Historical Narratives and Collective Action: Young People's Accounts of the October 2019 Protests in Chile

ABSTRACT This qualitative study examines how young people from marginalised sectors in Chile construct historical narratives about the October 2019 protests and identifies key elements that may foster future collective action. Based on interviews with nine participants (aged 24–29), the analysis reveals: (a) a narrative trajectory that begins in a negatively evaluated context—characterised by precarity, submission and individualism—and progresses toward experiences of solidarity and community organisation, before diverging during the constituent process, perceived either as a continuation of transformative momentum or as a moment of stagnation following the COVID‐19 pandemic; and (b) the incorporation of motivational frameworks that could encourage collective mobilisation, such as perceptions of relative deprivation, attribution of responsibility, beliefs in collective efficacy—particularly at the community level—and group normative content. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of distinguishing between perceptions of efficacy at the community and institutional levels, proposing the integration of these multi‐level dynamics into future models of collective action.