The Ones Who Put Their Chests in Front of the Bullets: A Microstructural Analysis of Colombia's Primera Línea and Their Path to Activism

Abstract

In recent years, massive mobilizations have taken place worldwide as neoliberal governments fail to ensure democratic rights and basic living conditions. In Colombia in 2021, an event unprecedented in the last decade transformed the course of national policy. Thousands mobilized in a national strike that witnessed the formation of a new political actor: the Primeras Líneas. This article represents one of the first attempts to understand the formation and dynamics of these groups. Taking the Primera Línea of Puerto Resistencia in Cali as a case study and using narrative interviews, this study analyzes the factors and mechanisms shaping members' pathways to activism (i.e., political transformation). Treating these protests as eventful (della Porta 2008, 2020) and applying Fillieule's (2023) activist career model, this paper highlights three key findings. First, previous involvement in violent networks and contexts equipped actors with resources essential for participation in this contentious episode. Second, recruitment in Social Movement Organizations can occur spontaneously, relying on actors' individual traits and resources without preexisting organizational ties. Third, emotional and contextual factors influence how actors perceive risk and make decisions about engaging in action. This research examines the cognitive, affective, and relational effects of these protests in shaping Primera Línea members' subsequent perceptions of politics and political engagement.