Ain’t I a Mother?: The Forgotten Narratives of Korean Transnational Adoptees’ Birth Mothers

Abstract

This study explores the forgotten histories and narratives of birth mothers of Korean transnational adoptees. By shedding light on the circumstances of relinquishing their children for adoption, I critique the system of transnational adoption in which patriarchy, coloniality, and the adoption industry intersect. This research aims to dismantle monolithic and patriarchal models of motherhood by uncovering the untold stories and lived experiences of birth mothers and by demonstrating how these mothers have continued and expanded their motherhood to search for their children, reconcile with their pasts, and embrace other returned Korean adoptees. To achieve the goals of my study, I ask: How do social factors such as class, marital status, gender, age, adoption industry, and colonial ideology cause the relinquishment of children for adoption? How have birth mothers transformed their motherhood to search for their children and reconcile with their pasts? To answer these questions, I employ transnational and decolonial feminist theories and qualitative methodologies to document birth mothers’ lived experiences and marginalized narratives.