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The traditional view of the life course as the patterned progression of individual experience through time has been challenged on several fronts. The emerging view is that patterned progression is subject to diverse social, historical, and cultural influences. This article extends the challenge by considering the way ordinary biographical work situationally and discursively shapes life course patterning in relation to local cultural and organizational usage. Ethnographic and narrative data from a variety of settings illustrate a social constructionist approach. Concluding comments address the link between the malleability of the life course and the increasing deprivatization of contemporary experience.

The concept of 'biographical disruption' has been a leading framework for studies of the experience of chronic illness. A symptomless chronic condition – bereft of bodily signs ‒ does not similarly present biographical disruption. People with elevated cholesterol are healthy at the same time as medical regimens signal sickness. The empirical material presented in this article, based on interviews with people with elevated cholesterol, suggests that a more appropriate metaphor could be 'biographical work' in such instances. The aim of this article is to discuss how people with the symptomless condition of elevated cholesterol continually construct elevated cholesterol in everyday life doing biographical work along shifting contexts. The vocabulary of biographical work constructs a subject who is continually working on building situationally-appropriate identities embedded in the shifting contexts of being sick or not sick. The article shows how people ongoingly 'do' elevated cholesterol, creating a mother-cholesterol-identity, a guest-cholesterol-identity et cetera, navigating the dilemma of absence of bodily signs (signaling healthiness) and medical regimens (indicating sickness) against shifting rhythms of biographical particulars in everyday life. Linkages of medical regimens with the rhythms of mothering, vacationing, being a guest et cetera create contexts – ever-emerging 'cholesterol-biographical rhythms' ‒ for accomplishing and stretching the cholesterol identity from situation to situation, being adequately compliant with medical regimens.

This paper presents the life story of a single small-business owner of immigrant background who wants his companyto grow. His business strategies are analysed both as a part of his own biographical work, and as they wereinfluenced and framed by broader political, economic and social processes. It is shown how his own personalqualities in combination with opportunity structures in the local market provided favourable conditions for hisbreak-in. Breaking out, however, seems to be presented with different types of barriers, such as lack of access tocapital, discrimination, and the fact that new markets may consist of different sorts of network that are in its turnmore difficult for new actors to enter. But even if newcomers often find these barriers difficult for to overcome,individuals are not just passive objects but also have the opportunity to realize their lives according to their own lifeplans.

Immigrant women to Western Europe, especially those originating from Islamic countries, have been turned into icons of cultural difference by the general discourse on immigration. They are not recognized as actors in a changing society, just as society's changes through immigrants tend to be denied. This obscures the work and the accomplishments of women in the course of their immigration. Focusing on a biographical interview with a Turkish woman who came to Germany as a 'guest worker' in 1972, the social history of this labour migration is outlined. Instances of 'biographical work' in the interview are discussed, pointing out the transformation potential of immigrant women's biographies.

The article aims to explore the relationship between biographical work and the strategies of managing precarity (low-paid and unstable employment) and precariousness (insecurity and insta­bility of life conditions in general) in Poland's new capitalism. Poland witnessed the rise of precarity during the entire capitalist transformation after 1989, while the expansion of precarious, temporary, and non-standard employment accelerated in the first two decades of the 21st century. The main the­oretical framework of the article is based on concepts deriving from biographical sociology and was elaborated during a joint workshop with German biographical researcher, Fritz Schütze, within the PREWORK project. The case of a young female shop assistant, Helena, with a difficult family and work background was selected from a larger sample of 63 biographical narrative interviews with precarious young workers in Poland. Based on the case study and the broader context of the research project, it is argued that biographical work may have the potential for questioning and challenging precarity; yet, without necessary biographical and social resources, such a process is hard to be completed. As a result, the paper questions the macrosocial vision of "precariat" as the "class in-the-making" and instead offers a detailed account of the microsocial ways of dealing with precarity by a representative of the most disadvantaged group of precarious young workers.

