OBITUARIES AND THE PROCESSES OF INDIVIDUALIZATION IN POLAND. THE ANALYSIS OF CHANGING PATTERNS

The article analyzes the changes in the contents of obituaries in Warsaw newspapers in the last century. Examination of four annals demonstrates significant changes in the description of the deceased and the authors of the obituaries reflecting the changes in the social bonds and social identity of Poles. We observe gradual abandoning of commonly accepted ritualized forms in favor of more intimate and colloquial language, more suitable for expressing emotions. Such changes in this most peculiar public sphere reflect numerous processes of individualization taking place in Poland.