Publications
Zając Justyna/Michułka Dorota (forthcoming): Who am I really? Contemporary Narratives of Migration as an Inspiration for Self-discovery (Sarah Crossan's School Reading Practice The Weight of Water). In: Journal of Literary Education.
Abstract: The aim of this article is to present the results of a study of children's reception of Sarah
Crossan's novel The Weight of Water ([2012] 2019). The book shows the process of emotional and social
maturation of a girl coming from a Polish family affected by the experience of migration. Letters written
by primary school pupils to Kasia, the fictional protagonist, bravely struggling with family problems and
peer bullying, were analysed. The text demonstrates that the cognitively discussed literary work,
depicting the teenage girl's journey of self-discovery, prompts young readers to self-analysis and thus can
serve their self-discovery.
Zając, Justyna (2023): Motyw samotności we współczesnej literaturze dziecięco-młodzieżowej poświęconej migracjom zarobkowy. In: Annales UMCS Sectio N Educatio Nova, Vol. 8: 277-293.
English title: Motif of Loneliness in the Contemporary Children-Adolescent Literature Devoted to Labor Migration
Abstract: Books that focus on the topics of the consequences of Polish people’s labor migration introduce young readers to the issues related to the functioning of transnational families and present pictures of migration seen from the children’s perspective. This article analyses selected literary narrations for children and adolescents. The analysis shows the unsettled and broken relations of parents with their offspring, and how harmful this loneliness may be to the youngest.
König, Alexandra/Bühler-Niederberger, Doris/Katarzyna Jendrzey (2021): Good mothers — good children: temporary labour migration of Polish women. In: Dreke, Claudia/Hungerland, Beatrice (Ed.): Kindheit in gesellschaftlichen Umbrüchen. Beltz Juventa: 204-221.
Abstract: In times of economic upheaval, family members must be capable of readjusting their mutual expectations and obligations in order to secure the existence and health of each other. Gender and generational order must be adapted to the circumstances. This has already been shown by Angell's classic study (1939) of the American family in the Great Depression. This chapter examines how this is organized and legitimized in Polish families, where mothers migrate to Germany temporarily and often repeatedly to work as caregivers. The discussions of mothers in relevant internet forums show that adaptive capital is needed: legitimizing arguments, strategies to bridge the absence and benefits from other family members.