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in search: the purported biological basis of parenthood
Author(s) -
MODELL JUDITH
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1986.13.4.02a00040
Subject(s) - kinship , surrender , rhetoric , construct (python library) , sociology , politics , social psychology , political science , psychology , law , anthropology , linguistics , philosophy , computer science , programming language
A discussion of Concerned United Birthparents (CUB), a group advocating change in American adoption policies, demonstrates the importance of a nature/culture construct in individual experiences of parenthood. Through a vivid rhetoric, the group redefines the significance of relinquishing a child to adoption; searching for a child “reverses” the surrender of a child. Reassessing “biological” and “social” claims, CUB affirms the importance of “nature” in parent‐child bonds. The article contributes to the literature on American kinship and on life‐crisis rituals, adding an indication of the links between individual interpretations and changes in public policy.