Producing Multiculturalism: Family Formation through Transnational Adoption

Abstract

Like creating families through transracial marriage, transnational adoption also involves a series of decisions made among adult parties. However, in the case of transnational adoption, intermediary parties — adoption agencies — have a strong presence in the decision-making process. In order for prospective adoptive parents to complete the transnational adoption process, they need to follow many bureaucratic steps, compile complicated documents, and take hours of required training classes as recommended by the US Citizenship Immigration Services [USCIS] (2005). Given the complex process transnational adoption requires, most transnational adoption placements are facilitated by adoption agencies. This chapter examines how adoption agencies promote transnational adoption. I will analyze how adoption agencies acquire necessary knowledge to help prospective adoptive parents not only in making their decisions, but also in preparing them for multicultural and multiracial families.