The contemporary period has seen the emergence of a society where interviews are pervasive: the 'interview society' (Atkinson and Silverman, 1997). Undertaking qualitative research within this 'interview society' has methodological implications for our understanding of the significance of the technology of the interview itself and the analysis of interview data. To date little attention has been afforded to either participants' accounts of interviews or ethnographic study of the significance of the practice of interviewing for participants. Drawing on data of this kind we develop the existing literature by evidencing the disruptiveness of interviewing and the biographical work that underpins the production of interview data. We provide a rare illustration of what isn't always on display for the researcher conducting interviews. Namely, that while we live in an interview society and are familiar with its conventions and customs, interviews can breach the routine meaning making and situated action that characterises daily life.

This paper aims to reconstruct the biographical work (Corbin and Strauss) undertaken by parents of non-normative people. The initiating event of biographical work is the disclosure of a non-normative sexual orientation and/or gender identity by the child. For many parents, this is an event that causes a breakdown of previous schemes of action, a gradual loss of control, and suffering.
The empirical data consist of autobiographical narratives of parents of people with non-normative sexual orientation and/or gender identity. The study involved mothers and fathers residing throughout Poland, who were selected according to the snowball procedure. The data were collected through the narrative interview technique and compiled according to the analytical procedure proposed by Fritz Schütze, which is part of the interpretative research paradigm.
In the course of four parallel biographical processes (contextualizing, coming to terms, reconstituting identity, and recasting biography), the new experience is integrated into the biography, its consequences are understood and accepted, a coherent identity is reconstituted and a new course for one's life are charted. The analysis of the narrators' biographical work has made it possible to identify three categories that organize the course of the parents' lives and identities—stigma, normalization, and activism.

Тhe paper places special emphasis on work of Ljubomir Miletic, whose unique approach and understandings and great efforts have significantly enriched our knowledge of the private lives and work of the "vojvodi" who actively participated in the Ilinden Uprising. He meticulously recorded everything they shared concerning this challenging period in Macedonian history and wrote it in his diaries.In his famous biographical works, he portrayed vividly numerous personal lives and histories, while managing to integrate them in a consistent mosaic that narrates of a historical period of a whole nation. Thus, the book contains whole chapters dedicated to "vojvodi"s' lives and their family histories, which later served the writer to successfully expose important elements of the collective identity of the Macedonians. This becomes especially noticeable in the segments, where he writes in details about the struggle for freedom, and about the aspiration of the Macedonians to establish their own independent state.The value of Miletic biographical writings is enriched by the fact that it includes and combines numerous geographical and topographical descriptions, and elaborates over military actions, which represents a particular historiographical undertaking.

AbstractBiographical work is the process of shaping a cohesive life story by selectively giving meaning to past events. The resulting biographies are not simple recitations of life events but narratives that illuminate what is valued in a person's social context and how the person makes sense of life events and experiences over time. Drawing on 121 interviews from the Religious Leadership and Diversity Project (RLDP), this article investigates biographical work among head clergy of multiracial churches. I find that pastors of multiracial churches pattern their biographies after two predominant formula stories, laying claim to being people who are experienced with diversity and/or experienced with racial injustice. These formula stories reveal institutionalized understandings of biographies acceptable for pastors of multiracial churches that cut across denominational lines. The biographies of these leaders also reveal a shift toward diversity and away from recognition of racial injustice that has implications for the racial structure.

This paper analyses the situation of older female employees in the public service sector in Germany, comparing women with middle‐level qualifications to highly‐qualified women in order to explore the intersection of age, qualification and work–life trajectories. The paper theorizes on the notion of work–life balance as experienced across the life course, supporting a holistic and long‐term focus. In particular two questions are emphasized: What does a 'work–life balance' mean in the biography of older female employees; and how do they balance the different areas of their lives? To explore these further, the concept of 'biographical work–life balance' is introduced. This concept embraces a holistic perspective, which is particularly important for the wellbeing of older workers. The paper aims to show the effect of different social discourses, working biographies and policies on perceived work–life balance over the entire life course based on data from narrative biographical interviews with older female employees in the public service sector in Germany.

