Author: mckeekim

Scenes of Misrecognition: The Absence of (Visible) Family Ties

~ mckeekim ~ 6 Comments

Adoptive families marked by their transracial or transnational composition find themselves existing in contradiction to traditional definitions of family, which place primacy on genetic-relatedness. Yet, the visual of the adopted child and parent has become solidified in the American imaginary. From depictions of war orphan waifs waiting for adoption in the immediate post-Korean War period to celebrations of multicultural families in present day society, the adopted child has become a more common site in portrayals of the American family. This is not to discount the rude questions asked to adoptive parents (e.g. “how much did they cost?”; “are these kids yours?”) or adoptees.

What happens when that adopted child matures and enters adulthood? Rather than being viewed as a family, the Asian adult adoptee and white adoptive parent may be mistaken for a myriad of relationships other than child/parent. For example, from conversations with other female adoptees it becomes clear that stereotypes concerning Asian/American women impact how they may be mistaken as their fathers’ girlfriend or wife. Adult adoptees may also inadvertently be mistaken for the foreign exchange student. Drawing from my own experience, when I go out to eat with my mother, we are asked if we want separate checks with the implication that we must be friends, not mother and daughter. Adoptive parents should be prepared to grapple with these scenarios. They also should feel comfortable with lists that clearly raises questions concerning adoptive parents’ understanding of racial microaggressions  (e.g. “You’re not ready to adopt an Asian child if…”).

Further, questions arise when considering how the adopted child and their siblings are viewed by the outside world. Within my own family a marked generational gap exists between my youngest siblings (ages ten and eight) and I. For example, when I brought my now ten-year-old brother to the first day of pre-school with my dad, I remember stares of other parents, who wrongfully assumed I was his mother. Recently, I have been mistaken as the nanny of my eight-year-old brother. While the age difference may exacerbate misrecognition of our relationship, I’ve also encountered other questions concerning my relationship with my younger sisters (ages twenty-one and eighteen). We are commonly mistaken as friends. In addition, during her so
phomore year of high school, my youngest sister needed to provide photographic evidence to a peer that she in fact had a non-white sister. Even upon meeting me at her high school gradSistersuation party in Summer 2014, this same individual still does not believe that we really could be sisters. The dissonance produced by my sister and I was further evident when I attended Parent’s Weekend at her university in Fall 2014. At the registration desk, I was mistaken as the student. We did not realize the female volunteer’s mistake until it five minutes into our conversation.

How do we prepare adult adoptees and their families for these scenes of misrecognition? These are conversations that no parent or child or sister or brother would like to have with one another. Yet societal logic concerning legitimate families is bounded to genetic-relatedness and monoraciality. Consequently, kinship units that differ from this legible construct encounter intrusive questions regarding their familial ties. No “right” answer exists to how we prepare ourselves to such intrusive and awkward questions. Instead for parents of young adoptees, I encourage you to think about how you will respond to the first and subsequent instances of misrecognition. Will you laugh? Correct the person? Or simply remain silent? Your reaction may impact how your child reacts to such misrecognitions in the future. Your reaction will also pave the way for future conversations with family members and friends about the subject. For adult adoptees, I encourage us to discuss our experiences with one another and other adoptive families. In doing so, we can contribute to conversations concerning the impact of adoptee status in adulthood.

Paying it Forward

~ mckeekim ~ 3 Comments

Gratefulness – a word adoptees hear often. And yet, the gratefulness I will be focusing on today is unrelated to adoption. Don’t worry readers, I will address the grateful, happy, well-adjusted mythic adoptee stereotype in the future. But today, I’m more interested in why I’m grateful for the constellation of mentors in my life. If you’re unfamiliar with cultivating a network of mentors and sponsors, you should check out the work of the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development.

Please note: This is a lengthy blog post on formal avenues as I seek to create a one-stop shop for folks to find resources about mentoring, the job market, and transitioning from graduate student to junior faculty. I will be posting about informal avenues later this week.

Formal Mentoring Avenues

You should be proactive and consider whether or not you’re taking advantage of all the opportunities presented to you. While at The Ohio State University, I took advantage of the Preparing Future Faculty program offered by the graduate school. I also participated in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Dissertation Bootcamp. Both programs provided the opportunity for me to meet various faculty and staff from across the institution. Graduate students should check to see if their institution offers similar opportunities. You also may find that your Departments or members of your cohort know of workshops or retreats concerning completing the dissertation, the academic job market, or alt-ac careers.

As a Consortium for Faculty Diversity postdoc at Grinnell College, I took advantage of the early career faculty mentoring program. I also become a part of a close-knit group of non-tenure track colleagues. At the same time I created strong friendships with those in my building who provided advice concerning teaching, research, and my on campus interview. Currently, I have two department assigned mentors and am participating in the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center’s First Year Faculty Mentoring program. To complement these formal paths of mentorship, I have also sought the advice from colleagues in various departments across the university.

