Welcome with Closed Arms: Building and Breaking Narratives About Young People’s Path to Political Engagement

This paper explores how young activists talk about their first political memory and their path to engagement. By analysing young activists' narratives, I illustrate the obstacles they face in their political trajectories. By analysing the collective memories of 30 young activists aged 18-34 living in Geneva, Switzerland, I find that young activists currently involved in institutional political organisations, such as parties and trade unions, have often faced the obstacle of becoming dutiful citizens. As a result, they are more likely to reproduce the coming-of-age narrative, claiming that during their childhood and adolescence they were 'not ready to become activists' or that they were 'not politically mature'. In contrast, I find that young activists involved in more grassroots feminist collectives, squats or solidarity movements have had to overcome the obstacle of finding ways to politicise what were considered 'personal issues' in their childhood and adolescence, such as feminism, migration or the environment. This paper contributes to the literature on social movements and youth socialisation by highlighting the different obstacles young activists face before engaging in politics.