About
Mia Aun Silberstein is a second year Ph.D. student with research interests in the family, identity formation, culture, and epistemic justice. She holds a B.A. in Sociology and Philosophy from Wellesley College, where her honors thesis explored the identity narratives of transnational, transracial Cambodian adoptive families through a series of 30+ qualitative interviews.
Currently, Mia is engaged in two ongoing projects on adoption narratives. The first, in collaboration with Dr. Markella Rutherford (Wellesley College), examines the visual depictions of birth parents in children's literature on transnational adoption. The second explores the shifting role of narratives utilizing 'biology' as an argumentative pillar in news articles on adoption lawsuits from 1950 to present. Broadly, Mia seeks to use adoption as a conduit for critically examining and uprooting taken-for-granted narratives about familial identity within broader cultural and national contexts. In her work, she is committed to continuing to center and uplift adoptive (counter)stories in academia and beyond.
Outside of sociology, Mia enjoys spending time back East, where she hides away in the mountains of Western Massachusetts and plays old time fiddle.
