Double returns: marking loss, memory, and absence in the Korean adoptee diaspora

Abstract

This dissertation explores the notion of "double returns" within the transnational movement of Korean adoptees returning to and from Korea. Its focus on performance examines the ephemeral presencing of Korean adoptee identity by examining different sites of cultural production which mark memory, loss, and absence within the context of moving between national and racial formations in Korea and the US. As an interdisciplinary endeavor, this dissertation is multi-sited and draws from film and dance productions, the author's creative non-fiction, as well as social modes of performance.