The aim of this introduction to the special issue is to call into question the presumed conceptual divide between volunteering and civic action and suggest an analytical tool and four perspectives that bring to light the varying meanings of popular engagement. Volunteering and civic action are laden with different moral meanings, are associated with different theoretical approaches and, just as important, have been assigned different roles in society. This conceptual divide is reflected in the academic debate. Only rarely, however, has the academic debate explored and discussed how the meaning of volunteering and civic action has changed historically. Therefore, we argue for a contextual and relational interpretation of the different forms of popular engagement instead of the application of essentialist definitions of volunteering and civic action. In order to examine the variety of popular engagement without being caught up in pre-made or takenfor-granted conceptualisations of volunteering and civic action as two separate forms of popular engagement, we propose approaching variations of popular engagement with respect to two criteria: first, to what degree popular engagement is enacted in institutionalised spheres of politics or in social public spheres and, second, to what degree actions of popular engagement are controversial or operating in line with what is widely agreed upon and dominant in public opinion. Moreover, we argue that history, discourses, politics and a relational approach are four crucial perspectives in order to reveal the varying meanings of popular engagement.

Adalbert Evers

Johan von Essen

VOLUNTAS International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations

The official journal of the International Society for Third-Sector Research, Voluntas is an interdisciplinary international journal that aims to be the central forum for worldwide research in the area between the state, market, and household sectors. The journal combines full-length articles with shorter research notes (reflecting the latest developments in the field) and book reviews. Voluntas is essential reading for all those engaged in research into the Third Sector (voluntary and nonprofit organizations) including economists, lawyers, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and social and public policy analysts. It aims to present leading-edge academic argument around civil society issues in a style that is accessible to practitioners and policymakers.

Voluntas is the official journal of the International Society for Third-Sector Research, aiming to be the central forum for global research at the intersection of the state, market, and household sectors. This interdisciplinary international journal combines full-length articles with shorter research notes that reflect the latest developments in the field, as well as book reviews. Voluntas is essential reading for all those engaged in research into the Third Sector (voluntary and nonprofit organizations), including economists, lawyers, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, and social and public policy analysts. The journal aims to present leading-edge academic arguments around civil society issues in a style that is accessible to practitioners and policymakers.

《Voluntas》是国际第三部门研究学会的官方期刊，旨在成为全球在国家、市场和家庭部门之间研究的核心论坛。这本跨学科的国际期刊结合了完整的研究文章、反映该领域最新发展的短篇研究笔记和书评。《Voluntas》是所有从事第三部门（志愿和非营利组织）研究的学者必读的期刊，包括经济学家、律师、政治科学家、心理学家、社会学家以及社会和公共政策分析师。期刊旨在以易于实践者和政策制定者理解的风格，呈现关于公民社会问题的前沿学术论点。

Category	Quartile
社会学	2
社会学, 社会问题	3

Volunteering and Civic Action: Boundaries Blurring, Boundaries Redrawn

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
SOCIAL ISSUES	1