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22
Koreans took great pride in their highly homogeneous society and harbored deep-rooted
disapproval of mixed-race children. Pure Korean lineage was of the utmost
importance according to the Confucian belief system that dominated during this
period (Levine, 2000). Biracial children and their mothers were ostracized and
endured open discrimination in this country that held fast to its pureblood heritage.
The mixed-race offspring were called “TuiGi,” which was Korean slang for “child of
the foreign devil.” Mixed-race children were complete outcasts and were often given
up or abandoned by their mothers due to the pressures of this intense social stigma.
Bertha and Harry Holt helped spur American interest and provided open access to
the adoption of Korean orphans. In 1954, after watching a film documenting the
struggles of mixed-race Korean orphans, the couple decided to adopt eight biracial
Korean children. Their story, as well as images of the Holts and their children, was
featured in national newspapers and magazines (Seabrook, 2010). Families from
across the country began reaching out to the Holts in hope of adopting a Korean child
of their own. In 1956, Harry and Berth founded Holt International, the first agency
dedicated to international adoption (HoltInternational.com).
Child welfare agents criticized the Holts because adoption was traditionally
overseen by trained social workers who were accustomed to using the science of
matching to place child with parent. But the Holts saw past cultural barriers believing
that love was all that mattered when considering the best interest of the child
(Seabrook, 2010).
Object Description
| Title | Babies without borders: exploring perceptions of international adoption |
| Author | Roberts, Nicole Marie |
| Author email | n.roberts@ymail.com; simplynicolemarie@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Document type | Thesis |
| Degree program | Strategic Public Relations |
| School | Annenberg School for Communication |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-31 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-05-03 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Floto, Jennifer D. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Lynch, Brenda Thorson, Kjerstin |
| Abstract | International adoption is an incredibly complex and hotly debated issue. In an effort to understand the roots of the system, the author delves deep into the history of adoption and the transition to international adoption in the United States while examining the perceptions of the system today.; Using public relations techniques, the author offers communication-based recommendations that will help mitigate any stigma so that international adoptions continue without the negative undertones that are often associated with the idea of adopting from another country. |
| Keyword | adoption; international adoption |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA; Greece; Korea; Vietnam; Guatemala; Romania; USSR; China |
| Coverage date | 1939/2009 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3877 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Roberts, Nicole Marie |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Roberts-4524 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume26/etd-Roberts-4524.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 34 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 22 Koreans took great pride in their highly homogeneous society and harbored deep-rooted disapproval of mixed-race children. Pure Korean lineage was of the utmost importance according to the Confucian belief system that dominated during this period (Levine, 2000). Biracial children and their mothers were ostracized and endured open discrimination in this country that held fast to its pureblood heritage. The mixed-race offspring were called “TuiGi,” which was Korean slang for “child of the foreign devil.” Mixed-race children were complete outcasts and were often given up or abandoned by their mothers due to the pressures of this intense social stigma. Bertha and Harry Holt helped spur American interest and provided open access to the adoption of Korean orphans. In 1954, after watching a film documenting the struggles of mixed-race Korean orphans, the couple decided to adopt eight biracial Korean children. Their story, as well as images of the Holts and their children, was featured in national newspapers and magazines (Seabrook, 2010). Families from across the country began reaching out to the Holts in hope of adopting a Korean child of their own. In 1956, Harry and Berth founded Holt International, the first agency dedicated to international adoption (HoltInternational.com). Child welfare agents criticized the Holts because adoption was traditionally overseen by trained social workers who were accustomed to using the science of matching to place child with parent. But the Holts saw past cultural barriers believing that love was all that mattered when considering the best interest of the child (Seabrook, 2010). |
