Vol. 16 No. 31 (2025): Gender in Youth Participation: Styles, Practices, Cultures
Articles

Biographical Work in Queer Volunteering. Findings from a Case Study on German Young Adults

PDF
  • Patrick Leinhos
Patrick Leinhos
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-15964

Published 2025-08-08

Keywords

  • biography,
  • meaning,
  • biographical work,
  • queer,
  • volunteering

How to Cite

Leinhos, P. (2025). Biographical Work in Queer Volunteering. Findings from a Case Study on German Young Adults. SocietàMutamentoPolitica, 16(31), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.36253/smp-15964

Copyright (c) 2025 Patrick Leinhos

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

While research has revealed subjective, biographical and identity-related meanings of volunteering, gendered perspectives have not yet been given a central focus. Little is known about the impact that volunteering has on construction of (gendered) biographies. The present study aims to address this research gap by undertaking a biography-analytical study of young adults involved in queer volunteering, exploring the influence of queer volunteering on the (gendered) construction of their biography. By using the documentary method of interpretation, relations between queer volunteering and the biographies of the volunteers were reconstructed. In this article, the central ways in which the biographies of queer activists are presented in their biographical interviews are firstly presented and reflected upon. All the cases in the underlying sample use theorising and argumentative modes to construct their biographical self-representations. Then, the manner in which young adults engage in biographical work is reconstructed. To conclude these aspects, queer volunteering contexts are discussed as spaces for biographical work. In queer volunteering contexts, volunteers are able to identify themselves, develop the necessary competences to deal with everyday challenges, regain their agency, find visible role models and thus opportunities and anchors for biographisation.

