Saving ‘the Greenlandic child’? Postcolonial humanitarianism and ‘the adoption’ of Inuit (Greenlandic) children by Danish families
This article explores why hundreds, possibly thousands, of Inuit children from Greenland were placed into Danish families between the 1950s and 1970s, examining postcolonial ideals of modernization and humanitarianism. It highlights the creation of the ‘vulnerable Greenlandic child’, the coexistence of formal and informal adoptions, and the lasting effects of historical silence around them.
Authors
- Saana Hansen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2556-0704)
Institutions
- University of Helsinki (FI)
Publication Details
- Journal
- History and Anthropology
- Published
- 2026-06-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02757206.2026.2687563
- Primary Topic
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00