Twentieth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) was initially created to shape awareness around issues surrounding adoption practices, specifically the legacy of closed adoptions in the global north. Over time, it has evolved into a celebration of adoption itself. For many adoptees, this is problematic, as they view this as a coercive attempt to invalidate the trauma of their adoption, particularly their inability to connect with their biological origins. This has given rise to the #NotMyNAAM movement, where adoptees actively reject the idealised vision of adoption as an act of salvation. With NAAM becoming an institution of celebration instead of awareness, it plays into what I call the cult of gratitude, where members of the adoption triangle experience societal pressure to express gratitude for adoption. Many adoptive parents feel threatened by adoptees speaking out in this manner, leading to conflict between members of the adoption triangle. These issues engage with larger adoption-related conversations, such as the saviour narrative, the commodification of adoption, and child trafficking. This paper provides a short overview of global adoption history to frame prevalent perceptions surrounding adoption practices and will make use of online discourse in order to illustrate the various and conflicting affects this creates within the adoption triangle.