Polish rural movement literature in the context of the hegemonic discourse on the social changes between years 1944–1956: A Reconnaissaince

Abstract

The article aims to present preliminary results of research on the so-called rural movement in Polish prose which emerged in Soviet Poland in the 60s and prevailed until the early 80s, within the framework of the dominant discourse on contryside of that time. Two categories of narratives concerning rurality and peasanrty can be distinguished by employing hegemonic and counterhegemonic discourses; one of these categories is construed by the authorities and one undermines them, emerging from the Polish rural movement prose. The analysis shows that the prose played a significant role in communication processes that shaped the meaning of rurality and peasantry in Polish post-war culture, and as such can prove a meaningful resource in reimagining Polish history in the kontext of the so-called folk turn.