Paradoksy pracy pośredniczącej w indywidualnym doświadczaniu oraz ich społeczne i biograficzne implikacje
Paradoxes of liaison work in individual experiences and their socio-biographical implications

Summary/Abstract: Recapitulated in autobiographical narrative interviews, the experiences of two Polish women: Magda and Ewa constitute the basis for this article on various types of liaison work (hegemonic and symmetrical). They are set within the framework of (quasi-) professional work aimed at helping Pakistani immigrant women in Italy and at supporting autistic children in Poland and Belgium, respectively. Thus, both narrators are forced to deal with considerably different cultural patterns rooted in an oriental and Islamic lifestyle, in the former case, and manifesting themselves in the therapies of children with disabilities in European countries, in the latter. An attempt is made to examine the social as well as biographical consequences of introducing a certain type of liaison work, when the recipients are persons af icted with suffering. Moreover, the study discusses the tensions, ambivalences and paradoxes which appear in micro- situations, including conversations and professional activities, frequently framed by the neoliberal ideology promoted by the educational programs of the European Commission. It seems that they are rarely a subject of critical analysis which takes into consideration the biographical consequences experienced by both sides of the interaction and their social implications, particularly in the area of multiculturalism or intercultural dialogue.

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