Bieżenki – pamięć wnuczek chłopskich uchodźców z 1915 roku

Abstract

The article is devoted to the mnemohistory of the exodus, bieżeństwo. It refers to the history of the escape of Orthodox peasants from the eastern territories of former Poland from the German front during World War I in 1915. The text takes into account the feminine and peasant aspects of experience and memory. In addition to the interpretation of Aneta Prymaka-Oniszk’s historical reportage Bieżeństwo 1915. Zapomniani uchodźcy [Biezhenstvo 1915. Forgotten refugees] and memory studies, the author draws on her own participant observation during the preparations for the 2018 participatory performance “Bieżenki”, which involved the granddaughters of the bieżeństwo refugees from Białystok and Podlasie. She traces the transgenerational transmission of the bieżeństwo in the three-generation family with an emphasis on the generation of granddaughters. She also draws attention to the parallels between the events of 1915 and 2015 (migration crisis), as well as 2021, present in literature and theater, among others, asking – as did Astrid Erll – about their role as the media of remembrance.