Article 2
This article explores Korean adoptees and how they experience identity as an embodied process (Walton, 2015). The study looks at how Korean adoptees experience identity development in relation to their feelings of belonging (Walton, 2015). Data was collected in a semi-structured interview format from 22 adults that were adopted from Korea to non-Korean families (Walton, 2015). The participants were aged 19-39 years and adopted to areas including Australia, the United States, Sweden, and Canada (Walton, 2015). Interviews were conducted either via email or face to face interactions (Walton, 2015). The interviews covered the following topics; the pertinent information related to being adopted, their sense of belonging in their adoptive countries as well as when returning to visit Korea, any information related to exploring birth families, their interpretation of ethnic/cultural identity when interacting with others and any connection to adoption organization or events (Walton, 2015). The article explains how the way race and ethnicity is perceived socially in a given cultural community can impact or challenge the way one views their own identity (Walton, 2015). When Korean adoptees grew up in a family and community that was comprised primarily of white individuals, they grew up identifying with a white cultural identity (Walton, 2015). However, while they grew up identifying with a white racial identity, they still had a feeling of “otherness” when it came to their ‘non-white’ bodies (Walton, 2015). When the participants in the study returned to their adoptive country in Asia, they felt like they did not necessarily identify with the Korean culture either, as they grew up in a mostly white community in North America (Walton, 2015). As many of the participants concluded, their journey with identity is more about navigating the complexities to discover an identity that is most meaningful to them (Walton, 2015).
Walton, J. (2015). Feeling It: Understanding Korean Adoptees’ Experiences of Embodied Identity. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 36(4), 395–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2015.1049985
Adoption and Identity 