Biographical Articulation in Transition

Abstract

Biographical research approaches have been relevant for the analysis of transitions in the life course for a long time. From the beginning of a social science-based analysis of (auto-)biographical narratives, the “biography” as concept was oriented towards understanding the relationship between the development of individual identity against the background of collective phenomena as well as in their relevance for life histories. But biographical narrations are also connected to discourses and discursive orientation patterns. The concept of “articulation” in the sense of Stuart Hall allows for the building of a bridge between discourses and subject positions, in describing this as a suture between discourses and a subject. Based on the re-analysis of three narrative interviews which are linked to different biographical research projects, the article explains and illustrates three different modi of articulation linked to relevant biographical transitions. All three modi of articulation are examples that show the complexity and variety of social positioning and articulation in biographical turning points. At the end the article discusses the added value and the possibilities of this approach in understanding transitions in life courses from a biographical perspective.