From activists to experts: keys for the study of becoming militant in the configuration of the human right's field in contemporary Chile

Although the value assigned by the social sciences and the humanities to the human rights movement in Latin America as one of the explanatory elements for the transition from authoritarian governments to new democracies –and their consolidation– is noteworthy, not enough attention has been paid to the social conditions of production and reproduction over time of human rights activism, apart from a vague presupposition that a kinship relationship with victims of state terrorism would be at stake in the support and mobilisation of its members. Thus, militant commitment to the cause and collective action in this field appear as given, with the process of approach, entry, permanence, development, exit and eventual reincorporation –the “becoming militant” in the human rights movement– remaining uninvestigated. This paper aims to contribute to some key lines of access to this research field that allow us to overcome the "family model" matrix of understanding.