The National Centres of Competence in Research (NCCR)are a research instrumentof the Swiss National Science Foundation

Life-Course of Militants : Using Life-History Calendars in the Study of Political Activism

Davide Morselli

Swiss National Center of Competence in Research LIVES

University of Lausanne

Structure of Autobiographic Memory

• Retrieval Mechanisms (Associations)– Top-down

• Higher order structures index lower order ones• Retrieval route from general to specific

– Sequential• Chronological sequencing within themes• What happened earlier and what happened later

– Parallel• Relations among extended events or episodes across

themes (e.g., contemporaneous residential and employment changes)

(Belli, 1998)

The logic of autobiographical memory(Belli, 2001; Conway 1992, 1996)

Life-History Calendars

Double process for helping retrieval:Cross-referencing parallel events

Interviewer – Respondent Interaction (discursive / semi-directed interview)

How do respondents fill the calendar? Observations from the LIVES cognitive interviews

(N =10)

Column 1 = Residence Column 2 = cohabitation Column 3 = couple relationships Column 4 = family Column 5 = work and education Column 6 = health Column 7 = other unexpected events

Filling sequence of the calendar

Type 1

Type 2

Type 3

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

Relationship History Agreement

EHC -- marriage

CQ -- marriage

EHC -- cohabitation

CQ -- cohabitation

Year

Kappa

(Belli, 2001)

Belli, 2001

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Labor History Agreement

EHC -- employment

CQ -- employment

EHC -- unemployment

CQ -- unemployment

Year

Kappa

(Belli, 2001)

SOMBREROBiographical consequences activism

Activists from 1968-1981 in France :

3 Movements: feminist movement workers’ unions extreme-leftist organizations

5 urban locations: Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Rennes, Nantes

500 respondents (snow ball recruited):In-depth biographical interviews (Qualitative analyses)Life-history calendars (Quantitative analyses)

1. Age 3. Type of residence 5. Family 6. Studies and professional activities 7. Militant history

AnnéeAnnée Age

Orig

ina

l fam

ily

With

child

ren

Alo

ne

With

Pa

rtne

r

In a

com

mu

nity

With

frien

ds

Studies Professional activities Engagement in collectives/groups/organisations Campains

Pa

rt-Tim

e

Fu

ll-Tim

e

Retire

d

On

we

lfare

Syn

dica

te

Milita

nt so

ciety

Militan

t socie

ty

Milita

nt socie

ty

Oth

er

Ca

use

/ cam

pa

in

Ca

use

/ cam

pa

in

2015 20152014 20142013 20132012 20122011 20112010 20102009 20092008 20082007 20072006 20062005 20052004 20042003 20032002 20022001 arrêt maladie 20012000 20001999 19991998 Cadre Fédé animation 19981997 19971996 19961995 19951994 19941993 19931992 19921991 19911990 19901989 DESS 19891988 19881987 19871986 19861985 19851984 19841983 Marseille Nord 1983

2. Residence 4. Intimate Relationship

.

Studies Job

Sa

lary fro

m

milita

nt

org

an

isatio

n

Noms des groupes

you

th o

rga

nis. (sco

ut, JO

C, etc.)

Po

litical

Gro

up

/Pa

rty

Name of the cause,

campain

journal des femmes du Sud

THE SOMBRERO LIFE-HISTORY CALENDAR

THE SOMBRERO LIFE-HISTORY CALENDAR

THE SOMBRERO LIFE-HISTORY CALENDAR

6. Studies and professional activities

Studies Professional activities

Pa

rt-Tim

e

Fu

ll-Tim

e

Re

tired

On

we

lfare

.

Studies Job

Sa

lary fro

m

milita

nt

org

an

isatio

n

THE SOMBRERO LIFE-HISTORY CALENDAR

7. Militant history

Année

Engagement in collectives/groups/organisations Campains

Syn

dica

te

Milita

nt so

ciety

Milita

nt so

ciety

Milita

nt so

ciety

Oth

er

Ca

use

/ cam

pa

in

Ca

use

/ cam

pa

in

20152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996

Noms des groupes

you

th o

rga

nis.

