HEINZ, Walter R.. Conceptual foundations of qualitative life course research. []. , tematico6, pp.20-36. ISSN 0872-3419.  https://doi.org/10.24747/0872-3419/soctema3.

Analyzing biographies is a main field of qualitative social research that studies individuals' sense- making in regard to transitions and life projects. The paper presents concepts for linking the macro- social and micro-social levels in life course analysis. First, the concept of “status passage” is reviewed, with a focus on social structure, institutions, and biography. Second, the concept of “self- socialization” is introduced, highlighting the notion of the “biographical actor”. Third, recent elaborations of the concept of “agency” in life course research are discussed. Fourth, two examples of qualitative longitudinal research are presented: one on occupational careers, another on the process of family formation. Finally, methodological implications are sketched

: biography; status passages; self-socialization.

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