"A good life depends on details." Female activists in rural Poland// Život je u detaljima. Aktivistkinje u ruralnoj Poljskoj

Abstract

The article discusses the role of rural women in the development of civil society in socialist and postsocialist context. Focusing on the relation between gender and civil society, the article aims at bringing insights into two complementing issues: it demonstrates why the focus on rural women’s activities enhances our understanding of the dynamics of (post)socialist civil society and, in turn,
proves the relevance of the study of civil society’s development for the understanding of women’s civic engagement. Drawing on a long-term ethnographic study, the article engages critically with some widespread assumptions about the civil society in postsocialist countries and participation of rural inhabitants in the process of postsocialist transformation.