A tribal Indian who was adopted by a white family when she was two, Susan Harness felt compelled to explore her experience. The result of this feeling was a masters thesis titled "Mixing Cultural Identities Through Transracial Adoption: Outcomes of the Indian Adoption Project."

In a review that was posted on the website of Mellen Press, Prof Fiona Nicoll of the University of Queensland (Australia) described Harness' thesis in the following terms:

In this rigorously researched and lucidly written book, Susan Harness addresses issues of historical and contemporary importance and scope.

Unlike existing psychological and sociological studies which have often approached the subjects of trans-racial adoption as victims of various pathologies, this is a pioneering cultural anthropological study of how American Indian adoptees negotiate complex issues of belonging and exclusion.

Harness's thesis is available in book form from Mellen Press.

Labels: cultures

Posted By: Aspen/CRC