Description of the potential research project :
Potential title of the project : Illegal practices in intercountry adoption in Europe. Comparative studies (1950-2000).
In recent years, several European countries have produced studies and reports on illegal practices in intercountry adoption: Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium and France. In these countries, strong social demand from adoptees is weighing on the political leaders of the countries hosting intercountry adoption. Even more recently, similar studies are beginning to appear, for example in South Korea and Chile. What is lacking, however, is a comparative or connected approach to the illicit practices that have been identified here and there, despite the fact that intercountry adoption is by definition a global phenomenon that goes beyond national frameworks and bilateral relations between states.
The aim of the project is to take a first step towards a global history of illegality in intercountry adoption in the second half of the twentieth century by comparing the data available on the question in France (study by Y. Denéchère and F. Macedo in 2023 https://univ-angers.hal.science/hal-03972497v1) with those of another European country.
To carry out this analysis, we are looking for a candidate with a PhD in history with a good knowledge of child studies in a european country other than France.
Keywords: Intercountry adoption, illegal practices, rights of child, international relations, humanitarian
Eligibility:
Applicants must comply with the mobility rule (having stay in France less than 12 months in the past 3 years before the 10th of September 2025). Applicants also must have maximum 8 years of active research experience after graduating their (first) PhD.
If you are interested in this offer and have the required background, please download and fill the application form available at https://www.univ-angers.fr/en/research/funding-and-projects/cap-europe/msca-postdoctoral-fellowship.html
and send it with your CV to yves.denechere@univ-angers.fr and cap-europe@univ-angers.fr
Further details available at Euraxess website: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/hosting/pr-yves-denechere-looking-fellow-msca-pf-2025-history-and-intercountry-adoption