Imaging the voluntary actor

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This study presents a counter-note to the prevalent functional analyses of voluntary action in civil society discourse. It argues that while functional approaches effectively describe voluntary action at the sector and organizational levels, they fall short in explaining it at the individual level. Challenges arise from definitional issues surrounding volunteers and voluntary organizations, as well as a demand-sided focus on the organization-individual relationship. A fundamental barrier to understanding human agency in voluntary action is identified as a core issue. Although research increasingly highlights individual reflexivity, value expression, and self-enactment in volunteering, it lacks a cohesive alternative perspective. This study centers on the ‘putative agency’ of individuals, exploring their subjective experiences in voluntary action. An interpretative approach is employed to gather life stories from individuals significantly involved in various Civil Society Organizations. Through narrative analysis, a complex image of the individual as a ‘voluntary actor’ emerges, prompting a reevaluation of the individual-voluntary action relationship. Andrew O’Regan, with a background in History and a decade of experience in Civil Society Organizations in Ireland, now directs the Centre for Nonprofit Management at Trinity College, focusing on individual meaning, social identity, and the role of civil society organizations in so