ABSTRACT

While international adoptions to Sweden have fallen in line with global trends, the presence of the transracial adoptee body remains central to myths of good (white) Swedishness. This article explores the desire for and performance of the international transracial adoptee as a mimic Swede. Analysing published Swedish international transracial adoption narratives, it draws on Bhabha’s concept of mimicry to critically deconstruct the idea of a hierarchical and racialized triad of (non-)belonging in discourses of Swedishness: Swede – Adoptee – Immigrant. It reflects on the desired role and purpose of the adoptee as a mimic, and the consequences of rendering the adoptee as a body trapped in a frantic state of non-belonging between almost sameness and almost Otherness, and desired for a visible difference that is unspeakable in a national colour-blind discourse. Discussing the tendency for mimicry to drift into mockery and menace, the article finishes by reflecting on possibility of harnessing the underlying threat of mimicry as a means of resistance to the adoption project.

摘要

尽管国际上对瑞典的收养与全球趋势保持一致，但跨种族收养机构的存在仍然是善良（白人）瑞典神话的核心。本文探讨了国际跨国收养者作为模仿瑞典人的愿望和表现。在分析已发表的瑞典国际跨种族收养叙述之后，它借鉴了巴巴的模仿概念，严厉解构了瑞典语中（非）所属的（非）所属的等级化和种族化三合会的概念：瑞典人–被收养人–移民。它反映了被收养人作为模仿对象的理想角色和目的，以及使被收养人成为陷入几乎相同和几乎非同质的疯狂状态的后果，并希望在全国色盲话语中实现难以言喻的明显差异。在讨论模仿趋向嘲笑和威胁的趋势时，文章最后总结了利用模仿的潜在威胁作为抵制采用项目的可能性的可能性。