ABSTRACT
Microaggressions have become a relevant framework for identifying and understanding more subtle covert slights that occur to marginalized groups and individuals. While this research has amassed a sizeable literature that delineates the microaggressive experiences of many different marginalized groups, adoption is a developing area in this field. This chapter focuses on the budding area of microaggressions as it relates to the experiences of adopted individuals and families living in a bionormative society. First, this chapter focuses on the historical context of adoption, and how stigmatization has been reinforced by adoptive practices and narratives over time, thereby influencing the current perception and treatment of adoptive individuals and families. This is followed by a review of how the larger microaggressions literature has evolved, and where and how adoptive microaggressions align with this body of research. Last, the most current adoptive microaggressions research is presented, followed by practical implications.
