Abstract
Having as a starting point the debate about knowing one’s family origins as a human right, this article discusses the relationship between family identity and belonging based on an ethnographic research in adoption support groups, talks and interviews with their members and coordinators. From the story of an adopted daughter that we met in group meetings, we also deepened the discussion on how, in a single personal path, identity and relationship matters intertwine as much as broader conceptions about family, kinship, race, gender, class and belonging. Agreeing with Strathern (1999) that revealing new information about kinship can be surrounded by caution and tension, since it brings along impacts to one’s personal identity and relationships, we reflect about some conflicts between the adoption practice and the right to origin.
Keywords:
adoption; kinship, origins; identity; relationality