Birds behaving badly: the regulation of seagulls and the construction of public space

Trotter, Sarah (2019) Birds behaving badly: the regulation of seagulls and the construction of public space. Journal of Law and Society, 46 (1). pp. 1-28. ISSN 0263-323X

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Abstract

This article is about the socio-legal construction of one of the least-loved birds in the United Kingdom: the ?seagull'. In particular, it is about how the gull has been brought within the realm of the ?anti-social', in a context in which urban-nesting gulls (of which there are many in the United Kingdom) are cast as causing a great deal of public nuisance, ranging from noise, aggression, and mess, to attacks, injuries, and stress. The article examines the measures adopted by local authorities to regulate the gull population ? and to regulate people, in the name of regulating gulls ? and shows how a construction of the ?seagull? underpins and justifies this regulatory framework. It argues that the story of the regulation of seagulls in the United Kingdom is also a story about the construction of public space, to the point that the measures adopted here challenge the very idea of public space.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2019 The Author. Journal of Law and Society © Cardiff University Law School
Divisions:	Law
Subjects:	K Law > K Law (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date Deposited:	26 Feb 2019 09:51
Last Modified:	26 Mar 2024 23:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/100130

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