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Intercountry Adoption: A Theoretical Analysis

Shura, Robin

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Sociology.
The aim of this research is to engage in a preliminary theoretical analysis of intercountry adoption as a social and cultural practice, informed by two competing frameworks of sociological theory. Intercountry adoption in general has received little attention as a problem for sociological research, and even less as a topic that may be illuminated by sociological theory. Contrasting views of intercountry adoption that are evident in academic literature, policy and accounts of children’s experts map onto two major, paradigmatically distinct approaches to social theorizing: the functionalist or social capital approach, in which the positive social value of intercountry adoption is highlighted, and the conflict-oriented or critical approach that takes a skeptical or problematic view of the institutional dynamics of intercountry adoption. In this dissertation, I draw on the world of policy analysis – specifically, on the knowledge and perspectives of leading national and international experts on child policy and social practices involving children and the state across the continent of Europe – as a beginning step to garner insight into how the phenomenon of intercountry adoption is constructed and understood by those who are directly involved in seeking to further the welfare of children. Using qualitative methods of discourse analysis, selected sections of three prominent international policies are analyzed to identify themes through which intercountry adoption is constructed in legal discourse. Key informants were selected for semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews based on their breadth and depth of professional expertise regarding social issues facing children and their potential influence at the national and international levels over children’s protection and policy. Thirty-one original interviews with thirty-five key informants were conducted, and interview transcripts were analyzed using an inductive qualitative coding process to identify themes within their accounts of intercountry adoption that map onto to the functionalist and critical theoretical frameworks, respectively. Findings indicate a diversity and complexity of perspectives toward intercountry adoption, and analyses indicate salience and limitations of each theoretical paradigm. Descriptive results and theoretical implications of findings are discussed.
Dale Dannefer (Committee Chair)
Brian Gran (Committee Member)
Susan Hinze (Committee Member)
Gunhild Hagestad (Committee Member)
283 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shura, R. (2010). Intercountry Adoption: A Theoretical Analysis [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1253849386

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shura, Robin. Intercountry Adoption: A Theoretical Analysis. 2010. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1253849386.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shura, Robin. "Intercountry Adoption: A Theoretical Analysis." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1253849386

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)