ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the seeds of engagement with politically violent organisations in the lives of former Portuguese militants. The motivation to engage with a politically violent organisation combines both individual and contextual factors. Engagement with a politically violent organisation tends to happen in times of socio-political turmoil, which can introduce and socialise ordinary individuals to violent actions and strategies. The chapter shows that engagement-prone identity positions are influenced not only by the political awareness that develops in the life, but also by former militants' perceptions of the political establishment of the time. Committing to a politically violent organisation was described as a process that occurred over time and was influenced by the interaction of specific contextual factors. The dictatorial regime, for example, shaped politically aware people who committed themselves to fighting it, as well as politically aware people who committed themselves to defending it.
