Masters Thesis

Impacts of religious affiliation on transracial adoptee identity

Transracial adoptees, though they often differ in interests, religious affiliation, cultural upbringing, and geographic location, are often united by one shared quality, which is what I call cultural and racial discordance. As individuals with cultural identities that appear mismatched with their racial identities, transracial adoptees occupy a socio-political space that is often perceived by mainstream society as conflicted. This thesis explores the different journeys of six transracial adoptees as they confront these challenges and develop a sense of self. In particular, this thesis also analyzes the paths that these six adoptees, all of whom were raised with religious affiliations, choose with relation to religion or spirituality as adults. Firstly, this thesis discusses the qualities, such as familiarity and support, that encourages adoptees to maintain religious connections, while also exploring reasons, such as ideological disconnect or feelings of restriction, that encourage adoptees to seek community elsewhere. I consider both queer belonging and religion as potential alternative spaces for adoptee identity exploration. In conclusion, this thesis draws attention to Adoption Studies research that centers on transracial adoptee agency and critical self-perception as a way of surviving and thriving. Finally, through the anecdotes and reflections of the six adoptees, I argue that attention must be paid not only to the childhood developmental of transracial adoptees but, also, to their identity formation throughout young adulthood.

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