Participatory Geographies Research Group

The Participatory Geographies Research Group (PyGyRG) is a collective whose members aim to raise the profile and perceived value, and further the understanding and use of participatory approaches, methods, tools and principles within academic geography and beyond.

The specific aims of the group are to:

• Explore the meaning and implications of geographies which are ‘participatory’ in nature
• Enhance understanding and the deployment of participatory principles
• Stimulate and develop critical debate about participatory approaches to research, decision making, and learning within and beyond geography
• Use participatory approaches as tools for encouraging debates on geography and ethics and a greater focus on social and economic justice and environmental sustainability
• Encourage the development of collaborative links within and beyond the academy in participatory ways
• Expand involvement in higher education geography
• Widen the range of what are considered to be legitimate geographical knowledges

Read more about news and activities at the PyGyRG website.

2011 dissertation prize winner

The 2011 PyGyRG undergraduate dissertation prize winner was Jennifer Baker (University of Edinburgh) for a dissertation titled Disasters, Citizen Participation and Community Empowerment: Insights from a Cumbrian Flood.

Find out more about Research Group awards and prizes for dissertations.