Childhood in the Experience and Narrative of Polish Artists Based on Memories From the Polish People’s Republic
Abstract
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to present childhood in the experience and narratives of artists in the Polish People’s Republic.
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem is summarized in the following questions: 1. What meaning and significance does childhood hold in the lives of the Polish post-war intelligentsia who experienced it during the Polish People’s Republic? 2. What aspects of childhood do they give a weight to significant value to in their development? Qualitative research and content analysis with elements of narrative analysis were used. A hermeneutic approach was adopted in the interpretation of the research.
THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The introduction presents the most important features of modern childhood research and the characteristics of childhood in selected social environments in the Polish People’s Republic. The methodological section depicts the cognitive goals, theoretical and practical analyses, and the most important research assumptions. The research material (35 autobiographical interviews) has been characterized and the most important thematic categories of the analysis have been identified. The analytical section presents the characteristics of child-hood in the Polish People’s Republic, including the artists’ family environment and the parenting methods used within it.
RESEARCH RESULTS: focus on the following thematic categories: 1) the historical context of childhood and living conditions, 2) family relationships, 3) family parenting methods, and 4) play and leisure time. These categories revealed the world of values that had shaped the childhoods of Polish artists.
CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPLICABLE VALUE OF RESEARCH: The results fill in a research gap in the field of childhood studies in the culture of the Polish People’s Republic and demonstrate the changes occurring within the family and its educational environment. They encourage undertaking the research that show the diversity of educational environments in the Polish People’s Republic.
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