???Families adopt, adoptees adapt" : a look at transracial Korean adoptees??? \ud identity development

Thesis (M.A., Sociology)--California State University, Sacramento, 2013.Over 100,000 Korean adoptees have migrated to the United States since 1958, making them one of the largest adoption populations in the country. Using the concept of racialized ethnicity, I explored 1) what kinds of ethnic experiences influenced Korean transracial adoptees??? ethnic identity and 2) whether and how the adoptees??? ethnic identities were racialized. Based on data collected by semi-structured interviews, findings revealed that many Korean adoptees were raised and socialized in families that were predominately white, but were seen and treated as racial (???Asian???) and ethnic (???Korean???) minorities in American society. This disparity caused a variety of issues in terms of ethnic and racial identity development for the adoptee who often saw themselves as ???white??? or ???American.???Sociolog