This book gathers the expertise of those researching women and politics in Ireland - both North and South - into a single, comprehensive and accessible textbook on the topic. Contributors are drawn from both academic and activist arenas to bring a multidisciplinary approach to the subject. Contesting Politics examines the central issues of women and the political parties and representation, the relationship between the women's movement and community-based women's groups in Ireland, and women's participation in public bodies and the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. The text will be invaluable in women's studies and Irish studies courses as well as within political science.