Navigating geotrauma in transnational adoption: A visual journey into first mothers' intimate biographies

This paper explores the intimate biographies of first mothers involved in transnational adoption in Sri Lanka. It specifically examines the experiences of first mothers who relinquished their children for adoption in the 1970s and 1980s, focusing on the often-overlooked act of relinquishment. By amplifying the personal narratives of these first mothers and applying the conceptual lens of geotrauma, the paper explores the trauma inherent in relinquishment, the impact of distance motherhood, and the spaces that facilitate healing. Drawing on insights from feminist geography and interdisciplinary perspectives, this paper sheds light on trauma's intertwined temporal and spatial dimensions in the context of transnational adoption in Sri Lanka. It highlights the importance of recognising survivors as experts in narrating and understanding trauma and the potential for resistance and healing through the mobilisation of place. • Examines geotrauma in Sri Lankan first mothers through transnational adoption. • Mothers show agency, maintaining a connection despite distance (‘distance motherhood'). • This Study enriches understanding of geotrauma, in transnational adoption dynamics. • Religion influences relinquishment and offers solace in post-adoption for first mothers. • Photographs act as memory prompts for first mothers' narratives in relinquishment.