This text reviews the controversy surrounding the adoption of black and minority ethnic children, either transracially into white families or into matched same race placements. Through analysis of research and the writings of protagonists, the core concepts are explored and located within broader debates on race and the family. The history of the controversy is set out in terms of the competing paradigms offered by liberalism and black radicalism, and more recent post-structuralist influences. The author argues the need to see adoption as inherently political and contested.