This chapter introduces The Oxford Handbook of Political Participation. One of the aims of this Handbook

is to bring together two research traditions from political science and sociology, bridging research in

political sociology and social movement studies, thus further developing the links between the

disciplines that have only recently begun to emerge. After delimiting the boundaries of the subject

matter by addressing definitional matters, the chapter presents the content of the Handbook by

discussing a number of key issues in the study of political participation: how this topic is addressed by

different disciplines and from different theoretical arguments; the variety of methodological

approaches scholars adopts to study it; the different modes of participation; the role of context; the

determinants and process of political participation; its macro-level and micro-level outcomes; and

some current trends and future directions.