Children who Circulate
Based on anthropological research conducted in Rome, Warsaw and Gdańsk, from 2002 to 2018, the article analyses the family as a space of circulation of children through experiences of informal adoption, fosterage or childcare. The description of three cases, followed over a long period of time, allows us to identify three modalities of circulation that range from a change of permanent home (without any change in filiation), to reversible forms of residential fostering, to care practices and residential proximity. These configurations vary over time and evolve with the normative ideals around the parental relationship and the status of the child. The circulation of a child seems to mark the following generations and induce other forms of transfer, a stronger propensity to mobility between residences and an increased presence of collaterals in domestic spaces. The article also shows the gendered nature of these relationships. Finally, these exchanges reveal a complex interplay between elective affinities and power games associated with economic constraints or status asymmetries.