Open AccessGeneration-making narratives and responses to diversity in Poland
Author(s) -
Aneta Piekut,
Gill Valentine
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.732
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1461-7242
pISSN - 0268-5809
DOI - 10.1177/0268580921998527
Subject(s) - diversity (politics) , narrative , sociology , ethnic group , cultural diversity , gender studies , race (biology) , social psychology , epistemology , psychology , anthropology , linguistics , philosophy
In this article, the authors move away from approaching generations as static categories and explore how ordinary people, as opposed to scholars, distinguish generations and justify their different responses to cultural diversity in terms of ethnicity, race and religion/belief. The analysis draws on 90 in-depth interviews with 30 residents in the Polish capital, Warsaw (2012–2013). Through approaching generation as an analytical category, the authors identify various differentiating narratives which the study participants employed to draw boundaries between generations, reinforcing the common belief that the youngest Poles are most accepting of diversity. Although generations are seen as the axis of difference, conditioning generation-specific responses to diversity, the accounts emerging from the interviews reveal their relational nature, as well as similarities and points of connection between their experiences.