Discursive Constructions of the Meaning of “Family” in Online Narratives of Foster Adoptive Parents

Abstract

Framed by relational dialectics theory, discursive constructions of the meaning of “family” were examined in 100 online foster adoption narratives. Parental narratives manifested struggles between biogenetic and discursive constructions of “family,” identified here as the discourse of biological normativity (DBN) and discourse of constitutive kinning (DCK). The DBN reinscribes the dominant cultural and foster care system preference for biogenetically connected families. The DCK resists the DBN, maintaining that enacted behaviors and shared affections, rather than shared genetics, constitute legitimate families. Contrapuntal analysis revealed a high degree of polemic interplay; both discourses competed to be centered rather than marginalized through the discursive practices of negating, countering, and entertaining. Implications for theorizing definitions of family and studying families in context are discussed

Keywords:

• Biological Normativity
• Discursively Constructed
• Foster Care Adoption
• Meanings of Family
• Online Narratives
• Relational Dialectics Theory

Notes

[1] The numbers in parenthesis refer to specific parental narratives.