“In that day when we met for the frst time”: barriers and and resources of successful transition of foster-children to adulthood
How to Cite
Shpakovskaya L.L., Chernova Z.V., Garifullina E.S. “In that day when we met for the frst time”: barriers and and resources of successful transition of foster-children to adulthood. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation. 2019. Vol. 11. No. 19. P. 19-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2019.19.2 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The article aims at the analysis of children’s perception of the changes in their lives due to the loss of a biological family and moving to a foster family. We analyze how children experience and subjectively perceive their foster family life experience. On the base of children biographies we build typical life trajectories, which are shaped in institutional, interpersonal and individual level. Social and political context of the foster children autobiographies are set by the reform of deinstitutionalization of child welfare system implemented in Russia in the 2010s. The methodological framework used is the new sociology of childhood, which sees childhood as a socio-historical construct, insists on studying the subjective world of children and taking them as everyday experts. As an empirical material we analyse 253 autobiographies written by foster children and sent to a diary context “Our Stories” (Elena and Gennagy Timchenko Foundation, 2015–2017). The article presents typical biographical trajectories of foster children as stages of transition to adulthood, as well as barriers that they face in this process and resources that are made available to them by the family. The general conclusion of the article is the fact that the biographical trajectories of the transition, which are accessible for foster children are complex, diverse, and individualized. Biographies are presented by their authors not only as a result of external factors, but also as a result of their own actions, as well as the efforts of their foster parents to overcome social stigmatization.
Keywords:
deinstitutionalization, childhood, foster family, transition to adulthood
References
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Yarskaya-Smirnova E., Prisyazhnyuk D., Verbilovich O. (2015) Foster family in Russia: public discourse and opinions of key actors. Zhurnal sociologii i social’noj antropologii [Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. Vol. 18. No 4. P. 157–173. (In Russ.)
Zelizer V. (1994) Pricing the priceless child: the changing social value of children. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Aries F. (1999) Rebenok i semeynaya zhizn’ pri starom poryadke [Child and family life under the old order]. Yekaterinburg: Publishing House of the Ural University. (In Russ.)
Biryukova S., Sinyavskaya O. (2017) Children out of Parental Care in Russia: What We Can Learn from the Statistics. The Journal of Social Policy Studies. Vol. 15. No 3. P. 367–382.
Blum A., Seby P., Zakharov S. (2010) Vzrosleniye vo Frantsii i Rossii: razlichiya v perspektive pokoleniy [Growing up in France and Russia: differences in the perspective of generations] / In: S. V. Zakharov, L. M. Prokof’yeva, O. V. Sinyavskaya (eds.) Evolyutsiya sem’i v Yevrope [Family Evolution in Europe]. M.: East-West, P. 141–173. (In Russ.)
Bois-Reymond du M. (2001) Negotiating Families / In: M. du Bois-Reymond, H. Sünker, H.-H. Krüger (eds). Childhood in Europe. Approaches — Trends — Findings. NY: Lang Publishing, P. 161–179.
Bois-Reymond du M., Sünker H., Krüger H-H. (2001) Childhood research, the politics of childhood and children’s lives in Europe: an introduction. M. du Bois-Reymond, H. Sünker, H.- H. Krüger (eds).Childhood in Europe. Approaches — Trends — Findings. NY: Lang Publishing, P. 1–12.
Cherednichenko G. (2011) Educational and professional trajectories of working youth. Sociologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 9. P. 101–110. (In Russ.)
Chernova Zh., Shpakovskaya L. (2010) Young adults: matrimony, partnership and parenthood. Discursive prescriptions and practices in modern Russia. Laboratorium. No. 3. P. 19–43. (In Russ.)
Churilova E. (2016) Reprezentatsiya samosoznaniya v lichnykh dnevnikakh sovremennykh devushek [Representation of self-awareness in the personal diaries of modern girls], Moscow: Izdatel’stvo “Prometey”. (In Russ.)
Dudenkova I. (2014) “Children’s Question” in Sociology: Between Normativity and Autonomy. Sociologiya vlasti [Sociology of Power]. No. 3. P. 47–59. (In Russ.)
Golofast V. (2006) Tri sloya biografcheskogo povestvovaniya [Three layers of biographical narration] / In: O. B. Bozhkov, V. B. Golofast (eds.) Sotsiologiya sem’i. Stat’i raznykh let [Sociology of family. Articles of different years]. St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, P. 407–411. (In Russ.)
Jenks Ch. (2005) Childhood. Second edition, London, NY.
Kulmala M., Rasell M., Zhanna Ch. (2017) Overhauling Russia’s Child Welfare System: Institutional and Ideational Factors Behind the Paradigm Shift. The Journal of Social Policy Studies. Vol. 15. No 3. P. 353–366.
Kulmala M., Rasell M., Chernova Zh.V. Overhauling Russia’s Child Welfare System: Institutional and Ideational Factors Behind the Paradigm Shift // The Journal of Social Policy Studies. 2017. № 15 (3). P. 353–366.
Makoli M. (2008) Deti v tyur’me [Children in Prison]. M.: OGI. (In Russ.)
McCartney D.R., Edwards R. (2018) Issledovaniya sem’i. Osnovnyye ponyatiya [Family Research. Basic concepts]. Moscow: Izdatel’skiy dom Vysshey shkoly ekonomiki. (In Russ.)
Nurkova V. (2010) Autobiographical memory in the optics of cultural-historical and activity methodology. Psihologiya. Zhurnal Vysshej Shkoly Ekonomiki [Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics]. Vol. 7. No 2. P. 64–82. (In Russ.)
Pufall P., Unsworth R. (2003) Introduction. The imperative and the process for rethinking childhood / In: P. Pufall, R. Pryor, R. Unsworth, W. Boykin, B. Allen, R. Singer, A. Hearst, R. Ducharme, J. Spilsbury, J. Korbin (eds). Rethinking childhood. Rutgers University Press.
Rozhdestvenskaya E. (2010) Narrative identity in an autobiographical interview. Sociologiya: 4M [Sociology: 4M]. No. 30. P. 5–26. (In Russ.)
Shpakovskaya L. (2018)“Foundlings”: representations of foster parenting in modern Russia. Zhurnal sociologii i social’noj antropologii [Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. Vol. 21. No 3. P. 71–92. (In Russ.)
Walker Ch. (2011) Learning to labour in post-soviet Russia: vocational youth in transition. London: Routledge.
Walker Ch., Roberts S. (2018) Masculinity, labor and liberalism: Reviewing the feld / In: Ch. Walker, S. Roberts (eds). Masculinities, labor and liberalism. Working class men in International perspective. Palgrave Macmillan, P. 1–28.
Yappinen M. (2018) Biological parents of children withdrawn from the family in the discourse of employees of child protection authorities. Zhurnal sociologii i social’noj antropologii [Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. Vol. 21. No 3. P. 93–114. (In Russ.)
Yarskaya-Smirnova E., Prisyazhnyuk D., Verbilovich O. (2015) Foster family in Russia: public discourse and opinions of key actors. Zhurnal sociologii i social’noj antropologii [Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology]. Vol. 18. No 4. P. 157–173. (In Russ.)
Zelizer V. (1994) Pricing the priceless child: the changing social value of children. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Shpakovskaya, L. L., Chernova, Z. V., & Garifullina, E. S. (2019). “In that day when we met for the frst time”: barriers and and resources of successful transition of foster-children to adulthood. Interaction. Interview. Interpretation, 11(19), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.19181/inter.2019.19.2
Section
Field work research