PDF

References

  1. Bartmann S. and Kunze K. (2008), «Biographisierungsleistungen in Form von Argumentationen als Zugang zur (Re-)Konstruktion von Erfahrung», in H. v. Felden (eds.), Perspektiven erziehungswissenschaftlicher Biographieforschung, VS Verlag, Wiesbaden, pp. 177-192.
  2. Beemyn B.G. and Rankin S. (2011), The Lives of Transgender People, Columbia University Press, New York.
  3. Behrens S. (2023), «How perception of agency influences young people’s activism in the UK», in B. Percy-Smith, N. Thomas, C. O’Kane and A. Twum-Danso Imoh (eds.), A handbook of children and young people’s participation. Conversations for transformational change, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon, pp. 199-207.
  4. Biester E., Holland-Cunz B. and Sauer B. (1994), Demokratie oder Androkratie? Theorie und Praxis demokratischer Herrschaft in der feministischen Diskussion, Campus, Frankfurt a. M..
  5. Bohnsack R. (2014), «Documentary Method», in U. Flick (eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, SAGE, Los Angeles, pp. 217-233.
  6. Bohnsack R., Pfaff N. and Weller W. (2010), Qualitative Analysis and Documentary Method. In International Educational Research, Barbara Budrich, Leverkusen-Opladen.
  7. Bröckling U. (2015), The entrepreneurial self. Fabricating a new type of subject, SAGE, London.
  8. Fischer-Rosenthal W. (2000), «Biographical work and biographical structuring in present-day societies», in P. Chamberlayne, J. Bornat and T. Wengraf (eds.), The Turn to Biographical Methods in Social Science. Comparative Issues and Examples, Taylor and Francis, Hoboken, pp. 109–125.
  9. Frankel S. and Mountford M. (2021), «In search of meaningful participation: Making connections between emotions and learning», in Emotion, Space and Society, 39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emospa.2021.100787.
  10. Goldbach J.T. and Gibbs J. (2015), «Strategies employed by sexual minority adolescents to cope with minority stress», in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2(3): 297-306. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000124.
  11. Göth M. and Kohn R. (2014), Sexuelle Orientierung. in Psychotherapie und Beratung, Springer, Berlin.
  12. Grasso M. and Smith, K. (2022), «Gender inequalities in political participation and political engagement among young people in Europe: Are young women less politically engaged than young men?», in Politics, 42(1): 39-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/02633957211028813.
  13. Hiestand K.R. and Levitt H.M. (2005), «Butch Identity Development: The Formation of an Authentic Gender», in Feminism & Psychology, 15(1): 61-85. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353505049709.
  14. Hillebrand K., Zenner K., Schmidt T., Kühnel W. and Willems H. (2015), Politisches Engagement und Selbstverständnis linksaffiner Jugendlicher, Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
  15. Hirschle J. and Kleiner T.-M. (2016), «Tradierte und kommodifizierte Formen sozialer Partizipation», in Soziale Welt, 67(1): 43-66. https://doi.org/10.5771/0038-6073-2016-1-43.
  16. Klapeer C.M. (2020), Lernprozesse und Demokratiebildung von Kindern und Jugendlichen in LSBTTIQ*-Bewegungskontexten, Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI), München.
  17. Krell C. and Oldemeier K. (2018), Coming-out – und dann…?! Coming-out-Verläufe und Diskriminierungserfahrungen von lesbischen, schwulen, bisexuellen, trans und queeren Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen in Deutschland, Barbara Budrich, Bonn.
  18. Leinhos P. (2024), «Biographischer Stellenwert queeren Engagements», in Voluntaris: Zeitschrift für Freiwilligendienste und zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement, 12(1): 11-27. https://doi.org/10.5771/2196-3886-2024-2-11.
  19. Mažeikienė N. (2012), «Empowerment by doing biographical work and through biographical research», in Social Work. Experience and Methods, 9(1): 129-152.
  20. McMahon G., Liljeholm Hansson S., von Schwanenflügel L., Lütgens J. and Ilardo M. (2020), «Participation biographies: meaning-making, identity-work and the self», in A. Walther, J. Batsleer, P. Loncle and A. Pohl (eds.), Young people and the struggle for participation. Contested practices, power and pedagogies in public spaces, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 161–175.
  21. Munsch C. (2011), «Engagement und soziale Ungleichheit», in T. Olk and B. Hartnuß (eds.), Handbuch Bürgerschaftliches Engagement, Beltz Juventa, Weinheim, pp. 747–757.
  22. Nohl A.M. (2022), Politische Sozialisation, Protest und Populismus. Erkundungen am Rande der repräsentativen Demokratie, Juventa, Weinheim.
  23. Oevermann U. (1988), «Eine exemplarische Fallrekonstruktion zum Typus versozialwissenschaftlichter Identitätsformation», in H.-G. Brose and B. Hildenbrand (eds.), Vom Ende des Individuums zur Individualität ohne Ende, Leske + Budrich, Opladen, pp. 243–286.