(scou

t, JOC

, etc.)

Po

litical

Gro

up

/Pa

rty

Name of the cause,

campain

MILITANT TRAJECTORIES:INCREASING ENGAGEMENT

MILITANT TRAJECTORIES:PLACING EVENT INTO CONTEXT

MILITANT TRAJECTORIES:WORK/MILITANT BALANCE AS MEASURE OF ENGAGEMENT

3. Type of residence 5. Family 6. Studies and professional activities 7. Militant history

Year

Orig

ina

l fam

ily

With

child

ren

Alo

ne

With

Pa

rtner

In a

com

munity

With

friends

Studies Professional activities Engagement in collectives/groups/organisations Campains

Part-T

ime

Full-T

ime

Retire

d

On w

elfa

re

Syn

dica

te

Milita

nt so

ciety

Milita

nt so

ciety

Milita

nt so

ciety

Oth

er

Cause

/ cam

pain

Ca

use

/ cam

pain

19861985

journal 1984 des femmes 1983 du Sud 1982

1981Maison des x 1980femmes femmes 1979

Ecole animation 1978CFDT 1977

1976Ligue (+groupes femmes) 1975

19741973

divers jobs liées MLF 1972197119701969

groupe 66 1968196719661965

maître auxiliaire 1964ESU 1963

IPES Lettres 19621961

4. Intimate Relationship

.

Studies Job

Sala

ry from

m

ilitant

org

an

isatio

n

Noms des groupes

yo

uth

org

anis.

(scout, JO

C, e

tc.)

Politica

l G

roup/P

arty

Name of the cause,

campain

rencontres des

à ensiegnement

Not only events:

Subjective assessment of life-events and

periods

Report of factual eventsSubjective evaluation of moments and periods of life (vulnerability, happiness)

19

HappinessVulnerability

Vivre / Leben / Vivere

4.06.2013

(Dasoki, Morselli & Spini, 2013)

4.06.2013

Retrospective perception of HAPPY age

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85-89

>90

Age

Fre

qu

en

cy o

f Ha

pp

ine

ss

(Dasoki, Morselli & Spini, 2013)

4.06.2013

Retrospective perception of VULNERABLE Years

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85-89

>90

Year

Fre

qu

en

cy o

f Vu

lne

rab

ility

SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT:Engagement as reaction to vulnerable conditions(e.g., Gurr, 1970 → reaction to deprivation)

Perception of vulnerabilitybefore start of political activity

SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT:Agency as factor for happiness

Happiest period correspond to high engagement

SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT:Agency as factor for happiness

Happiest period correspond to high engagement

SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT:Activism and vulnerability

Most vulnerable period correspond to most intensive activism

Conclusions

Life-history calendar is not just a good tool for collecting retrospective data

Open to new analytical approaches, e.g.,: ● Complex and multifaceted approach to social

movement studies● Life-course approach to militant and post-militant

trajectories● Interaction between subjective evaluation and

factual data

Thank you for your attention!davide.morselli@unil.ch

Mean panel and retrospective health status (1 = excellent; 5 = poor)

(Belli, 2005)

Use of LHC to assess subjective evaluation to life periods (Lelièvre & Vivier, 2001):Likert-type evaluation (-2 = very problematic; +2 very good)

Charting life trajectories

Life satisfaction chart (Clausen, 1994)

10 = Top

0 = Rock Bottom

Perren et al. 2010Charting life trajectories

Materials

Likert-type assessment:Respondents were asked to divide the life domains into different period and then express an evaluation from -2 = very negative period to +2 = very positive

Materials

Chart assessment:Had to graph their evaluation drawing a line on a grid from - 2 very negative to+ 2 very positive