Kinship, Adscription and Child Rearing. Cultural Constructions of International Adoption and Circulation of Children

  • Jorge Grau Rebollo Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_RASO.2011.v20.36261
Keywords: International adoption, circulation of children, anthropology of kinship, child rearing, folk concepts, ethnography, transcultural comparison

Abstract

The relevance of children adscription has clearly suggested the need of taking into account the various forms of circulation of children considered as a global phenomenon of particular significance in the replacement strategies of a given group, as well as for its social cohesion. Confined for a long time to the label of “fictive kinship”, some of the specific forms of this movement, such as international adoption, emerged in the theoretical arena as movements of children under international law blossomed and multi-faceted debates over their economic, ethical and political corollaries developed both in academic and professional forums and in mass media. In this article I address some of the most fruitful lines in the recent study of circulation of children and international adoption practices, both regarded as phenomena of global dimensions. I try to do this by emphasizing the need of paying special attention to cultural constructions of adscription processes and child rearing.

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Author Biography

Jorge Grau Rebollo, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Jorge Grau Rebollo, doctor en Antropología Social y Cultural, es profesor titular en el Departamento de Antropología Social y Cultural de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Desarrolló su formación pre y postdoctoral en la UAB, Queen’s University of Belfast, University of Manchester y Stanford University. Impartió cursos en la Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Universität Wien, Stockholms Universitet, y Université Lumière Lyon-2, entre otras. Como investigador, desarrolla su tarea en el GETP, subgrupo del GRAFO. En los últimos años trabaja sobre antropología audiovisual y del parentesco. Este interés le ha llevado a fijar su atención en la adopción internacional, más ampliamente reorientada hacia formas generales de circulación de niños y niñas desde una perspectiva transcultural. Publicó recientemente: Antropología audiovisual (2002); Las relaciones de parentesco (2003, en col.); “Antropología, cine y refracción. Los textos fílmicos como documentos etnográficos” (2005); Antropología de los media (2005, coord.); “Los límites de lo etnográfico son los límites de la imaginación. El legado fílmico de Jean Rouch” (2005); Debates actuales sobre el parentesco y la familia en clave transcultural (2006); y Procreación, género e identidad (2006).

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How to Cite
Grau Rebollo J. (2011). Kinship, Adscription and Child Rearing. Cultural Constructions of International Adoption and Circulation of Children. Revista de Antropología Social, 20, 31-54. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_RASO.2011.v20.36261
Issue
Vol. 20 (2011): Investigación antropológica en España
Section
Monographic

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