  24. Oldemeier K., Timmermanns, S. (2023), «Systematisierung ressourcenorientierter Perspektiven auf die Lebenswelten queerer Menschen», in M. Mittertrainer, K. Oldemeier and B. Thiessen (eds.), Diversität und Diskriminierung. Analysen und Konzepte, Springer VS, Wiesbaden, pp. 181–197.
  25. Pais J.M. (2008), «Young People, Citizenship and Leisure», in R. Bendit and M. Hahn-Bleibtreu (eds.), Youth transitions. Processes of social inclusion and patterns of vulnerability in a globalised world, Barbara Budrich, Opladen, pp. 227–244.
  26. Percy-Smith B., Thomas N.P., Batsleer J. and Forkby T. (2020), «Everyday pedagogies: new perspectives on youth participation, social learning and citizenship», in A. Walther, J. Batsleer, P. Loncle and A. Pohl (eds.), Young people and the struggle for participation. Contested practices, power and pedagogies in public spaces, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 179–198.
  27. Pitti I., Mengilli Y. and Walther A. (2021), «Liminal Participation: Young People’s Practices in the Public Sphere Between Exclusion, Claims of Belonging, and Democratic Innovation», in Youth & Society, 55(1): 143-162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X211040848.
  28. Rietzke T. and Galuske M. (2008), Lebensalter und soziale Arbeit. Band 4: Junges Erwachsenenalter, Schneider Hohengehren, Baltmannsweiler.
  29. Rosenthal G. (2004), «Biographical research», in C. Seale, G. Gobo and J.F. Gubrium (eds.), Qualitative research practice, SAGE, London, pp. 48–64.
  30. Sauer B. (1999), «Democracy or Androcracy? Theories of Political Participation in Feminist Perspective», in Losers of the «Wende» – winners of the EU. participation of women: chances and effects of the transformation process, pp. 25–33, Austrian Political Science Association, Wien.
  31. Schmidt H. (2023), «‚Unordentliches Erzählen‘. Anmerkungen zur Rekonstruktion ‚kleiner‘, ‚unvollständiger‘ oder ‚inkohärenter‘ Erzählungen in der Sozialpädagogik und Kriminologie», in Soziale Passagen, 15: 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12592-023-00467-3.
  32. Schütze F. (1983), «Biographieforschung und narratives Interview», in Neue Praxis, 13(3): 283-293.
  33. Schütze F. (2006), «Hülya’s migration to Germany as self-sacrifice undergone and suffered in love for her parents, and her later biographical individualisation. Biographical problems and biographical work of marginalisation and individualisation of a young Turkish woman in Germany», in Historical Social Research, 31(3): 107-126. https://doi.org/10.12759/HSR.31.2006.3.107-126.
  34. Schütze F. (2014), «Kollektiva in der Identitätsentwicklung», in D. Garz and B. Zizek (eds.), Wie wir zu dem werden, was wir sind. Sozialisations-, biographie- und bildungstheoretische Aspekte, Springer VS, Wiesbaden, pp. 115–188.
  35. Schütze F. (2016), «Biography Analysis on the Empirical Base of Autobiographical Narratives», in Id. (eds.), Sozialwissenschaftliche Prozessanalyse. Grundlagen der qualitativen Sozialforschung, Budrich, Berlin, pp. 75–116.
  36. Shabel P.N. and Montenegro H. (2023) «Asamblea de Niñas: exploring the bonds between children’s participation and the feminist movement in Buenos Aires», in B. Percy-Smith, N. Thomas, C. O’Kane and A. Twum-Danso Imoh (eds.), A Handbook of Children and Young People’s participation. Conversations for Transformational Change, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 215–221.
  37. Siltanen J. and Stanworth M. (1984), Women and the Public Sphere. A Critque of Sociology and Politics, Taylor & Francis, Milton.
  38. Spies T. (2018), «Subjekt und Subjektivierung. Perspektiven (in) der Biographieforschung», in A. Geimer, S. Amling and S. Bosančić (eds.), Subjekt und Subjektivierung. Empirische und theoretische Perspektiven auf Subjektivierungsprozesse, Springer VS, Wiesbaden, pp. 87–110.
  39. Spies T. and Tuider E. (2017), Biographie und Diskurs. Methodisches Vorgehen und Methodologische Verbindungen, Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
  40. Vogler T. (2022), Das politische Subjekt des queeren Aktivismus. Diskurs- und Akteurskonstellationen queerer Politiken im deutschsprachigen, Transcript, Bielefeld.
  41. von Schwanenflügel L. (2015), Partizipationsbiographien Jugendlicher. Zur subjektiven Bedeutung von Partizipation im Kontext sozialer Ungleichheit, Springer VS, Wiesbaden.
  42. von Schwanenflügel L., Lütgens J., McMahon G. and Liljeholm Hansson S. (2019), «Participation Biographies: Routes and relevancies of young people’s participation», in Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung, 4: 431-445. https://doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v14i0.0.
  43. Vromen A. (2003), «Recent research Politicizing community: the private sphere and political participation», in Contemporary Politics, 9(4): 371-395. https://doi.org/10.1080/1356977032000172872.