THE PRIVATE POLAND - Reviews
From Library Journal, v. 111, July 16, 1986: p. 101
The private Poland
Marcia L. Sprules, Univ. of South Dakota Lib., Vermillion
Janine R. Wedel: The Private Poland: An Anthropologist Look at Everyday Life. New York: Facts on File, 1986.
During 1977-85 Wedel made several extended visits to Poland and came to know the Poles better than most Westerners do. In that society the gap between an individual's public life and private life is stark and unbridged. Knowing how to cope in both professional and daily life is all-important. To do so, most individuals develop wide-reaching networks and exchange relationships that keep the informal economy operating, provide vital access to informal information, and help in handling bureaucratic problems. The author's perspectives were gleaned during her research in Poland for a Ph.D. in anthropology; some of the terminology of the discipline is evident. However, this is not a rewritten dissertation but instead a very personal account of coming to know Poland's people on human as well as professional terms.
