„Byłem ciekawy, czy morze jest słone!” Czechosłowacka Żegluga Morska we wspomnieniach marynarzy czechosłowackich (1959–1989)

Abstrakt

The author presents the outcomes of oral history  research relating to the history of the Czechoslovak Maritime Shipping Company from 1959–1989 in the form of a case study. The interpretation of the accounts of seventeen former Czechoslovakian sailors focuses on two aspects: their professional and family lives. The author recognises that these two aspects of the sailors’ lives were very often in conflict with each other, concluding that their work was often much more significant than their family life; that although they realised the problems that their families faced, they were unable to help by giving the work up to be with their families.

The text is supplemented with a methodological reflection that focuses on the issue of a researcher’s emotional engagement to the research subject. Finally, the author presents thoughts on parallel and potential comparative studies between the lives of the Czechoslovakian sailors (from a country without direct sea access) and Poland (a country with a very rich maritime tradition).