Abstract
This article investigates the phenomenon and practice of intercountry adoption from a
historical perspective by using applied history methods. In particular, we employed the
method of historicizing current concerns, such as the notion of abuses, and contextualizing them in history. With these methods, we contributed to the Dutch governmental assessment and evaluation of intercountry adoption, indicating that our findings
(as laid down in the official report) need to be translated into revised governmental
policies. In this paper, we describe how we applied our historicizing methods to intercountry adoption abuses by providing a narrative and genealogy of the topic. We also
discuss the pitfalls and merits of conducting historical research into practices that are
now considered immoral or unjust, but were long standard practice after intercountry
adoption started in the Netherlands. In this way, we also contribute to the ongoing discussion on doing historical research in highly politicized contexts, where the danger of
contributing to the ‘blame game’ often lies in wait.
historical perspective by using applied history methods. In particular, we employed the
method of historicizing current concerns, such as the notion of abuses, and contextualizing them in history. With these methods, we contributed to the Dutch governmental assessment and evaluation of intercountry adoption, indicating that our findings
(as laid down in the official report) need to be translated into revised governmental
policies. In this paper, we describe how we applied our historicizing methods to intercountry adoption abuses by providing a narrative and genealogy of the topic. We also
discuss the pitfalls and merits of conducting historical research into practices that are
now considered immoral or unjust, but were long standard practice after intercountry
adoption started in the Netherlands. In this way, we also contribute to the ongoing discussion on doing historical research in highly politicized contexts, where the danger of
contributing to the ‘blame game’ often lies in wait.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 19-46 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied History |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 16 Feb 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their useful suggestions on an earlier draft of this article. They wish to thank all persons involved in the ciia for their pleasant and stimulating cooperation during the investigation.
Publisher Copyright:
© Yannick Balk et al., 2022.
Keywords
- abuses
- applied history
- government inquiry
- intercountry adoption
- policymaking