As a social scientist who does work on human-bird relations I thought it might be useful to start a thread detailing work, particularly recent stuff, in the social sciences and humanities that is to do with birds or of interest to birders. These days it seems to be more and more commonplace for researchers in these fields to write about birds but I guess that the wider world probably still isn't too aware of most of what's being published. If others would like to add stuff then feel free to do so - I'm sure I'll find out about new stuff I'm unaware of. Here are a few to start things off.
Thom van Dooren (2014) 'Flight Ways: Life and Loss at the Edge of Extinction":
http://thomvandooren.org/publications/flight-ways/
Etienne Benson (2010) 'Wired Wilderness: Technologies of Tracking and the Making of Modern Wildlife'
http://etiennebenson.com/wiredwilderness/
Helen Macdonald. 2002. ‘What makes you a scientist is the way you look at things’: ornithology and the observer 1930-1955. Stud. Hist. Phil. Biol. & Biomed. Sci. 33 (2002) 53–77.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848601000346
Very good article about the development of the BTO and 'citizen science' observational birding, by the author of 'H is for Hawk'.
Sophia Davis (2011) 'Militarised natural history: Tales of the avocet’s return to postwar Britain'
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848610001202
Rebecca Ellis (2011) ‘Jizz and the joy of pattern recognition: virtuosity, discipline and the agency of insight in UK naturalists’ arts of seeing’. Social Studies of Science 41 (6): 769-790.
http://sss.sagepub.com/content/41/6/769.short
Not actually about birds (about byrologists) but a good discussion of jizz.
John Law, & Michael Lynch. 1988. ‘Lists, field guides, and the descriptive organization of seeing: birdwatching as an exemplary observational activity’. Human Studies 11: 271-303.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00177306?LI=true
An oldie but a goody.
Rebecca Mundy. 2009. ‘Birdsong and the image of evolution’ Society and Animals 17: 206-223.
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/156853009x445389
Merle Patchett. 2012. ‘On necro-ornithology, monstrosity and botched birds’. Antennae 20: 9-26.
http://www.antennae.org.uk/download/i/mark_dl/u/4012379076/4607883749/ANTENNAE ISSUE 20.docx.pdf
Richard Nelson. 1983. Make prayers to the raven: a Koyukon view of the northern forest. London: University of Chicago Press.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3630601.html
A classic ethnography.
Mark Bonta. 2003. Seven names for the bellbird: conservation geography in Honduras. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
http://www.tamupress.com/product/Seven-Names-for-the-Bellbird,22.aspx
Nice account of people's relations with birds in Honduras.
Mark Bonta. 2010. “Ornithophilia: thoughts on geography in birding.” Geographical Review 100:2 139-151.
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w440035/Materials/BontaGEOGRREVIEW2010.pdf
Celia Lowe 2010. ‘Viral clouds: becoming H5N1 in Indonesia’. Cultural Anthropology 25 (4): 625-649.
Jamie Lorimer. 2008. “Counting corncrakes: the affective science of the UK corncrake census”. Social Studies of Science 38(3): 377-405.
http://sss.sagepub.com/content/38/3/377.short
Kay Milton. 2000. Ducks out of water: nature conservation as boundary maintenance. In J. Knight (ed.) Natural enemies: people – wildlife conflicts in anthropological perspective. London: Routledge.
Thom van Dooren (2014) 'Flight Ways: Life and Loss at the Edge of Extinction":
http://thomvandooren.org/publications/flight-ways/
Etienne Benson (2010) 'Wired Wilderness: Technologies of Tracking and the Making of Modern Wildlife'
http://etiennebenson.com/wiredwilderness/
Helen Macdonald. 2002. ‘What makes you a scientist is the way you look at things’: ornithology and the observer 1930-1955. Stud. Hist. Phil. Biol. & Biomed. Sci. 33 (2002) 53–77.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848601000346
Very good article about the development of the BTO and 'citizen science' observational birding, by the author of 'H is for Hawk'.
Sophia Davis (2011) 'Militarised natural history: Tales of the avocet’s return to postwar Britain'
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848610001202
Rebecca Ellis (2011) ‘Jizz and the joy of pattern recognition: virtuosity, discipline and the agency of insight in UK naturalists’ arts of seeing’. Social Studies of Science 41 (6): 769-790.
http://sss.sagepub.com/content/41/6/769.short
Not actually about birds (about byrologists) but a good discussion of jizz.
John Law, & Michael Lynch. 1988. ‘Lists, field guides, and the descriptive organization of seeing: birdwatching as an exemplary observational activity’. Human Studies 11: 271-303.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00177306?LI=true
An oldie but a goody.
Rebecca Mundy. 2009. ‘Birdsong and the image of evolution’ Society and Animals 17: 206-223.
http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/156853009x445389
Merle Patchett. 2012. ‘On necro-ornithology, monstrosity and botched birds’. Antennae 20: 9-26.
http://www.antennae.org.uk/download/i/mark_dl/u/4012379076/4607883749/ANTENNAE ISSUE 20.docx.pdf
Richard Nelson. 1983. Make prayers to the raven: a Koyukon view of the northern forest. London: University of Chicago Press.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3630601.html
A classic ethnography.
Mark Bonta. 2003. Seven names for the bellbird: conservation geography in Honduras. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
http://www.tamupress.com/product/Seven-Names-for-the-Bellbird,22.aspx
Nice account of people's relations with birds in Honduras.
Mark Bonta. 2010. “Ornithophilia: thoughts on geography in birding.” Geographical Review 100:2 139-151.
http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w440035/Materials/BontaGEOGRREVIEW2010.pdf
Celia Lowe 2010. ‘Viral clouds: becoming H5N1 in Indonesia’. Cultural Anthropology 25 (4): 625-649.
Jamie Lorimer. 2008. “Counting corncrakes: the affective science of the UK corncrake census”. Social Studies of Science 38(3): 377-405.
http://sss.sagepub.com/content/38/3/377.short
Kay Milton. 2000. Ducks out of water: nature conservation as boundary maintenance. In J. Knight (ed.) Natural enemies: people – wildlife conflicts in anthropological perspective. London: Routledge.