The Oven Bird's Song: Insiders, Outsiders, and Personal Injuries in an American Community

Authors

David M. Engel, University at Buffalo School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1984

Rights

Abstract

In "Sander County" Illinois, concerns about litigiousness in the local population tended to focus on personal injury suits, although such cases were very rarely brought. This article explores the roots of these concerns in the ideology of the rural community and in the reactions of many residents to social, cultural, and economic changes that created a pervasive sense of social disintegration and loss. Personal injury claims are contrasted with contract actions, which were far more numerous yet were generally viewed with approval and did not give rise to perceptions of litigiousness or greed. The distinction is explained in terms of changing conceptions of the community itself and in terms of the problematic relationships between "insiders" and "outsiders" in Sander County.

DOI

10.2307/3053447

Publication Title

Law & Society Review

First Page

551

Last Page

582

Comments

© 1984 Law and Society Association

Required Text

© 1984 Law and Society Association

Recommended Citation

David M. Engel, The Oven Bird's Song: Insiders, Outsiders, and Personal Injuries in an American Community, 18 Law & Soc'y Rev. 551 (1984).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/journal_articles/489