How do social movements shape the people who take part in them, and why does their impact extend beyond the concrete demands they put forward? These questions become particularly pressing at a moment when youth activism and democratic movements across the world are confronting increasingly complex emotional and identity-related dimensions of engagement. Drawing on the Chilean case and a range of qualitative research, the talk will explore the significance of the subjective experience of activism. Particular attention will be paid to those experiences that permeate the emotions, processes of political socialisation, and organisational structures of activists. At the centre of this inquiry is the relationship between activist culture and the inner life of the individual, a dimension that often remains invisible in dominant approaches to the study of social movements.

Karla Henríquez Ojeda is a scholar at the Université catholique de Louvain, where she contributes to both research and teaching. With a background in social psychology and sociology, her work focuses on subjectivity in social movements, with particular attention to emotions and youth activism. She has published numerous scientific articles and edited several books that explore the subjective and political dimensions of social movements, contributing to contemporary debates on civic participation, youth, and social transformation from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective. Her interdisciplinary approach combines theoretical rigour with practical applications in the fields of Human Rights and Memory, aiming to address pressing societal challenges. She also serves on the board of the Thematic Group on Conflict and Peacebuilding of the International Sociological Association.