Outsourced Children

Orphanage Care and Adoption in Globalizing China

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Outsourced Children by Leslie K. Wang, Stanford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Leslie K. Wang ISBN: 9781503600126
Publisher: Stanford University Press Publication: August 31, 2016
Imprint: Stanford University Press Language: English
Author: Leslie K. Wang
ISBN: 9781503600126
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Publication: August 31, 2016
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Language: English

It's no secret that tens of thousands of Chinese children have been adopted by American parents and that Western aid organizations have invested in helping orphans in China—but why have Chinese authorities allowed this exchange, and what does it reveal about processes of globalization?

Countries that allow their vulnerable children to be cared for by outsiders are typically viewed as weaker global players. However, Leslie K. Wang argues that China has turned this notion on its head by outsourcing the care of its unwanted children to attract foreign resources and secure closer ties with Western nations. She demonstrates the two main ways that this "outsourced intimacy" operates as an ongoing transnational exchange: first, through the exportation of mostly healthy girls into Western homes via adoption, and second, through the subsequent importation of first-world actors, resources, and practices into orphanages to care for the mostly special needs youth left behind.

Outsourced Children reveals the different care standards offered in Chinese state-run orphanages that were aided by Western humanitarian organizations. Wang explains how such transnational partnerships place marginalized children squarely at the intersection of public and private spheres, state and civil society, and local and global agendas. While Western societies view childhood as an innocent time, unaffected by politics, this book explores how children both symbolize and influence national futures.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It's no secret that tens of thousands of Chinese children have been adopted by American parents and that Western aid organizations have invested in helping orphans in China—but why have Chinese authorities allowed this exchange, and what does it reveal about processes of globalization?

Countries that allow their vulnerable children to be cared for by outsiders are typically viewed as weaker global players. However, Leslie K. Wang argues that China has turned this notion on its head by outsourcing the care of its unwanted children to attract foreign resources and secure closer ties with Western nations. She demonstrates the two main ways that this "outsourced intimacy" operates as an ongoing transnational exchange: first, through the exportation of mostly healthy girls into Western homes via adoption, and second, through the subsequent importation of first-world actors, resources, and practices into orphanages to care for the mostly special needs youth left behind.

Outsourced Children reveals the different care standards offered in Chinese state-run orphanages that were aided by Western humanitarian organizations. Wang explains how such transnational partnerships place marginalized children squarely at the intersection of public and private spheres, state and civil society, and local and global agendas. While Western societies view childhood as an innocent time, unaffected by politics, this book explores how children both symbolize and influence national futures.

More books from Stanford University Press

Cover of the book Criminals and Victims by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The One-State Condition by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The Prince of This World by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book BRICS or Bust? by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The Fire and the Tale by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The Manhattan Project by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book Philosophy and Melancholy by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book Law and the Utopian Imagination by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book Beneath the Surface of White Supremacy by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book An Early Self by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The Strategic Career by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book Hotels and Highways by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book China's Futures by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book The Politics of Space Security by Leslie K. Wang
Cover of the book Innovation, Transformation, and War by Leslie K. Wang
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy