Level of Recalibration: Via Redefinition, Recognition, and Negotiation

Abstract

Following the formative level, this chapter concentrates on how the marker is reincluded in the political trajectories of the interviewed politicians. The analysis of the empirical material indicates that the marker suddenly appears in the narration when interviewees begin to situate themselves in their careers as elected politicians as opposed to electoral candidates. This reappearance has a dual character; on the one hand, a redefinition of the marker with positive connotations is observed, in contrast to the negative connotations in the context of recruitment. On the other hand, the marker is positioned as a factor in the lives of interviewees that pushes them towards strategies of compensation as an incentive for further development. Thus, it is clear that the transformative level implicates strategies of marker management deployed in the effort to advance political careers.