Dzieciństwo: Exploring the Changing Experiences of Childhood at National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw

The exhibition 'Dzieciństwo' (Childhood) explores the radical transformation of a child's position in society and family over recent decades. It presents diverse experiences of childhood from the past and present, reflecting on the changing status and perception of children. The exhibition features six protagonists representing different eras from the late 19th century to the early 21st century.

The exhibition 'Dzieciństwo' delves into the profound changes in the social and familial role of children that have occurred over the last few decades. Driven by socio-cultural transformations, the child's status has shifted, gaining subjectivity in a relatively short period. This shift is a subject of interest across various scientific disciplines, including psychology, sociology, pedagogy, ethnology, and cultural anthropology, and is increasingly debated in public discourse. The exhibition aims to illustrate the scale of this change for contemporary audiences by showcasing various flavors and shades of childhood experienced by different communities in both the past and the present. It serves as an anthropological reflection on who a child is, who they were, and how they are treated by adults across different spheres of life. The exhibition highlights that while every person has been a child, childhood experiences are shaped by geography, social context, gender, and time, leading to infinite variations. The narrative unfolds through the stories of six protagonists, born every 30 years from the late 19th century to the early 21st century, representing typical biographies for their times. By following their journeys, visitors can observe the radical transformation of the child's position, the growing recognition of their subjectivity, and changes in areas such as pleasures, duties, and autonomy.

This is a temporary exhibition. Further details on admission and ticketing can be found on the museum's official website. The exhibition is financed by the Marshal's Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship, the organizer of the National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw.