What is the reality of what it is to participate in associations, such as sports clubs, charities, trade unions, or political parties? This book explores the complexities surrounding the right of association from a legal and philosophical perspective.Legal chapters explore how the right is protected in jurisdictions as diverse as Chile, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Slovenia, T rkiye and the United Kingdom, alongside thematic chapters on judicial review, associational schism and the lived experience of associational participation. Philosophical chapters employ social ontology to illuminate the nature of group interaction and the reality of associational life. Offering the first interdisciplinary examination of freedom of association, this collection contributes significantly to our understanding of this fundamental right.