Negotiating Identity: A Sociological Study of Chinese Adoptees in the United States

In the 15 years from 1999 to 2013, a total number of 15,071,066 new immigrants gained permanent residency in the United States. During the same period, 249,694 children have been internationally adopted,2 which constitutes 1.66% of the overall immigrant population. Although international adoption, simply by looking at numbers, is not the major source of immigration, it is a phenomenon that requires special attention in the field of migration research. While migration has always been conceptualized as the result of migrants’ voluntary decisions, in the case of international adoption, the adoptees are usually too young to give consents (Louie, 2013). This involuntary action is also associated with insufficient preparation for the move, as well as other post-adoption issues including psychological development, nurturing intimate family relationship, and incorporation into the American society. This study focuses on international adoption between the United States and China. It takes a close look at the adoption process, and aims to capture the unique experience of the adopted children with an emphasis on identity formation. It explores how the adoptees identify themselves in terms of culture, race and ethnicity. At the same time, it also tries to explain the social mechanisms behind these identity choices, as adoptees are radicalized and culturally socialized under the broader social arrangements of the United States.Bachelor of Art