«The revolution was faster than us» Paths of Leftist Politicization between Tunisia and Exile

Under Ben Ali’s rule, leftist political movements were largely demobilized. Yet, a generation of young left-wing activists was quietly forging its own political space, engaging with politics through their everyday lives, families’ political and affective practices, clandestine networks, and interactions within their immediate social environments. This generation swiftly turned politically active during the 2010-2011 Tunisian uprisings, both in the country and in the diaspora, revealing how political structures endure, transform and are reinterpreted even during periods of apparent inaction. In the years that followed, major political transformations continued to shape the trajectories of these leftist activists, with some leaving Tunisia and joining the diaspora. While extensive research has explored experiences of exile in the post-2011 SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) uprisings, Tunisia’s case remains largely underexplored. This work contributes to address this gap, by tracing leftist activists’ political, affective, and intimate trajectories across multiple, often overlapping processes of political socialization, from the dictatorship to their present experiences of exile. Drawing on multi-sited fieldwork conducted primarily in Paris, with additional research in Tunis and in various locations across France, Germany, and Italy, this study explores how these leftist activists navigate their evolving relationships with space, affective ties, and political learning. It integrates diverse sources, including life-history interviews, ethnographic observations, unstructured interviews, and archival and digital materials.This study ultimately seeks to show how these activists’ trajectories continue to be political even during periods of apparent quiescence or invisible action – whether under Ben Ali’s dictatorship, in the post-revolutionary phase of disenchantment, or in exile. It reveals how political formations are continuously transmitted through the affective, cognitive, mnemonic, and emotional fabric of society, offering new empirical insights into Tunisia’s often-overlooked leftist movements. Finally, by revealing both continuities and ruptures in activists’ trajectories, this study contributes to broader debates on politicization, exploring the interplay between political events, affective histories, and social actors’ evolving interpretations of the present.