The Many Meanings of Participation

I have been thinking about the word participation. It can mean so many different things. When talking to others it quickly becomes clear that different people can see participation in a variety of ways. This is not a problem - it is interesting and part of the richness of the idea.

I am not necessarily thinking here about firm definitions of participation. They can be helpful but often they only describe one dimension of the term. So I have taken a step back and begun to think what I mean by participation. Is it a concept? Is it a set of tools? Is it a value? Is it something else too?

One way I find it helpful to think about ideas is to use a mind map. I like the fact that maps do not have to be linear. This allows them to capture the complexity and diversity of a term.

So here is my map of participation. I don't think it is exhaustive by any means. But it does start to help me think of the different areas and levels participation can cover.

Click to see a larger version of the map.