Tradycja i zmiana – rytuały bożonarodzeniowe i ich znaczenie dla młodych polskich rodzin
The first generation of Polish migrants in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s sought to improve the economic situation of their families and tried to blend in with German society. Only their descendants managed to do so. They experienced the upward mobility that their parents expected of them. However, they were not prepared for the generational change related to it. The change involved the transformation of the cultural capital in the migrant family. The article presents an analysis of the intergenerational transmissions in Polish families in Germany, based on autobiographical interviews with the second generation of migrants. The article explains why the eff orts of the first generation to build a life in Germany did not translate into a happy family life. Neither did it bring enough economic resources for the first generation to pass economic capital to descendants. Social capital turned out to be a strong feature of Polish families. The supportive role of grandmothers and other family members has often proved to be of a huge value. Paradoxically, the absence of their parents gave their children a lot of freedom and free time to build their own networks of friends. The article also draws attention to the negative dimension of social capital in Polish families. It manifests itself in limiting expectations and pressure exerted by the family on the second generation.