Critiquing participatory video: experiences from around the world

Over the past decade there has been a growing interest in participatory video, but accounts have often been celebratory and uncritical. At the same time there has been an ever-increasing multiplicity of interpretations, thus making participatory video seem ‘nebulous’ and ‘perplexing’. This special section seeks to develop some of the critiques developed over the past five years, by bringing together a series of provocative thought pieces. Through this special section we seek to continue to develop a critique of participatory video as both a methodology and method. We also call on researchers, practitioners and participants to commit to engaging in rigorous public debate and intellectual critique in order to strengthen the field. Publisher Statement: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bek, D, Binns, T, Blokker, T, McEwan, C & Hughes, A 2016, 'A high road to sustainability? Wildflower harvesting, ethical trade and social upgrading in South Africa’s Western Cape' Journal of Agrarian Change, vol 17, no. 3, pp. 459-479, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/area.12271 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.