‘System of collective representations’ in humanist marriage ceremonies in Poland

Abstract

In Poland we observe that humanist (strongly individualized and mostly secular) marriages are growing in number. This article focuses mainly on the analysis of one of the elements of performance in humanist wedding ceremonies indicated by Jeffrey Alexander, which is ‘system of collective representations’. The analysis is divided into two parts. The first describes the theoretical framework, beginning with an outline of the Polish context with the main focus on the role of religion. Then it addresses the category of social performance by Alexander, and the broader theoretical contexts in which humanist marriage ceremonies can be inscribed (individualisation, transformations of contemporary love, changes in religiosity). In the second part this theoretical framework is applied to the gathered empirical material. The article concludes with the statement that the creation of new ceremonies leads to some transpositions into a wider system of meanings and attempts to describe these changes.