Judith Lind

Preservation of the child’s background in in- and intercountry adoption

The point of departure of the present article is the childs right to preservation of her/his ethnic, religious, cultural and linguistic background in adoption, as stipulated in the CRC and the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The article seeks to analyse the various meanings attributed to preservation of the childs background in in- and intercountry adoption and in different national contexts. The main focus is on the seldom-studied perspective of one of the major sending countries in intercountry adoption: India. Five representatives of two non-governmental adoption agencies and one governmental agency in addition to six Indian adoptive parents have been interviewed about their views on the significance of the childs background in adoption. In our analysis, we show that preservation of a childs background is perceived to be in conflict with other interests of the child, such as gaining a position in her/his adoptive family equal to that of a biological child and being loved unconditionally. In contrast to the general portrayal of Indian adoption applicants as being selective regarding the childs religious background and skin colour, agency representatives as well as adoptive parents endeavoured to distinguish themselves from this portrayal by emphasizing the irrelevance of the childs background.

Roots, origins and backgrounds: An analysis of their meanings in the creation of adoptive families in Sweden

In international conventions as well as in the national discourses of many countries, children who do not grow up with their biogenetic parents have the right to receive information about their origin. The meaning of origin in intercountry adoption, however, is not necessarily the same as in artificial donor insemination (AID). Through an analysis of the material published by the Swedish Intercountry Adoption Authority from 1972 to 2004 and by discussing the often-drawn analogy between adoption and AID, the present article aims to investigate the varying meanings that have been ascribed to origin and the arguments that have been used in support of its importance.

Doing good parenthood : ideals and practices of parental involvement

This edited collection shows that good parenthood is neither fixed nor stable. The contributors show how parenthood is equally done by men, women and children, in and through practices involving di ...

Doing Good Parenthood

This edited collection shows that good parenthood is neither fixed nor stable. The contributors show how parenthood is equally done by men, women and children, in and through practices involving di ...

Introduction: Doing Good Parenthood

The purpose of this book is to explore in ten empirical chapters how good parenthood is done in different contexts, by different agents. The introductory chapter outlines the theoretical implications of viewing parenthood as a series of practices and our interest in the enactment and negotiation of good parenthood. We argue that the doing of good parenthood should be studied empirically and in context. Therefore, the particularities of Denmark and Sweden as contexts are briefly introduced. Finally, we argue that parenthood is to be understood in relation to childhood, and the doing of good parenthood should be situated in relation to notions of children’s interests and rights. Therefore, the book is anchored in the research fields of both parenting studies and child studies.

Teenagers, Alcohol and Sex: Doing Good Parenthood on an On-line Discussion Board

Teenagers, sex and alcohol are frequent topics on an on-line discussion board for Swedish parents. The aim of this study is to analyse how the posters to the discussion board do good parenthood by discussing parental strategies in relation to teenagers, alcohol and sex. The topics of alcohol and sex are chosen because they serve well to address the tension between a teenager’s entitlement to autonomy over decisions concerning her/his own body and parents’ responsibility for ensuring the well-being and socialisation of their child. The analysis shows that, despite considerable differences in the parenting strategies proposed by posters, there are two overarching ideals for good parenthood: the ideal of not taking the easy route as a parent and the ideal of the well-being of the teenager as the primary concern when placing restrictions on teenagers’ behaviour.