'I knew who I was not, but not who I was' Public storytelling in the lives of Australian adoptees

A central focus of Monash University's History of Adoption in Australia project was the creation of an online repository of self-generated life stories from those who had been touched by the adoption experience. There are currently seventy-three stories online, fortyfour of which come from adoptees, thirty-seven of whom are local. These generally speak in a confessional mode from a position of grief, suffering and a pervasive sense of betrayal. There are also audio interviews with seven intercountry adoptees, whose life stories are framed somewhat differently. This paper will explore the distinguishing features of this select group of intercountry adoptees' stories, how they express the indeterminacy of transnational identity and redefine concepts of 'home' and 'family'.