Practising participatory geographies: potentials, problems and politics

Participatory approaches have become increasingly popular within geography in recent years, but some would argue that participatory working is both in vogue and in crisis. In this special section of A rea we have drawn together a series of papers to reflect on the complexities, tensions and difficulties that are caught up with the potentials and politics of participatory ways of working and thinking. In this introductory editorial we set out the impetus behind the special section, reflecting on the history of participatory geographies and the contemporary challenges arising from such ways of working. The role of the P articipatory G eographies R esearch G roup as a collective supporting and critically engaging with participatory research is also outlined.