Save the Children: Religion, Politics, and International Adoptions in America

Boisi event image

Arissa Oh
艾可直播 College

Date: March 1, 2017

Read Interview

Abstract

Although international adoption has become a commonplace practice in the United States, many Americans know very little about how or why it began. At her luncheon colloquium, Arissa Oh will draw on her book,聽To Save the Children of Korea: The Cold War Origins of International Adoption, and examine the rise of international adoption, which began systematically in the aftermath of the Korean War. In particular, Oh will discuss the role of religion in U.S. international adoption, both past and present.

Speaker Bio

Arissa Oh

Arissa Oh聽is associate professor in the history department at 艾可直播 College, where she teaches and researches migration in U.S. history, particularly in relation to race, gender, and kinship. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 2008. Her book on the history of international adoption,聽To Save the Children of Korea: The Cold War Origins of International Adoption, was published by Stanford University Press in 2015. She is currently working on a history of marriage migration and immigration fraud in U.S. history since the late 19th century.

Event Photos

Boisi event

Arissa Oh discussed the origins of international adoption in the United States at a Boisi Center luncheon colloquium on March 1.

Boisi event

Photos by MTS Photography

Event Recap

On March 1, Arissa Oh, associate professor in the history department at 艾可直播 College, came to the Boisi Center聽for a luncheon colloquium discussing the history of international adoption in the United States. Oh drew on her book,聽To Save the Children of Korea: The Cold War Origins of International Adoption,聽to explain how the practice, language, and culture surrounding international adoption has developed and changed from the Cold War to today.

Oh began her talk by showing a brief video about the 鈥淕lobal Orphan Crisis鈥濃攁n idea that was appropriated by the Evangelical adoption movement. According to Oh, the movement includes hundreds of organizations nationwide that are committed to solving this 鈥渙rphan crisis鈥 by promoting international adoption in congregations. The trouble, Oh pointed out, is that there is no 鈥淕lobal Orphan Crisis鈥 and the vast majority of so-called 鈥渙rphans鈥 are children who may have lost one parent or are living with extended family.

Describing the origins of international adoption, Oh pointed to the American adoption of 鈥淕.I. babies鈥 in Korea鈥攖he children of American soldiers and Korean women conceived during the Korean War鈥攁s the dawn of what would eventually become a practice in other nations as well. Oh gave the example of Harry Holt. Holt鈥檚 agency, Holt International, caters to Christian clientele and remains the largest international adoption agency in the world. Holt was an Evangelical Christian and farmer who became famous for adopting eight GI babies from the Korean War. Oh noted that, despite Holt鈥檚 Christian focus, the United States government was not entirely comfortable with purely religious reasons for adoption. Advocates for international adoption argued that the practice could demonstrate the benevolence, tolerance, and open-mindedness of the United States鈥攅specially in comparison to its Cold War competitors, the Soviet Union.

According to Oh, Evangelical adoption took off in a time of general decline in international adoption. Today, the Evangelical adoption movement is becoming more engaged in conversations on the ethics of adoption and of removing children from their cultural/racial contexts. Increasingly, international adoption is being de-emphasized, while organizations and congregations are becoming more focused on family preservation internationally and foster care domestically. Oh noted her interesting position as 鈥渁 historian studying something that might be coming to an end.鈥

Attendees discussed the differences between public motivation and individual reasons for adoption, the future of international adoption in the U.S., and the potential impacts of the new administration.

Read More

Books

Oh, Arissa H.聽To save the Children of Korea : The Cold War Origins of International Adoption. 2015. Print. Asian America.

Articles

Oh, Arissa H. 鈥淔rom War Waif to Ideal Immigrant: The Cold War Transformation of the Korean Orphan.鈥澛Journal of American Ethnic History, vol. 31, no. 4, 2012, pp. 34鈥55.,聽

Oh, Arissa. 鈥淎 New Kind of Missionary Work: Chrisitians, Christian Americanists, and The Adoption of Korean GI Babies, 1955-1961.鈥澛Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 33, no. 3/4, 2005, pp. 161鈥188.,聽

Oh, Arissa H. "The Historical Roots of the Evangelical Adoption Boom."聽The Historical Society Blog. 2013.聽

Other Sources

"To Save the Children of Korea: On the History of International Adoption"聽

"How South Korea became the first country to start international adoptions"聽

"In South Korea, international adoption as a solution to social problems"聽

In the News

Arissa Oh was featured in the 艾可直播 Globe for her recent book,聽To Save the Children of Korea: The Cold War Origins of International Adoption.聽Check out the article聽. You can find more information on current issues surrounding adoption in South Korea聽.