Disrupting Kinship

This book explores the complexities of transnational adoption, particularly focusing on the experiences of Korean adoptees in the United States and the industry surrounding it in Disrupting Kinship.

Since the Korean War began, Western families have adopted over 200,000 Korean children, with two-thirds finding homes in the United States. Most of these adoptees joined white families, creating a new form of transnational and transracial kinship. In Disrupting Kinship, Kimberly D. McKee delves into this complex social phenomenon, shedding light on how these adoptions have reshaped familial structures and cultural identities across borders.

McKee explores the emergence of what she terms the transnational adoption industrial complex, a multi-million-dollar global industry that has significantly influenced the lives of both adoptees and their adoptive families. This system is driven by an alliance of South Korean welfare agencies, orphanages, and American immigration laws, which together facilitated the transnational adoption process. The author argues that adoption often served as a means to address the inadequacies of South Korea's social safety net, particularly for unwed mothers and low-income families, while simultaneously commodifying children and allowing Americans to build families at the expense of biological connections.

In Disrupting Kinship, McKee also examines the intersection of various cultural and political factors, including Christian Americanism and South Korean welfare policy. She highlights how these elements interact and challenge American perceptions of nationhood, citizenship, belonging, family, and ethnic identity, ultimately prompting readers to reconsider the implications of adoption within this broader context.