption: The Birthparent Search For A Relinquished Child. 9. A Child Of One's Own: Being An Adoptive Parent -- Pt. 4. Conclusion. 10. A New Kind Of Kinship: The Implications Of Change In American Adoption. Judith S. Modell. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 261-274) And Index. Adoption challenges our understanding of the core symbols of kinship in American culturebirth, biology, and blood. Through the lens of anthropological theory, Judith Modell examines these symbols and the way they affect people who experience the "fictive" kinship of adoption. Her findings are timely and profoundly moving and contribute valuable insights to the current debate about removing the veil of secrecy from adoption records and procedures. Modell draws on interviews with birthparents, adoptive parents, and adoptees, some of whom are involved in reforming the adoption process. That reformthe opening of records, the acknowledgment of a biological and a legal parent, the blending of families that are related only through a childspotlights the very meanings of mother and father, "blood," and identity in this country. Thus her book complements other recent anthropological literature that argues for a radical rethinking of the way we define, and use, those concepts. Certain rhetorical motifs emerge in the language used by members of the adoption "surrender" is the critical motif for birthparents, "telling" for adoptees, "love at first sight" for adopting parents, and "reunion" for the search process. Throughout, we hear the words of those involved in adoption, and we come to understand the ambiguities regarding love and responsibility, nurture and competence, well-being and wealthconcepts that underlie the "transaction in parenthood" in American culture. Modell's findings should have important ramifications for policy, practice, and individual participation in the adoption experience.