ABSTRACT
In this chapter we put forward socio-theoretical arguments in order to explain how a specific strand of biographical research, reconstructive biographical research (RBR), intersects with the critical realist approach to relational mechanisms. In particular, we delve into Archer’s concept of the “relational subject” in order to clarify one of the main contributions of RBR, namely “latent meaning structures”. The working hypothesis we propose is that through agents’ practical engagement with the world’s objects, a “surplus of meaning” is created, which constitutes their biographical stock of knowledge. This functions as the pre-reflective generative structure of the agent’s biography and sustains the coherence of his/her biographical identity. In addition, the role of the temporal, relational and contextual formation of self is highlighted.
