'Bananas, Bastards and Victims'?

Intercountry adoption emerged in Australia in the 1970s, at the end of the Vietnam War and with each new decade the adoption community and broader society have become more aware of the challenges and complexities of the adoptee experience. This book addresses the dearth of sociological literature available on the topic and considers the diverse experiences of Australian intercountry adoptees. It offers a fresh approach to the issue of 'cultural identity', utilizes qualitative research methods and asks questions about how particular discourses about race, culture, adoption and identity have impacted on intercountry adoptees' lives. The work illustrates how adoptees are managing to (re)define their fluid, hybrid identities within the context of multicultural Australia and by their membership within other diasporic movements. Members of the global adoption community - adoptees, adoptive parents, birth parents and adoption professionals - will find the book of particular interest as will workers and academics in the fields of social work, cultural studies and family studies. The work also makes a signficant contribution to the broader body of literature on transnationalism.