The life course perspective: origins and development

The main purpose is to present a recount of the emergence and development of the theoretical orientation known as life course; this perspective researches basically how larger historical forces and economic, demographic, social and cultural changes shape individual lives and population aggregates such as cohorts or generations. The general principles and the basic concepts are presented with certain detail and in the final section the main themes studied since the eighties with this theoretical perspective are mentioned. An examination - not comprehensive but representative- of the Anglo-Saxon bibliography was carried out; of course, a variety of references in Spanish are also included, basically from the nineties and the new millennium. This way, providing the reader with a large bibliography that covers theoretical and methodological principles for the life course perspective as well as a diversity of specific themes that study different domains and vital trajectories, represents the second purpose of the article.