Korean Australian Adoptee Diasporas: a Glimpse Into Social Media

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Korean Australian Adoptee Diasporas: a Glimpse Into Social Media Korean Australian Adoptee Diasporas: A glimpse into social media E. HeeRa Heaser A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences September 2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Heaser First name: E. Other name/s: HeeRa Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: School of Social Sciences Faculty: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences Title: Korean Australian Adoptee Diasporas: A glimpse into social media Abstract 350 words maximum: There are an estimated 3,500 Korean Australian adoptees, making them the largest group of intercountry adoptees in Australia. With the onset and continuation of Korean Australian intercountry adoptions, adult Korean Australian adoptees form a unique diaspora and limited knowledge exists around their adoptee experiences and perspectives as adults. This thesis investigates adult Korean Australian adoptees’ diasporas, including the emerging field of social media as a core component of Korean adoptee digital diasporas. This research not only examines adult Korean Australian adoptees’ lived experiences but also how they engage with social media. Social media includes online social networks that connect individuals through the Internet to build relationships with others, for example using Facebook, Twitter, Blogger or YouTube. Through analyses of the data drawn from an online survey, focus groups and interviews with adult Korean Australian adoptees, this thesis serves to address the current gap in research into Korean Australian adoptees’ diasporas, which is under-researched in terms of current adult adoptee perspectives. The principal dataset in this research was provided by 69 participants from the online survey and 17 participants from the focus groups and interviews. A mixed-methods approach is used to capture different dimensions of adult Korean Australian adoptees’ lives. This exploratory study provides a basis for capturing Korean Australian adoptees’ diasporas and highlights the social media trends in Korean adoptee digital diasporas. This thesis highlights adult Korean Australian adoptees’ powerful lived experiences in their own words. The findings indicate that adult Korean Australian adoptees’ voices need to be heard with insights into adoption journeys, identities, families, and Korean adoptee social media. Social media is a diasporic space that connects adult Korean Australian adoptees to other Korean adoptees and provides a sense of belonging to the larger transnational Korean adoptee diaspora. As limited knowledge exists around adult Korean Australian adoptees’ lived experiences or how social media is used or valued by global Korean adoptee communities, this study illustrates contemporary insights into the understandings and complexities of Korean Australian adoptee diasporas. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……...…….……………………… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: ii ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed ……………………………………………......... Date ……………………………………………......... COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.’ Signed ……………………………………………......... Date ……………………………………………......... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………......... Date ……………………………………………......... iii Preface and Acknowledgements I am Frankenstein: created, not born. I am Edward Scissorhands: functioning but not quite finished. I am the Incredible Shrinking Man: with a disease no one can name. I am the Android from the Twilight Zone: my behavior programmed into my circuits. I am adopted–the freak whose motives will always be misunderstood –the creature unable to hold your hand –the earthling with an alien disease –the monster created by acts of mankind, not acts of God –the unhuman mandated by law to fill the place of a real human who could not be here. Anonymous Journey of the adopted self: A quest for wholeness When I discovered the above poem by an adopted woman in Lifton’s Journey of the adopted self: A quest for wholeness (1994, p. 67), these verses touched me. Like many of my other fellow Korean adoptees, I felt insecure and isolated by my transracial adoption. When I began to share my adoption experiences, I will be forever grateful for my family, friends, professors, mentors and advisors who supported me on this journey. This PhD developed from my life experiences as a Korean adoptee and the journeys of other Korean adoptees. I aimed to be conscientious of my word choices and writing style. American style is illustrated throughout this thesis as it is written from my voice. I also use Australian vernacular to write with a focus on Australian literature and articulate the voices of the research participants. Scholars have used abbreviations and acronyms for intercountry adoption (ICA) and Korean adoptees (KTRA, OAKS, or KAD) for the ease of reading, but I hope that the adoption community will focus on a common vernacular that will share adoption experiences instead of minimizing adoption by acronyms and abbreviations. I used intercountry rather than transnational to symbolize awareness of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption 1993 (Hague Adoption Convention). Transnational is frequently the preferred term amongst scholars as it portrays interweaving dimensions of real and virtual adoption spaces. I used the term Korean family throughout this thesis, which is often a controversial term by adoptees themselves as iv to how one defines family. Adult adoptees will also critique the commonly used terms of orphan, or abandoned/orphaned babies within adoption literature. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement throughout my candidature. I would like to firstly begin by extending my deepest appreciation to the participants in this research and all other adult Korean Australian adoptees. Thank you for generously sharing your lives with me and making this research possible. I am also particularly grateful to my supervisors, Professor Elizabeth Fernandez and Dr. Jung-Sook Lee for their support, guidance and patience. Thank you Elizabeth, for not “cramping my style” and letting me develop my unique writing voice. This research was supported by an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and this scholarship was invaluable to me during my candidature. Special thanks go out to Dr. David Kim-Boyle, Dr. Shona Bates, and fellow UNSW colleagues. I would also like to thank my friends and families for their interest in my research.
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