Mehr als 90% aller deutschen Unternehmungen sind Familienbetriebe und in etwa einem Fünftel davon vollzieht sich derzeit ein Generationswechsel. Trotz vielfältiger beruflicher Möglichkeiten in einer Multioptionsgesellschaft übernimmt fast die Hälfte der Kinder den Betrieb. Auf der Basis von acht narrativen Interviews wurde in der vorliegenden Arbeit eine biographietheoretische Analyseperspektive auf dieses soziale Phänomen gewählt: In welchen biographischen (Selektions-) Prozess ist die Entscheidung für oder gegen eine Übernahme des Familienbetriebes eingebettet? In fünf Fällen zeigt sich, dass die Position des Nachfolgers, die einem der Kinder von klein auf zugewiesen wurde, besonders strukturwirksam für die Betriebsnachfolge und die Beteiligten ist. Der Generationswechsel in diesen Familienbetrieben lässt sich als Übernahme einer Position charakterisieren. In drei weiteren Fällen zeigt sich, dass die jahrelange Konkurrenz um die Betriebsnachfolge für den Übernahmeprozess und die NachfolgerInnen eine wesentliche Rolle spielt. Der Generationswechsel in diesen Familienbetrieben lässt sich als gewonnener Wettkampf charakterisieren. Die vorgestellten Fallrekonstruktionen zeigen, dass das Thema Gerechtigkeit im Generationswechsel in kleinen Familienbetrieben ein strukturrelevanter Aspekt ist, der in einen lebenslangen Prozess eingeflochten ist und in Form eines Wettbewerbs oder durch das Einnehmen einer Position biographisch bearbeitet wird. Es wird auch deutlich, dass die lange Zeit in weiten Teilen Deutschlands vorherrschende, traditionelle Erbregelung Geschlecht und Altersrang in der Geschwisterfolge dienten als Gerechtigkeitskonzept in Auflösung begriffen ist. Ein Fazit der vorliegenden Untersuchung lautet aber, dass die beiden alternativen Gerechtigkeitskonzepte Interesse oder Leistung , die zunehmend zur Legitimation von Berufswahl und damit ebenso im Zuge der Betriebsübernahmeentscheidung herangezogen werden, auch Gefahren bergen. Daher wird abschließend die These vertreten, dass sowohl der positionale, als auch der wettbewerbsorientierte Generationswechsel in Familienbetrieben veränderte Anerkennungsverhältnisse benötigt, um die Wirksamkeit demokratischer Gerechtigkeitsprinzipien zu ermöglichen: Gegenseitige Wertschätzung der Generationen, Geschlechter und Geschwister für ihr So Sein , ebenso wie für ihre Leistungen und Interessen in jeder Lebensphase. Die Betriebsführung und die Ausrichtung des Betriebes nach der Übernahme sind Ausdruck der biographischen Arbeit der NachfolgerInnen. Durch ihre langjährige, alltägliche Erfahrung mit der Entgrenzung von Familienleben und Arbeitsleben, die nach der industriellen Moderne auch in anderen Arbeitsfelder wieder stärker Einzug hält, lassen sie sich als eine Art gesellschaftlicher Avantgarde beschreiben. Damit eng zusammenhängend können ihre Lebensgeschichten gleichzeitig als Seismographen für die Probleme in der Arbeitswelt gelten: Auf der einen Seite fördert die Erfahrung früher Konkurrenz in allen Lebensbereichen die Entwicklung psychischer Krisen, wie sie auch sonst im Arbeitsleben zu beobachten ist. Auf der anderen Seite fördert die frühe Erfahrung einer positionalen Zuweisung eine eher unflexible, wenig marktorientierte Haltung, die schlecht vorbereitet ist auf den Abbau des Anspruches auf Statuserhalt, wie er derzeit politisch forciert wird. Vor dem Hintergrund der vorgelegten Ergebnisse erscheinen vor allem solche systemisch orientierten, langfristigen Beratungs- und Begleitungsprozesse vorteilhaft, die vom bisher dominierenden Beratungsziel Erhaltung des Betriebes Abstand nehmen und stattdessen in einer dialogischen Zusammenarbeit mit den Akteuren eine neue Balancierung der Anerkennungsverhältnisse unterstützen. ; More than 90% of all German companies are family businesses and in one-fifth of them an alternation of generations is taking place at present. In spite of varied career possibilities in a multi-option society, almost half the children take over the company. Based on eight narrative interviews, a biography-theoretical analysis perspective on this social phenomenon has been selected in this thesis: In which biographical (selection-) process is the decision for or against a takeover of the family business embedded? In five cases it turned out that the position of the successor, assigned to one of the children from an early age, is particularly structural effective for the business