Adoption and Re-Kinning - The Legacies of Mixed-Race Children Born of War
Join us for Adoption and Re-Kinning, an evening featuring the acclaimed documentary Geographies of Kinship and a conversation with filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and scholar Rosemarie Peña.
Presented by the University of Cologne New York Office and leading German-American partner institutions, this special program invites you to explore powerful stories of belonging, identity, and family. Registration is free and all are welcome.
Event Information
November 6, 2025
Deutsches Haus at NYU
Organizer(s): University of Cologne North America Office, Deutsches Haus at NYU, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York, Society for the History of Children and Youth (SHCY)
About the Film:
“Geographies of Kinship,” 2019, 80 min.
In this powerful tale about the rise of Korea’s global adoption program, four adult adoptees return to their country of birth and recover the personal histories that were lost when they were adopted. Raised in foreign families, each sets out on a journey to reconnect with their roots, mapping the geographies of kinship that bind them to a homeland they never knew. Along the way there are discoveries and dead ends, as well as mysteries that will never be unraveled.
Ultimately what emerges is a deepened sense of self and belonging, as well as a sense of purpose, as Geographies of Kinship’s four protagonists question the policies and practices that led South Korea to become the largest “sending country” in the world—with 200,000 children adopted out to North America, Europe and Australia. Emboldened by their own experiences and what they have learned, these courageous characters become advocates for birth family and adoptee rights, support for single mothers, and historical reckoning.
The broader history of transnational adoption since the Korean War provides the backdrop to our stories. For over half a century, the Korean adoption experience and subsequent Diaspora have transformed not only how adoption is practiced worldwide, but also how kinship, identity and race are perceived and contested. As the forerunner for international adoptions from China, Russia, Guatemala, Ethiopia and other countries, the Korean model challenges us to reflect on universal questions of identity, assimilation, kinship and belonging. Geographies of Kinship explores these themes by listening closely to those who have lived the experience most intimately-adoptees-while relaying a compelling history of epic scope.
Trailer: "Geographies of Kinship"
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Our Experts:
Dr. Rosemarie Peña holds a PhD in Childhood Studies from Rutgers University and is the President of the Black German Heritage and Research Association (BGHRA). As a Black German adoptee herself, Rosemarie Peña has published widely on and spoken frequently about her family history as well as on transatlantic Black German history in general.Dr. Rosemarie Peña, President, Black German Heritage and Research Association (BGHRA)
Deann Borshay Liem is an Emmy Award-winning documentarian known for films that explore war, memory, family and identity including her landmark adoption films First Person Plural, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee and Geographies of Kinship. Her documentary production studio Mu Films is based in Berkeley.Deann Borschay Liem, Documentarian & Award-Winning Filmmaker
PD Dr. Silke Hackenesch, Assistant Professor, Institute of North American History, Department of History, University of Cologne. Author of “Colorblind Love or Racial Responsibility? The Adoption of Black German Children to Postwar America” (manuscript under contract with New York University Press).Dr. Silke Hackenesch, Assistant Professor, University of Cologne.
With Welcome Remarks by:
Dr. Eva Bosbach is the Executive Director of the University of Cologne New York Office. Born in Prague, she received both her master’s and Ph.D. degree from the University of Cologne. Prior to coming to New York, she was Program Manager at the German Rectors’ Conference in Bonn, Germany, and is author of several comparative studies about doctoral education and the humanities in Germany and the U.S. Dr. Bosbach was awarded NYC Council and NY State Assembly Honorary Citations in 2017 and currently serves on the Boards of the German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York and San Francisco. In 2024 she received a special recognition certificate as a partner of the NRW-USA Year 2023/2024Dr. Eva Bosbach, Executive Director, University of Cologne New York Office
Attendance:
While NYU has ended COVID-19 related restrictions and policies, we continue to remind and recommend to members of the NYU community that they stay up-to-date on their boosters and stay home if they feel sick. Masks are always welcome.
“Adoption and Re-Kinning – The Legacies of Mixed-Race Children Born of War ” is funded by the DAAD from funds of the German Federal Foreign Office (AA). Additional funds are provided by the University of Cologne North America Office, the German Research Foundation (DFG) North America, the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH), and the Society for the History of Children and Youth.