Sonless Mothers and Motherless Sons or How Has Polishness Haunted Polish Theatre Artists in Exile?

This chapter explores the migration-motherhood-nation nexus and the personal, artistic, political, ideological, and spatial negotiations it evokes. Situating the argument in the context of Poland’s long fight for independence, the chapter reveals how exilic experiences become a model for national performances and the politics of memory that underpin them. I look at how Polish playwrights in exile from the Romantic era to the present engage with motherhood as a metaphorical vessel for performances of personal and communal bondage, exilic experiences, and freedom. The first part of the discussion focuses on the influential works created by the artists of the Great Emigration. The second part of the essay examines later dialogues with Romantic traditions and includes works by Sławomir Mrożek, Janusz Głowacki, and Martyna Majok. By shedding light on the synergies between migration, nation, and motherhood across time, this chapter opens new frameworks for studying how migrant experiences can shape political discourses.