Sociological perspectives in the trajectories framework: An analysis on the uses, meanings, and potentialities of a controversial approach

Abstract

This article aims to analyse the contributions provided by the trajectories approach. Thence, a critical reflection is carried out together with a theoretical systematization of researches that may help to understand the underlying assumptions of these studies. The first section looks into the origins of the use of biographies in social research, focusing on European and North American approaches to look at the different areas where the foundations that frame and give meaning to the analysis of trajectories arose. A second section builds a theoretical-methodological framework that problematizes the study of trajectories, proposing an analytical framework for its understanding, based on a discussion of different perspectives and conceptualizations. Special emphasis is placed on the potential of studies on labour trajectories. Finally, we seek to recapitulate the contributions that the chosen perspective provides to social research, enabling to grasp the analytical complexity of social phenomena, by dealing with both the objective and subjective dimensions in their spatio-temporal articulation.