Paper Short Abstract:

Feral pigeons are despised as well as adored. Looking at their relationships with people, but also at feral pigeons' connections with other species, is crucial in redefining the position of both people and non-humans. I will discuss more-than-human research I conduct in the city of Poznań, Poland.

Paper Abstract:

The attitude of people towards feral pigeons is extremely diverse, which results in many different social interactions between these species in cities. In my research, I watch a lot of different kinds of connections between humans and feral pigeons, as well as pigeons with other beings. Feral pigeons engage in socialities (Tsing 2013) that I try to be attentive to. As Ingold (2013) argued, sociality does not have to be limited to just one species, and therefore I will focus on places where different (multi-species) interactions form rather than one species only. A particular place also affects the type of connections we are in, and this is crucial in shaping the urban space. Tsing (2013) noted that social theory could be also extended to non-vital things. Being sensitive to the social world of feral pigeons allows us to notice how human forms and planning affect lives of other city dwellers. Understanding this is crucial, in future more-than-human urban planning. I will discuss why we should redefine the position of people and let feral pigeons and other more than human beings co-create cities and other spaces we live in. This talk will be based on a more-than-human research about feral pigeons' sociality I conduct in the city of Poznań, Poland.