“Becoming” adopted: A narrative inquiry into the lived experiences and identities of adult Asian intercountry adoptees

The purpose of this qualitative research study is to examine the lived experiences of five adult Asian intercountry adoptees and explore the conditions in which our identities are framed. As a researcher/participant, I utilize Personal-Passionate-Participatory-Inquiry as a research methodology to reflect my personal experience as an adult Asian intercountry adoptee, my political perspective as an Asian American activist, and my postgraduate training in narrative inquiry. My deeply subjective approach to this research study provides a space for my multiple perspectives to converge and enables me to uncover meaning from the lived experiences shared by the other research study participants. At the heart of my inquiry is a desire to uncover counter narratives that are missing from the “official story” that will make the experiences and perceptions of adult Asian intercountry adoptees more understandable. Through my research study, I seek to privilege our voices and experiences, while expanding upon the work already done by contributing another lens through which to explore Asian intercountry adoptee identity and lived experiences. By critically reflecting upon past encounters, our voices provide a foundation for examining identity issues as they occur. In doing so, I hope to facilitate the reader\u27s overall understanding of the diversity and complexity of adult Asian intercountry adoptee experiences. The findings for this research study suggest that Asian intercountry adoptee identity and lived experience are so inextricably linked, that to speak of one is to speak of the other