Vinsamlegast notið þetta auðkenni þegar þið vitnið til verksins eða tengið í það: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/17427
Börn sem ættleidd eru til Íslands erlendis frá koma frá mörgum þjóðlöndum og úr ólíkum áttum. Þau eiga aftur á móti sameiginlegt að alast upp án líffræðilegra foreldra og fjarri fyrri heimaslóðum. Talið er mikilvægt fyrir börnin að þau haldi
nokkrum tengslum við upprunalandið, að tengslin efli skilning barnanna á ættleiðingarferlinu og stuðli að þroska jákvæðrar sjálfsmyndar. Í greininni er fjallað um tvímenningarlega félagsmótun ættleiddra barna og rýnt í fræðin til
að skýra og skil greina hvað átt er við þegar fjallað er um þessi málefni. Kynnt er rannsókn þar sem rafræn spurningakönnun var send til tíu telpna sem allar voru ættleiddar frá Kína. Þær voru meðal annars spurðar um uppruna sinn og tengsl við upprunalandið. Með rannsókninni var leitast við að skilja hvað telpurnar telja mikilvægt við þau tengsl og uppruna sinn og
greina hvað þeim finnst um að vera ættleiddar frá Kína.
Í rannsóknum á undanförnum árum hafa komið fram sterkar vísbendingar um að foreldrar ættu að huga að tvímenningarlegri félagsmótun en hver og einn þarf að finna þær leiðir og áherslur sem henta hverri fjölskyldu. Álykta má af rannsókninni
að margt sem snertir upprunann sé mörgum ættleiddum börnum ofarlega í huga. Með frekari rannsóknum má átta sig betur á þessu og varpa frekara ljósi á möguleika fólgna í tvímenningarlegri félagsmótun.
Over 600 children have been adopted internationally to Iceland. They come from many different countries, but the largest groups are from India and China. What these children have in common is that they were abandoned by their biological parents and adopted from their country of birth. It is regarded valuable to keep some ties with the country of origin and considered important for the child's ability to understand the process of adoption and to develop a positive identity rooted in two cultures. The article focuses on the bicultural socialization of adopted children by exploring research and theoretical perspectives to explain and define what we mean when dealing with these issues. The discussion regarding bicultural socialization and adopted children has not been significant in Iceland. Nevertheless, this is an issue that touches most of those who adopt children
from other countries than Iceland. When the child seems to have a different
racial background than its parents and even siblings, issues related to identity
and identifying with others are of matter to the child’s well-being. Ethnic and cultural
exploration is one path to develop an understanding of how and why these
children are different from others, a way to build personal biographies that bring
together adoption, race, and national origin (Tessler and Gamache, 2006).
The aim of the study introduced in this article was to gain insight into the opinions
and attitudes of girls adopted from China on the topic of their connection
with China and their origins and their experience of being adoptees from China.
The participants, ten girls, seven to nine years old, were sent an electronic questionnaire
and asked about various details of their origin and relationship with
China. They could also write comments if they liked and add more details to their
answers. The results show that issues concerning their country of origin are of
great interest to all the girls. Also they regard it as important to keep in touch
with other adopted peers, specially other girls who came in the same group from
China, defined as their China-sisters. The connection with China seems to be a
valuable part of the girls´ identity. The girls participate in various events which
might be described as cultural experiences and entertainment. They express an interest in taking part in events and leisure activities which have to do with China
or Chinese culture and say that it is very important to learn about the country.
The majority of the girls claim that they are proud of being from China, despite
being teased because they look different. Only one girl describes herself as “only
Icelandic”; the other nine define themselves as both Icelandic and Chinese.
Hence one can argue that the Chinese ethnicity is an important component in the
girls’ life. The study indicates that the parents are active in maintaining contact
with the country of origin, which harmonizes with a study among Icelandic parents
of adopted Chinese children. According to another study (Jórunn Elídóttir,
2010) the parents of adopted Chinese children consider it important for the children
to maintain a connection with their former homeland and the majority of
the parents have the means to maintain this relationship. Adopted children are
unique in that they do not themselves form a connection with their country of origin.
It is the parents who choose and decide the connection, priorities and approaches.
The conclusion drawn from the study and an examination of the issues and related
research is that the debate about the origin, race and other allied issues is
highly relevant for transracial adopted children (Juffer og van Ijzendoorn 2007;
McGinnis, Smith, Ryan og Howard, 2009). Following that line of reasoning the
author argues that parents must consider how much and in what way they want
to maintain a connection with their adopted children’s country of origin. Parents
must consider those matters and in what way they will support the child’s racial/
cultural identity. The bearing of bicultural socializations cannot be stated in such
a small study. However, the study provides insight into the girls’ opinions and
feelings and provides a notable picture of their interests regarding China and of
being adopted. Bicultural socialization has been viewed as an issue which adoptive
parents need and should take into account; nevertheless, each family must
find the ways and stance to suit their needs. A route selected with care and by
explicit thought will most likely help to strengthen the child’s identity and selfwareness.
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