Transferred Love Across Cultures: Untold Adoption Stories from Singapore

About the Programme

Transferred Love Across Cultures: Untold Adoption Stories from Singapore

Join Theresa W. Devasahayam as she discusses her recent book Little Drops: Cherished Children of Singapore’s Past. This collection of never-before-told stories chronicles how 15 adoptees born in Singapore during the 1930s to the early 1970s found their forever homes when their biological parents could not raise them. These stories recount the plight of families of that time; the strength of friendships and informal social networks; Singapore’s migrant heritage; and the ravages of the Japanese Occupation. Unfolding in these narratives are the recurrent themes of poverty, superstition, cultural notions surrounding family deaths, how girls were valued in the Chinese community, and the magnanimous spirit of the families who took them in. Most strikingly, most of these children were simply given away with no formal legal arrangements. Hear some stories through an exclusive sharing from the adoptees themselves.

The programme will be conducted at Programme Room 1, Basement 1 (inside Central Public Library), National Library Building.

About the Speaker

Born and bred in Singapore, Theresa W. Devasahayam is a family and gender anthropologist. As an undergraduate, she enjoyed sociology and anthropology and completed her PhD in gender studies at Syracuse University in the US. She is the editor of seven books and co-author of one. These works all share one connecting thread in that they ask fundamental questions around inequality, oppression, and exploitation between the sexes. Little Drops: Cherished Children of Singapore’s Past is Theresa’s first book written for a non-academic audience.

Located at B1 of the National Library Building, the Central Public Library is home to the Children’s Biodiversity Library by S.E.A. Aquarium. The library also offers content on Singapore culture, literature and sustainability.

Click Central-Public-Library">span> to find out more about Central Public Library, or visit ctpl-progs">span> to explore the programmes happening there.