succession and the persons concerned. The alternation of generations in this family businesses can be characterized as takeover of a position . Three further cases show that years of competition in the business succession play an essential role for the takeover process and the successors. The alternation of generations in this family businesses can be characterized as won contest . The introduced case reconstructions demonstrate that the theme justice in alternation of generations in small family businesses is a structure-relevant aspect interlaced in a lifelong process and biographical treated in terms of competition or by taking a position. It also becomes apparent that the traditional rule of succession gender and rank by age in birth order served as justice concept prevailing in wide parts of Germany for a long time is in the process of dissolution. A result of this research says that the two alternative justice concepts interest or achievement increasingly pulled up for legitimation of career choice, and so as well in the course of the business succession decision, also hold risks. Therefore, the concluding thesis is held that both positional and competition-oriented alternations of generations in family businesses need changed relations of acceptance to enable the effectiveness of democratic principles of justice: Mutual esteem among generations, gender and siblings for there so being , just as for their efforts and interests in every stage of life. The management and the orientation of the business after the takeover are an expression of the successor s biographical work. By long everyday experience with the dissolution of boundaries between family life and working life, which are entering increasingly into other fields of work after the industrial modernity, they can be described as a kind of social avant-garde. Closely connected with this, their life stories can be classified as seismographs for the problems in the working world: On the one hand the experience of early competition in all areas of life promotes the development of mental crises; observable in the working life as well. On the other hand the early experience with an assignment of a position promotes a more inflexible, less market-oriented attitude which is badly prepared for the reduction of the claim to status maintaining; as it is politically forced at present. Against the background of the presented results, mainly such systemic oriented, long-term processes of advice and assistance appear to be advantageous which are refraining from the prevailing purpose of advice preservation of the business . Instead of that they support a new balancing in the relations of acceptance by a dialogic cooperation with the actors.

After asking what is typical or general in the life history of Hülya as a migrant worker in Germany and what is exceptional or unique (section 1) the biographical processes of her life history up to the most central episodes of her conventional and estranging pre-arranged marriage and her way out of it through divorce after having stayed in Germany for several years will be delineated (section 2). Before reaching this turning point Hülya not only undergoes the 'common' type trajectory of a migrant worker - the trajectory of being a cultural stranger, of being void of language, of being exploited by hardest sorts of work -, but, in addition, her personal biographical development is retarded by the exceptional, but probably not totally untypical experience of being trapped within a situation of compulsory labour (resembling slave labour). For a long time she also feels obliged to remain in her trajectory position of an isolated migrant worker, since originally she had mainly meant to go to Germany in order to support her poverty stricken family back in Turkey with her earnings. Partly based on the fear that she will get self-alienated and 'petrified' like the older women with whom she dwells and works together Hülya accepts a pre-arranged marriage (probably mainly negotiated by her mother) as the only way out of her predicament. But willy-nilly Hülya must learn that she - already embarked on her way to an individualized and emancipated existence - cannot live in such a superimposed arrangement, and therefore she distances herself from her husband through the biographical escape action schemes first of returning to Germany alone and then of pushing ahead her divorce.