Heritage tourism and return journeys: Place and identity construction in Korean adoptees

This thesis examines the role that heritage tourism and "return journeys" play in Korean adoptee consideration of place and identity. Specifically, my research centers on the link between returns and the conceptualization of place and transnational identity. I employ mixed qualitative methodologies consisting of textual analysis and participant interviews to study the influence that scripted journeys have on adoptee perception of places of origin in relation to the adoptive countries. I analyze tour literature, brochures and media to explain the role that evocative imagery and language have on adoptee expectation of the formation of place and identity. Semi-structured interviews with journey participants and other returnees offer insight into how these tours have impacted them and inquire how they might have changed the adoptee's perspective of place, identity and belonging. This research contributes to thought in humanistic geography on the intersection of place, identity and the past in this unique diaspora.