Nasze pokolenie – our generation. Self-image and generation-talk of the »young protest generation« of 1980s Poland

Abstract

The ›young protest generation‹ that emerged in the 1980s in Poland spoke intensively about the characteristics and duties of »their generation«. ›Generation‹ mattered as a political message as well as a category of self-description. Examination over a long period of time is favoured for the analysis of the generational consciousness of actors – contemporary as well as ex post facto. Accordingly, archival sources such as political programs and newspapers from the 1980s are presented. But retrospective narratives and biographical constructions are also taken into consideration to ask whether former actors still share a strong generational feeling. Finally, ›generation‹ is interpreted as a potential concept for making sense of one’s self.