ABSTRACT
This chapter constitutes an exploratory analysis of the career trajectories and social backgrounds of politicians in Latin America. Building a presidential image requires managing diverse forms of capital and particular historical conjunctures. On the one hand, family networks, education and political socialization in the broadest sense are determinant in terms of one's entrance in politics. The chapter focuses on political careers and political elites, analyzing Latin American presidencies from 1978 to 2015. It presents a brief discussion of the scholarly literature, focusing attention on the links between political capital, leadership and political career patterns. The chapter introduces data to identify trends, regularities, and differences in terms of politicians' profiles, based on education and family background. It also focuses on political careers from arrival to the presidency until after departure, before presenting our closing reflections. The chapter then focuses on the importance of political experience and the professionalization of politics, paying particular attention to the differences between presidential and parliamentary careers.
