My research has mainly centred on Native North American writing and particularly the Trickster figure as a symbol of cultural survival.  Trickster figures are found in virtually every culture (Finns know best Kettu Repolainen, Reynard the Fox) but the significance of such figures in traditional Native North American tribal life is more than just trickery. For one thing such tribal trickster figures as Coyote, Raven or Iktomi the Spider helped create the world.

Many Native North American writers today find tribal trickster figures of central importance as symbols of survival and resistance. My research has explored the significance of trickster figures in the work of many Native North American writers, among them Tomson Highway (Cree), Louise Erdrich (Ojibwe), Thomas King (Cherokee), and Gerald Vizenor (Anishinaabe).

Recently I have been exploring the literature of transnational adoption, particularly how it relates to policies of forced adoption among the indigenous peoples of North America. My first publication in this field was “The Theme of Adoption in Native North American Literature” (Renvall Institute Publications, 2007) and I am co-organizing an international conference at Turku University coming up in August 2015 entitled “Transnational and Transracial Adoption in North American Culture”.

Transnational and transracial adoptions are becoming increasingly common around the world. Complex issues such as the implications of global inequalities, conflicting birth rights and new reproductive technologies are raised. As an adoptive parent of two children from the Dominican Republic I have a personal stake in my research.