In addition to the formal avenues found at the above-mentioned institutions, I explored the various offerings for individuals in my field. While a doctoral candidate I attended the Social Science Research Council’s Korean Studies Dissertation Workshop. The faculty mentors provided sound advice concerning my scholarship, but also publishing and the academic job market. This past fall I participated in the National Women’s Studies Association Women of Color Leadership Project and began to make connections with women in the North American Asian Feminist Collective. I have also benefited from the Association for Asian American Studies’ graduate student/postdoc mentoring program at their annual conference in 2013 and 2014. Program participants sign up to meet with faculty members from institutions across the United States. During the past two years, I selected women whose cumulatively body of work (research, teaching, service) I admire. This year I look forward to participating in the conference’s pre-conference program, Association for Asian American Studies/East of California Junior Faculty Retreat. (I plan to write a post about the conference and the retreat in April.)

Resources to Share

Yet like all academics, I sometimes want to turn to the written page (whether print or online) for advice. While the information below is not a comprehensive list, it is a compilation of the sources that I tend to share with friends and colleagues. In many ways these recommendations should be a starting point rather than being viewed as the “only” available options.

For Graduate Students

  • Paul Gray and David E. Drew, What They Didn’t Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your Academic Career (Stylus Publishing, 2008)
  • Anne Curzan and Lisa Damour, First Day to Final Grade: A Graduate Student’s Guide to Teaching (University of Michigan Press, 2006)
  • Gregory M. Colón Semenza, Graduate Study for the Twenty-First Century: How to Build an Academic Career in the Humanities (Palgrave MacMillan, 2010, Second Edition)
  • Lang, Sarah N. (2015, February 17) “Let’s give service a real role.” The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Academic Job Market Advice

On Writing

  • Wendy L. Belcher, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (Sage, 2009)
  • Paul J. Silvia, How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (American Psychological Association, 2007)
  • William Germano, From Dissertation to Book (University of Chicago Press, 2005)
  • William Germano, Getting it Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books (University of Chicago Press, 2008, Second edition)
  • Eleanor Herman, Ian Montagnes, Siobhan McMenemy, and Chris Bucci, The Thesis and the Book: A guide to First-Time Academic Authors (University of Toronto Press, 2003)

For Postdocs/Early Career Faculty

  • Robert Boice, Advice for New Faculty Members (Pearson, 2000)
  • Kerry Ann Rockquemore and Tracey Laszloffy, The Black Academic’s Guide to Winning Tenure – Without Losing Your Soul (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008)
  • Ellen A. Ensher and Susan E. Murphy, Power Mentoring: How Successful Mentors and Proteges Get the Most Out of Their Relationships (Jossey Bass, 2005)
  • Karen Kelsky at The Professor is In, “How to Write a Recommendation Letter”
  • Noah Berlatsky (2014, November 26) “My Nemesis, Jill Lepore.” The Chronicle of Higher Education.

For Faculty of Color and Allies

What I have found to be particularly helpful are the daily and/or weekly article digests from The Chronicle of Higher Education, Chronicle Vitae, Inside Higher Ed, and the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.

As I noted at the beginning of this section, this is not an exhaustive list. Rather, my intention is to share the resources that I have found to be helpful and pass it along. And for those curious to know what’s on my bookshelf, these are the following professional development books that I am aiming to read in 2015 (and maybe 2016):

  • Dwayne Mack, Elwood D. Watson, and Michelle Madsen Camacho, Mentoring Faculty of Color: Essays on Professional Development and Advancement in Colleges and Universities, (McFarland, 2012)
  • Dwayne Mack, Elwood D. Watson, and Michelle Madsen Camacho, Beginning a Career in Academia: A Guide for Graduate Students of Color, (Routledge, 2014)
  • Susan A. Ambrose, Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett, Marie K. Norman, and Richard E. Mayer, How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2010)
  • Therese Huston, Teaching What You Don’t Know (Harvard University Press, 2012)
  • Linda K. Shadiow, What Our Stories Teach Us: A Guide to Critical Reflection for College Faculty (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2013)

So what do I mean by “pay it forward?”

I firmly believe in sharing the advice that I find to be particularly valuable. My intention is to create the beginnings of a dialogue where we discuss what it means to combine our collective knowledge. Pooling our resources is mutually beneficial for all involved. Sharing our experiences and advice demystifies the academy and breaks down walls of isolation that may occur. To that end, if you haven’t had the chance to the view the CFP for the edited volume I’m collaborating on with a colleague from Ohio State, check it out.

If you have suggestions of resources that you would like to share with me and my readers, please email me at mckeeki [at] gvsu [dot] edu. As I receive recommendations of resources, I will compile a new list.

I realize this post took a much different tone than my first post. If you’re interested in my thoughts on adoption, Asian American issues/activism, and popular culture, I hope you stay along for the ride.