Riitta Högbacka

This book looks at the simultaneous processes of making and un-making of families that are part of the adoption practice. Whereas most studies on transnational adoption concentrate on the adoptive family, the author identifies not only the happy occasion when a family gains a child, but also the sorrow and loss of the child to its family of origin. Situating transnational adoption in the context of the Global North-South divide, Hogbacka investigates the devastating effects of unequal life chances and asymmetrical power relations on the adoption process and on the mothers whose children are adopted. Based on unique primary material gathered in in-depth interviews with South African families of origin and Finnish adoptive families, the book investigates the decision-making processes of both sets of parents and the encounters between them. The first mothers' narratives are juxtaposed with those of the adopters and of the adoption social workers who act on the principles of the wider adoption system. Concluding with a critique of the Global Northism that exemplifies current practices, Hogbacka sketches the contours of a more just approach to transnational adoption that would shatter rather than perpetuate inequality. The book can also be read as an expose of the consequences of current inequalities for poor families. Global Families, Inequality and Transnational Adoption will be of interest to students and scholars of adoption studies, family and kinship, sociology, anthropology, social work and development.

This book looks at the simultaneous processes of making and un-making of families that are part of the adoption practice. Whereas most studies on transnational adoption concentrate on the adoptive family, the author identifies not only the happy occasion when a family gains a child, but also the sorrow and loss of the child to its family of origin. Situating transnational adoption in the context of the Global North-South divide, Hogbacka investigates the devastating effects of unequal life chances and asymmetrical power relations on the adoption process and on the mothers whose children are adopted. Based on unique primary material gathered in in-depth interviews with South African families of origin and Finnish adoptive families, the book investigates the decision-making processes of both sets of parents and the encounters between them. The first mothers' narratives are juxtaposed with those of the adopters and of the adoption social workers who act on the principles of the wider adoption system. Concluding with a critique of the Global Northism that exemplifies current practices, Hogbacka sketches the contours of a more just approach to transnational adoption that would shatter rather than perpetuate inequality. The book can also be read as an expose of the consequences of current inequalities for poor families. Global Families, Inequality and Transnational Adoption will be of interest to students and scholars of adoption studies, family and kinship, sociology, anthropology, social work and development.

This book analyses human hair as a commodity as it traverses different social, cultural and economic contexts. It explores the meanings attributed to hair by the women donating it at Indian temples, and by those wearing it in Finland and South Africa. As an investigation into hair, it continues the long tradition in sociology that turns to small, everyday phenomena to interrogate more abstract, large-scale systems. The circulation and various uses of hair are explored through underlying inequalities connected to neoliberal capitalist processes and colonial continuities. The author unravels the effects of such macrostructures on women’s economic position and social worth, which shape and are shaped by hair. This volume will be of interest to students and scholars across the social sciences researching transnationality and consumption, global inequality, beauty and hierarchies of human value. It will also interest anyone wishing to learn about the intricacies of hair and women’s everyday life in the Global North and South.

Valtaosa maaseudulla asuvista naisista työskentelee nykyisin maatalouden ulkopuolisissa ammateissa. Perinteiset agraariset elämänmuodot ovat väistymässä, ja tilalle on tulossa uusia palkkatyön elämänmuotoja. Emäntien lisäksi maalta löytyykin mm. monenlaisia palkansaajia, täysillä uraa tekeviä naisia ja omaa idylliään etsiviä maallemuuttajia. Tässä tutkimuksessa hahmotetaan erilaisia elämänmuotoja edustavien naisten elämänkäytäntöjä ja käsityksiä työstä, kodista, naisen asemasta ja maaseudusta. Erityistä huomiota kiinnitetään elämänmuotojen muutoksessa syntyviin jännitteisiin ja vastakohtaisuuksiin naisten elämässä. Pääpainon saavatkin naisten omat kokemukset: aineistona ovat eri puolilta Suomea ja erilaisilta maaseutualueilta kerätyt naisten haastattelut. Lisäksi taustatietoina käytetään koko maaseutua koskevia tilastotietoja ja tutkijan omia edustavia kyselytutkimuksia. Tuloksia pohditaan sekä suhteessa naisten asemaan ja maaseudun muutokseen että maaseudun kehittämisen näkökulmasta.