Disrupted Histories, Contested Futures: Korean Adoption, Politics, and Activism in Europe
Conference, May 7-8, 2026
Conference info
Co-organizers: Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University & Center for Korean Studies, University of Tübingen
Date: 7-8 May, 2026
Venue: Asia Library, Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Sölvegatan 18 B, Lund
Contact for more information: Youngeun Koo
In recent years, transnational adoption has come under increasing scrutiny, with both sending and receiving countries reassessing its contested past. South Korea, the largest and most enduring sending country, has often been examined primarily through a U.S. framework, particularly in relation to U.S. empire and U.S.–ROK relations.
This two-day conference shifts the focus to Europe, not only as a major receiving region but also as a vital site of critical adoption discourses and practices. Bringing together earlier and newer generations of scholars and activists, the conference will examine adoption histories across Europe, reflect on community-building and activism among adoptees, and consider the implications of state-led investigations for the future of critical debates on transnational adoption.
The conference is open to all, with registration required. Registration will open in early 2026.
Program:
Thursday | May 7, 2026 |
| 15:00-15:10 | Opening Remarks by Youngeun Koo (Lund University) |
| 15:10-16:00 | Keynote Speech by Eleana Kim (University of California, Irvine) |
| 16:15-18:00 | Lee Langvad’s Book Reading: SHE IS ANGRY & My Interpreter |
| Discussants: Birgit Geipel (Tübingen University), Audun Mortensen (University of Oslo) | |
Friday | May 8, 2026 |
| 09:00-09:10 | Welcoming Remarks by Stefan Brehm (Lund University) and You Jae Lee (Tübingen University) |
| 09:10-11:10 | Panel 1: Histories |
| Youngeun Koo (Lund University): Professionalizing Care in South Korea: Rethinking Europe’s Role as a Major Receiving Region | |
| Kasper Eriksen (European University Institute): The History of Korean Adoption to Norway and Denmark: A Brief Overview | |
| Chiara Candaele (NL-Lab/Huygens Institute (KNAW)): Baby on Board: Legitimising Transnational Adoptions from South Korea to Belgium in the Wake of Asia's Hot War, 1960s–1970s | |
| Anja Sunhyun Michaelsen (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): Adoptions from South Korea in West Germany | |
| Moderator: You Jae Lee (Tübingen University) | |
| 11:10-11:30 | Break |
| 11:30-13:30 | Panel 2: Politics |
| Liselotte Haejin Birkmose : Early adoptee organizations in Denmark | |
| Lene Myong (University of Stavanger): The Exceptionalist Logics of Transnational Adoption in Denmark | |
| Atamhi Cawayu (Universidad Católica Boliviana "San Pablo"): Adoptee Activism in Bolivia and the Power of Public Intervention | |
| Tobias Hübinette (Karlstad University): The Swedish Adoption World and the Process of Coming to Terms with Transnational Adoption | |
| Moderator: Eleana Kim (UC Irvine) | |
| 13:30-14:30 | Lunch |
| 14:30-16:00 | Roundtable: Activism and State Investigations |
| Discussants: Dong Hee Kim, Jane Mejdahl, Lee, Se Eun, Uma Feed | |
| Moderator: Anders Riel Müller/송연준 (University of Stavanger) | |
| 16:00-16:30 | Final Discussion/ Conclusion |
The event is jointly sponsored by the Academy of Korean Studies’ Strategic Research Institute, the Centre for Korean Studies at Tübingen, and the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies at Lund.