The private revolution

TL;DRAbstract

In this study a British anthropologist explores the part played by women in the Polish underground movement during the 1980s. Her analysis shows how the capacity fo Polish society to change the political system depended on a socially-valued and cohesive private domain revolving around women in the domestic sphere. This effect, which is traced back historically to the unique configuration of circumstances prevailing in Poland over the last two centuries, suggests that processes of political continuity and change may have far deeper roots than is recongnised in conventional political theory. In turn this leads to broader issues about the relations between the public and domestic arenas, and raises the question of whether a more highly-valued private realm might not have relevance today for British society. All who are interested in gender relations, political systems, and the nature of links between the two will find much food for thought in this book, which throws new light on one of th

Chat with Paper

AI Agents for this Paper