Introduction
This chapter sets the scene for the book by noting the political and policy salience of issues around voluntary action in contemporary Britain before providing an overview of the literature on how and why people volunteer. The chapter acknowledges the diversity of definitions of volunteering and consdiers methodological challenges associated with the measurement of this activity. The debates on voluntary action to which this book contributes – the dominant paradigm, serious leisure and civil society perspectives will be outlined. This is followed by a consideration of interpretations of the meanings of and motivations for volunteering. The chapter, and book more widely, advocates a lifecourse approach, providing a longitudinal perspective on the place of volunteering in people’s lives. The chapter concludes with an outline of the key sources of data – particularly the rich qualitative material from the Mass Observation Project (MOP).