Finding Their Place: How Adoptive Parents Utilize Chinese Activities for Inclusion in Multiple Americas

This article characterizes adoptive parents not as consumers of Chinese culture or identity, but as facilitators who seek inclusion for their children. Specifically, the author finds that adoptive parents utilize involvement in Chinese activities for their children to find a place in (1) Asian and (2) multi–racial, cultural, and ethnic Americas, primarily. A small segment of parents focus on inclusion in (3) upper/middle-class America through involvement in Chinese activities. By comparing the experiences and expectations of white and Asian American parents, the author argues that context shapes the way adoptive parents understand their children’s inclusion in multiracial America.