Abstract

SARROUY, Alix Didier. There is a life before activism: embodied emotions during the childhood and youth of activists related to gender, racism, and climate change matters in Portugal. Etnográfica [online]. 2023, vol.27, n.3, pp.619-638.  Epub Dec 08, 2024. ISSN 0873-6561.  https://doi.org/10.4000/etnografica.14634.

What is the influence of early life trajectories, filled with experiences, encounters and emotions, on young to-be activists? Based on qualitative research done for the project “ArtCitizenship - youth and the arts of citizenship: creative practices, participatory culture and activism” (2019-2022), this article looks into individual trajectories, during childhood and youth, of 30 activists in Portugal. The collected data presents a set of “before activism” categories that reveal the importance of including early-life experiences to better understand future involvement with activism and social movements. One is not born an activist, actions for a given cause are a response to cumulative interactions and emotions felt from very early years. It shows how bodily-inscribed are the personal experiences and how, more than an interest in activism, there can be a physical and emotional urge for it.

Keywords : before activism; childhood and youth; early life trajectories; embodied emotions; new social movements.

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