The Social Construction of Motherhood and Daughterhood
in Contemporary Poland—a Trans-Generational Perspective
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Södertörns Högskola, Sweden
Publication date: 2011-01-04
Polish Sociological Review 2010;172(4):467-486
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ABSTRACT
The mother-daughter relationship has received increasing attention over the last few decades,
both at the conceptual level and in empirical research. Unfortunately, however, this domain has not yet
been sufficiently explored in the Polish context. Equally infrequent are empirical projects which strive to
combine analysis of individual experiences with the examination of public discourse and social change within
particular historical and cultural contexts. The present text analyzes the process of defining motherhood
and daughterhood in Poland, focusing specifically on the trans-generational aspect of female identity
construction. It is based on qualitative research carried out in the Warsaw area in 2005–2008. Arguably,
such an analysis should help us to map the complicated intersections of gender, generation and positionality
in times of social change and contribute to the development of a new perspective on the process of identity
construction.