Counterpublics of Adult South Korean Transnational Adoptees in Online Blogs: Processes of Accepting and Rejecting Racial, Ethnic, and Adoptive Identities

This research examines how the counterpublics in personal blogs written by adult South Korean adoptees illuminate processes of accepting and rejecting their racial, ethnic, and adoptive identities. Through counterpublics, members of subordinate groups create and spread narratives that diverge from the dominant discourses. Since the late 1990s, with the growth of the international adoptee community, adoptees have started to regain their voices through counterpublics on online platforms. Using the framework of corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS), the blogs of adult South Korean adoptees were analysed. The main themes were identified with word list and Keyword-in-Context (KWIC) tools. Narrative and identity analysis revealed the complicated emotions connected to being adopted and found that the adoptees’ self-claimed identities were more complex than the identities imposed by others. Through exploration of Korean heritage, culture, and engagement in the adoptee community, the...Show moreThis research examines how the counterpublics in personal blogs written by adult South Korean adoptees illuminate processes of accepting and rejecting their racial, ethnic, and adoptive identities. Through counterpublics, members of subordinate groups create and spread narratives that diverge from the dominant discourses. Since the late 1990s, with the growth of the international adoptee community, adoptees have started to regain their voices through counterpublics on online platforms. Using the framework of corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS), the blogs of adult South Korean adoptees were analysed. The main themes were identified with word list and Keyword-in-Context (KWIC) tools. Narrative and identity analysis revealed the complicated emotions connected to being adopted and found that the adoptees’ self-claimed identities were more complex than the identities imposed by others. Through exploration of Korean heritage, culture, and engagement in the adoptee community, the adoptees changed their self-identification and attitudes, leading to their gaining acceptance or even pride in their different identities.Show less

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Counterpublics of Adult South Korean Transnational Adoptees in Online Blogs: Processes of Accepting and Rejecting Racial, Ethnic, and Adoptive Identities