Discursive structure and some concept for action research to the understanding and popularizing of special adoption in Japan.

Abstract

　　Legal system of “special adoption” in Japan was established at 1988, which made possible for unrelated parents and children to become legitimated family. But the population of special adoptions is still in the minority. There have been strong common sense or norm that blood relationship is maximum priority for family ties and the intimate relationship between mother and child is good supreme tradition in Japan. In other word, you must take care of your child independently when you give birth.
　　Because of these unique norm and trait of Japanese society, special adoption has often been noted that absolutely foreign to Japan. But a lot of sociological and historical investigation have clearly disclosed that such tradition or special trait have no foundation and are fiction of recent decades. Traditional Japanese society put less emphasis on the blood relationships. Special adoption is familiar to the Japanese society and its tradition intrinsically.
　　Fictitious notion of such Japanese specialty become much stronger nowadays and that keeps the special adoption minor in the society. We have to make question on the “birth and care alone norm” and have to show the way to break down it.
　　We investigated the discursive structure of the norm and its existing mechanism. “Birth and care norm” determines the regular family relationship legitimated and it oppress the other possible family relationships such as orphans, adoptions, and no child couples. To change the norm, we have to express and verbalize such oppressed family styles in many discursive manners. Some concept on the way of discursive practice and insights on the action research is discussed.