Adoption Across Race, Culture and Class: An Introduction

Abstract

The adoption experience brings to those involved a number of challenges that require sensitive and careful handling, especially during the critical developmental stages when the issue of identity is of paramount importance for the adoptee. In this introduction we highlight some of these challenges and discuss the central issues covered by the contributions included in this special issue. What emerges from all these manuscripts is the importance of being aware of the different nuances to identity formation often faced by transracially adopted children and members of the adoptive families. It is our hope that the reader finds these discussions of interest and as an invitation to become involved in finding answers to the many issues affecting members of the triad, particularly in the case of transracial adoption.