No abstract

The research material included about 300 episodes from 30 published sources. A targeted selection was made according to a combination of three criteria: a diversity of social positions among the authors, the biographies of the authors, and the detail of description. An analysis of the material was conducted in order to contribute to a better understanding of the social significance of hospitality. Theoretical assumptions about hospitality in conditions of stability and social crisis were advanced. The analysis showed that in times of relative stability, hospitality was biographically important when it allowed a person to transition between positions in the social structure (usually between close levels) and involved some form of promotion. On the other hand, in conditions of intensified change and crises, the order was disturbed: on the one hand, visits to the homes of persons occupying more distant positions in the hierarchy (both up and down the social ladder) became more common, but on the other hand, there could be a challenge to or rejection of traditional requirements of hospitality. The first situation occurs especially at the beginning of a crisis, and with the depletion of resources, the increase in the number of negative experiences, and socialization to a long-term threat, a survival strategy begins to take shape in which only the closest circles prevail. Such findings suggest that a more cautious look should be taken at both the theoretical concepts in which hospitality is considered a useful social invention especially in times of increased need and at the Polish self-stereotype as a nation with a culture based on hospitality, invariable generosity, and an inclination to selflessness.

With reference to the previous empirical works on applause, we explore the roles it plays during the first birthday celebration using multimodal analysis. Particularly, we focus on modes of its initiation and collaborative enactment. The empirical material includes 25 videos from different Polish families. The analysis demonstrates that applause works in interaction (1) as a ritual anchor that allows the participants to move to either the end or the next sequence of the ritual, (2) as an appreciative assessment of the previous action, (3) as a device for focusing joint attention, which coordinates the interaction of participants and (re)focuses the attention on the most important actor/recipient of the ritual.

This article examines the differentiation and change in the shared eating practices of parents and their adult children, linking theories of sacrifice with empirical research. Drawing on 26 qualitative, in-depth dyadic interviews, the authors analyse the transformation of expectations sensed by the parents before and after their adult children leave home. While the article confirms the significance of meals for family relationships, it further develops the findings in transition to the empty nest phase of family life. First, it examines the understanding of different aspects and distribution of everyday sacrificing in an intergenerational family, as well as the dynamics introduced by the life course transition connected with adult children moving out. Second, it analyses how this transition carries in consequence a transformation in the food-related practices of the parents of adult children, who tend to pay less attention to the quality, variety, and regularity of their dinners once their children have moved out. Third, it explores children’s visits to their family home that can trigger or modify old self-sacrifice patterns. Finally, it demonstrates the perceived gains or losses resulting from parents’ long-term sacrifices connected with feeding their children.

Zgodnie z tezą, że kompetencje etyczne stanowią ważną cechę kompetencji merytorycznych badaczy terenowych, a doświadczane przez nich dylematy etyczne mają charakter dylematów metodologiczno-teoretycznych, autorzy artykułu naświetlają problem połączenia refleksji etycznej z paradygmatem socjologii jakościowej. Argumentują, że wydzielenie jej jako specjalności normatywnej i filozoficznej, która dominuje w kodeksach etycznych, niesie ze sobą zagrożenie traktowania jej w inny sposób niż pozostałe zagadnienia obecne w socjologicznych badaniach i refleksjach oraz może prowadzić do istotnej straty poznawczej. Autorzy podkreślają możliwość i potrzebę rozwijania etyki badań w paradygmacie socjologii jakościowej, poszukując inspiracji u źródeł socjologii: u Webera, Durkheima i w szkole chicagowskiej. Krytycznie odnoszą się do nadziei, że tworzenie kodeksów etycznych jest skutecznym sposobem samoregulacji środowisk naukowych, wskazując na znaczenie specyficznych historycznych, społecznych i językowych kontekstów ich tworzenia oraz osadzenie ich w normatywnej wizji życia społecznego, która nie jest zgodna z duchem socjologii interpretatywnej. W konsekwencji opowiadają się za ujmowaniem zagadnień etycznych podkreślających podmiotowość, sytuacyjność, procesualność i komunikacyjny charakter zarówno działań badaczy w terenie, jak i działań instytucji akademickich w tym zakresie.