Szpakowisko. A Story about a Youth Movement Supporting the Building of a Group Identity of (Self)Excluded People
Szpakowisko. A Story about a Youth Movement Supporting the Building of a Group Identity of (Self)Excluded People

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to present a little-known social phenomenon created by young people who from the 1980s to the first decade of the 21st century participated in Szpakowiska, i.e. cyclical meetings supervised by Fr Andrzej Szpak, Salesian (1944–2017). The factors specific to Szpakowisko will be highlighted, which contributed to the socialisation of people who were originally excluded or self-excluded from social structures. The author attempts to answer the questions: What was the character of the youth movement called Szpakowisko? Which elements of this movement can be described as factors that build group identity? The introduction presents the research method and dilemmas related to the topic of the article. Next, Szpakowisko is characterised as a support group, the identity-building process is discussed, and selected elements of the phenomenon are highlighted, such as a common communication code, search, mentality and self-exclusion community.

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