Paper long abstract:

Nowadays children become frequent migrants in and between countries. Along with increasing number of immigrants the percentage of adopted from different countries is on rise. An adopted child from Russia is often seen as the most desirable "treasure" on "adoption market". Along with children some material objects cross borders. Whereas some objects might be connected to the past of the children, the other ones are imagined to be attached to them. Some material objects are chosen by adoptive parents to recreate the stories of origin. My objective is to see what material objects are significant in the process of circulation of children between families, states and nations. I believe that my cross-cultural analysis from the point of view of anthropology and literature will be particularly fruitful for W18 The Material culture, migration and the transnational imaginary of the EASA: Crisis and imagination at Maynooth in 2010.