Cross-Cultural Approaches to Adoption

Adoption is currently subject to a great deal of media scrutiny. High profile cases of international adoption via the internet and other unofficial routes have brought about legislation which regulates the exchange of children between countries. However a lack of understanding of cultural difference in adoption and child-rearing practices still exists between the West and other non-Western cultures, and the assumptions behind Western childcare policy are rarely examined. Looking at examples from Africa, Oceania, Asia and Central America, this edited collection explores the cross-cultural contexts that affect adoption today and provides valuable analysis of global adoption practices.