Re-embedding volunteering: in search of a new collective ground

In Western European societies, there recently has been a growing concern about individualisation and its consequences for volunteering. While the prevailing diagnosis is of a ‘dis-embedment’ of volunteering, we focus on a less recognised process of ‘re-embedding’ that aims to counter and/or better accommodate the individualising forces in society. We advance a new conceptual framework that identifies main rationales, actors and strategies. To conclude, we critically reflect on how the process of re-embedding might blur the traditional boundaries of what is definitely considered volunteering, and may even warrant a shift in terminology.