In sociology, biographical research is generally centered on interviews in which people are asked to tell their life story or experiences at a given stage and/or dimension of existence. Occasionally, secondary materials such as photographs, letters, timelines or life calendars are used to complement the narrative. The focus is, in both cases, on first-person testimonies, assuming that the information obtained in this way is the most direct and reliable one in terms of the occurrences and subjectivity associated with a life. Much less explored is the possibility of reconstituting a biography not only in this way, but also from the testimonies of third parties, specifically from close people who can talk about the trajectories of the individual under analysis and the relationship they have with that person. What we intend to do in this project is precisely to understand how biographies can be reconstructed and analyzed from multiple testimonies, in a logic of triangulation and comparison of sources of information.  

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Using a qualitative methodology, the goal is to understand, through biographical interviews, how a person describes herself/himself and what meanings s/he attributes to her/his life, but also how close people perceive that biographical pathway, present it and interpret it. 16 biographies are analysed, each case consisting of an interview with a nuclear person and about 4 interviews with family members, friends, colleagues or neighbors of that individual (different kinship, generations, contexts ) .

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In this way, it is possible to combine the view that each person has of oneself and her/his biography with the view that significant others have of these same experiences. In this sense, we can articulate an internal perspective with an external one about the same biography.  

 

This analytical strategy makes it possible to study the temporal, social and relational constitution of a biography, in line with the usual analytical frameworks of biographical research in sociology. But beyond that – and this is where, to a large extent, its innovative nature lies –, it allows access to additional dimensions of experiences, relationships and subjectivity, from multiple voices, which endow autobiographical narratives with greater complexity and objectivity. It also allows understanding how communication channels and memory transmission work on a micro scale.

 

The project also assumes itself as a platform for the development and testing of an innovative device for biographical analysis. This device has the potential to be mobilised as an instrument of intervention and promotion of social integration and well-being, in the sense that the reconstruction of a life stimulates reflexivity and contributes to value past experiences.

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Project with funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) - ref.  PTDC/SOC-SOC/29117/2017

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Host institution: Center for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL), of the Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon