Macierzyństwo w fotografii
Maternity in photography

Summary/Abstract: The presented article is an analysis of visual materials: photographs. The research question is: how do mothers present their maternity? The presented content is a result of the research project carried out in 2012, supervised by dr Martyna Pryszmont--Ciesielska: Współczesne oblicza macierzyństwa w perspektywie edukacji nieformalnej [Contemporary faces of maternity from the perspective of informal education]. It was expressed in a narrative and visual interpretation of the micro-worlds of the mothers participating in the research. In the interpretation a research strategy with the use of photos was employed, along with existing materials as understood by Krzysztof Konecki. The research material consisted of photos that were made available by two women: Karolina (28 photos) and Agnieszka (73 photos). Furthermore, each of the women pointed out one image that in their opinion constituted the best illustration of what it meant to be a mother. The women also defined maternity in their own words. In the course of the research attention was paid not only to the message of the photos, but also to the consistency of the visual and the verbal material. As a result of the conducted analysis two micro-worlds of the maternity of two women were described. The first one (Karolina’s) was defined as an affirmation of life expressed in activity and joy, and the second one (Agnieszka’s) as caring for children with a certain nostalgia with a touch of anxiety. In connection with the conclusions of the conducted research it was determined that (1) photos are good research material and they allow for a qualitative reconstruction of micro-worlds, (2) good results are produced by a triangulation of research material in the form of narratives and photos: their character is complementary, (3) photos are good material for the interpretation of the trajectories of family and social relationships,(4) visual research material can also be used to decode emotions, anxieties, desires, and a certain attitude and perspective on life.

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