Love, Life, and Death in Transnational Adoptions from Asia

Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) - The City University of New York (CUNY)

In this talk based on his upcoming book supported by the Betty Lee Sung Research Endowment Fund, Prof. Kit Myers explores how the orphan figure; birth and adoptive families; and sending (Asian) and receiving (United States) nations have been configured in transnational adoption discourse and law. Looking at popular television, legal journals, and congressional hearings, Prof. Myers considers how racialized notions of love, life, and death inform the best interest of the child determinations in transnational adoption policymaking. What sorts of already existing violent structures and representations are operating in order to activate and facilitate transnational adoptions? How has transnational adoption, as a loving act, produced violent outcomes?