New Books Network Katrina Navickas, "Contested Commons: A History of Protest and Public Space in England" (Reaktion, 2025)
Dec 14, 2025
Katrina Navickas, a Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire, dives deep into the history of protest and public spaces in England. She reveals how iconic locations like Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park transformed from common ground to contested spaces under restrictive policing. Navickas explores the connections between historical protests, from the Suffragettes to modern-day movements, and discusses ongoing struggles for public access and the right to protest in an increasingly regulated environment.
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Public Space Is Restricted Not Universal
- Public space appears open but is tightly restricted by laws, policing, and social norms.
- Katrina Navickas shows the right to protest is shaped by legal and cultural limits, not pure openness.
Commons Were Never Fully Shared
- Commons historically meant shared use but always carried limits on who could exercise rights.
- Navickas traces how urbanisation and land sales in the 19th century reduced everyday people’s access to commons.
Enclosure Turned Waste Into Market Land
- 'Waste' described uncultivated land that was prime for 19th-century enclosure and sale.
- Enclosure involved removing local common rights, fencing parcels, and often selling to builders.
