Indigenous adoptees' experiences of racism in transracial adoption in Saskatchewan: Discovering truth and being authenic

Date
2019-07
Authors
McCloy, Carrie Janette
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Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina
Abstract

Transracial adoption in Canada, part of the child welfare system, has adversely affected Indigenous people’s families and communities for generations. The purpose of this project is to examine and analyze the experiences of racism for Indigenous adoptees who were transracially adopted into non-Indigenous homes in Saskatchewan between 1960 to1985. Using critical race and Indigenous theoretical frameworks, the methodology for the study includes dialogical and phenomenological approaches and analysis to examine the experiences of four adoptees. The findings indicate that the experiences of racism are painful, life-long, and profound for adoptees in this study. There is value in sharing the experiences of adoptees who were adopted into white homes as their situations are unique in that they had intimate and complex experiences of racism. This research begins to fill a gap in understanding racism experienced by Indigenous adoptees in Saskatchewan and offers a clearer picture of the effects of and reactions to racism. It confirms that racism in adoption is a fundamental truth for adoptees involved in this study. The results of this study call for the acknowledgement and examination of racism and for the preservation of birth cultural identity to increase the health and connectedness for adoptees, families,and social workers. Keywords: child welfare, qualitative study, transracial adoption, Indigenous children, Saskatchewan, experiences of racism

Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Social Work in Social Work, University of Regina. xi,133 p.
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