"Adoption and Re-Kinning"

Deutsches Haus at NYU, the University of Cologne North America Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, and the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York present “Adoption and Re-Kinning” as part of the conference “The Legacies of Mixed-Race Children Born of War: Kinship, Belonging and Transnational Adoption after World War II.”

The evening will include a film screening of Deann Borshay Liem’s documentary “Geographies of Kinship” and a conversation between Rosemarie Peña and Deann Borshay Liem, which will be moderated by Silke Hackenesch. Welcoming remarks will be provided by Eva Bosbach, Director of the University of Cologne North America Office.

About the film:

“Geographies of Kinship,” 2019, 80 min, DCP.

In this powerful tale about the rise of Korea’s global adoption program, four adult adoptees return to their country of birth and recover the personal histories that were lost when they were adopted. Raised in foreign families, each sets out on a journey to reconnect with their roots, mapping the geographies of kinship that bind them to a homeland they never knew. Along the way there are discoveries and dead ends, as well as mysteries that will never be unraveled.

Ultimately what emerges is a deepened sense of self and belonging, as well as a sense of purpose, as Geographies of Kinship’s four protagonists question the policies and practices that led South Korea to become the largest “sending country” in the world—with 200,000 children adopted out to North America, Europe and Australia. Emboldened by their own experiences and what they have learned, these courageous characters become advocates for birth family and adoptee rights, support for single mothers, and historical reckoning.

The broader history of transnational adoption since the Korean War provides the backdrop to our stories. For over half a century, the Korean adoption experience and subsequent Diaspora have transformed not only how adoption is practiced worldwide, but also how kinship, identity and race are perceived and contested. As the forerunner for international adoptions from China, Russia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and other countries, the Korean model challenges us to reflect on universal questions of identity, assimilation, kinship and belonging. Geographies of Kinship explores these themes by listening closely to those who have lived the experience most intimately-adoptees-while relaying a compelling history of epic scope.

About the participants:

Deann Borshay Liem is an Emmy Award-winning documentarian known for films that explore war, memory, family and identity including her landmark adoption films First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee and Geographies of Kinship. Her documentary production studio Mu Films is based in Berkeley.

Dr. Rosemarie Peña holds a PhD in Childhood Studies from Rutgers University and is the President of the Black German Heritage and Research Association (BGHRA). As a Black German adoptee herself, Rosemarie Peña has published widely on and spoken frequently about her family history as well as on transatlantic Black German history in general.

PD Dr. Silke Hackenesch, (moderator) Assistant Professor, Institute of North American History, Department of History, University of Cologne. Author of “Colorblind Love or Racial Responsibility? The Adoption of Black German Children to Postwar America” (manuscript under review with New York University Press).

Attendance:

While NYU has ended COVID-19 related restrictions and policies, we continue to remind and recommend to members of the NYU community that they stay up-to-date on their boosters and stay home if they feel sick. Masks are always welcome.

"Adoption and Re-Kinning: An Evening with Deann Borshay Liem, Rosemarie Peña, and Silke Hackenesch" is funded by the DAAD from funds of the German Federal Foreign Office (AA). Additional funds are provided by the University of Cologne North America Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, and the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH).