The article considers the usefulness of the oral life (hi)story approach, and in
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such as trans-racial adoption. In providing clarification on the decision to use the
term life (hi)story in the given (bracketed) way, a descriptive outline of
the reported study’s research design into trans-racial adoption is
provided. This is followed by a critically reflective assessment of the key
methodological issues emanating from the study’s use of oral life
(hi)story, highlighting not only its limitations but also offering guidance on its
use. In doing so, it is argued that despite some discrepancies, oral life (hi)story
offers access to a deeper level of understanding about adoptees’ lives. It
also empowers adoptees by giving them the opportunity to speak for themselves about
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