Just published this with Renaissance Studies! On furzes, thistles, and ‘perfect’ descriptions of parochial weeding techniques: doi.org/10.1111/rest...

A Natural History of ‘Annoyances’: Knowing Weeds and Weeding Knowledge in the Early Royal Society and its ‘Georgicall Committee’

Seventeenth-century virtuosi often figured themselves as epistemic weeders, grubbing up rank thickets of accumulated error. In this article, I argue that these metaphors were unnerved by the shifting...

doi.org

If you are in Edinburgh in mid-July, please come to @hssgecc.bsky.social #HSS26 #ESHS26 #histsci - my panels on instruments and science are planned on Monday 13 from 9.15 am, the second starts at 11.00 am; the third starts at 14.30 (Uk time) - below the schedule: #artisans More info in the website

CALL FOR PAPERS  📣   Experiencing Relief in Early Modern Britain: 1500-1800   We welcome papers from ECRs, PGRs, and established scholars. For more info (e.g., how to submit a paper) please see our website: earlymodernreliefconference2027.wordpress.com #earlymodern #earlymodernists #AcademicSky

Delighted to have organised this as part of @northernenvhistory.bsky.social's summer seminar series– Sandra Liwanowska (University of Cambridge) will be talking on Plot, muck, and the local in Restoration natural history! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/humble-cla...

Humble Clays, Global Claims: Rbt Plot & the Medicinal Value of English Soil

The Northern Environmental History Network welcome Sandra Liwanowksa (University of Cambridge).

eventbrite.co.uk

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our workshop back in April. For those who weren't able to make it, we've done a little write up on our blog: nehnetwork.wordpress.com/2026/05/10/n...

NEHN Annual Workshop April 2026: ‘Yuck?: Historical Approaches to Unwanted Non-Human Life’

In April 2026, scholars from across the UK and abroad came together at the University of York for the NEHN’s annual workshop, titled ‘Yuck?: Historical Approaches to Unwanted Non-Human Life’. Parti…

nehnetwork.wordpress.com

I'm delighted to welcome Kate Nankervis as our next speaker at the NEHN seminar series! ☁️ Join us online on Tuesday 12 May (13:00 GMT) to hear Kate talk about the histories of climate, clouds and meteorology. Book via eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/affective-... @womanofclouds.bsky.social

Affective Atmospheres and/or Romantic-Period Clouds

The Northern Environmental History Network welcomes Kate Nankervis (York) to speak about histories of climate, clouds and meteorology.

eventbrite.co.uk

Following the successes of the workshop, we are establishing a research network for scholars working on historical approaches to unwanted non-human life. If you would like to participate in this network, please sign up using the following google form: forms.gle/hZFkbbdoGjaK... 🌿 🦠 🐀 🐕

Research Network: Historical Approaches to Unwanted Non-human Life

Following a workshop convened by the Northern Environmental History Network, we are establishing a network for scholars who research historical approaches to unwanted non-human life. This includes pla...

forms.gle

Emily Whittingham@emily-whittingham.bsky.social · 5mo ago

It was a pleasure to co-convene a two day workshop on historical approaches to unwanted non-human life. It brought together researches from a range of periods and disciplines and fostered conversations on the challenges and opportunities of with working in this field. Many thanks to all involved!

Delighted to have been one of the organisers for this year's @northernenvhistory.bsky.social workshop at York last week, on the many histories of 'unwanted life'. A chance to talk on 'inquiry' practices, nomenclatural difference, concepts of the 'vital', and more, with a great group of participants!

Happy that my panels for #HSS26 #ESHS26 have been accepted. Here the lineup @hssgecc.bsky.social I look forward to discussing instruments and tools in premodern science (agriculture, botany, mineralogy, navigation and mathematics) #histsci #instruments #agriculture #environment

The CFP deadline for our upcoming workshop on 'unwanted non-human life', broadly conceived, here at York has been extended a couple of weeks. Do send in an application if it appeals to you, we've already got a great pair of keynotes lined up!

It's been a pleasure being on the great organising team at York and Northumbria for next year's NEHN meeting - a collaborative worksop on the many histories of 'unwanted life'. Do see the CFP below, and send in a submission if it appeals!

Excited to be talking here on Monday re early modern weeding tools, their material profile and practical-symbolic uses!

Cambridge Workshop for the Early Modern Period@emgscam.bsky.social · 11mo ago

A reminder that our first Workshop of term is this coming Monday! You don't want to miss these two fabulous papers!

We are thrilled to share our Michaelmas Termcard! We have a wonderful line-up of speakers and hope to see many of you there. If you'd like to join us online, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list, where we'll send our Teams links prior to each session! [Please PM us for a plain text termcard]

Had a grand time this week in Uppsala at #eseh talking on ‘weeds’, sacred history, and figurations of agrarian labour in EM England on a panel with the great @daancjansen.bsky.social and others! A lovely chance to hear plenty about the capacious field of environmental history today as well.

I enjoyed reading this piece by Josephine Koopman on the SHNH summer conference. It offers a wonderful summary of the presentations we heard, and teases out the shared themes our papers raised. Thank you Josephine! shnh.org.uk/the-sense-of... @sochistnathist.bsky.social

The Sense of Nature: SHNH Summer Meeting, June 2025 by Josephine Koopman - Society for the History of Natural History

SHNH Summer Meeting by Josephine Koopman, Researcher (Department of History, European University Institute) “The senses,” Michel de Montaigne wrote in 1588, “are the beginning and the end of human kno...

shnh.org.uk

had a grand time last week in Glasgow at @sochistnathist.bsky.social's annual meeting, hearing some wonderful papers on the senses in natural history, and getting a chance to talk about olfactory affects, hebraic philology, and biblical 'weeds'! much thanks to the society!

One week until our Summer Meeting in Glasgow! 🎉 We're looking forward to welcoming everyone who can come in person to discuss an amazing program centred on A Sense of Nature 🌺🍃 Can't make it but are still interested? How about joining online below! 👇🏻 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-sense-of...

talking about biblical stinkweeds at this, looks to be a good one!

SHNH@sochistnathist.bsky.social · last yr.

✨Booking is OPEN✨ Join us for our Summer Meeting in Glasgow on the theme A Sense of Nature! Two days of talking about history and nature, including museum tours 🥰 📅19-20 June 🏦Kelvin Hall, University of Glasgow Follow the link for the list of speakers and how to book 👇 shnh.org.uk/news/booking...

✨Booking is OPEN✨ Join us for our Summer Meeting in Glasgow on the theme A Sense of Nature! Two days of talking about history and nature, including museum tours 🥰 📅19-20 June 🏦Kelvin Hall, University of Glasgow Follow the link for the list of speakers and how to book 👇 shnh.org.uk/news/booking...

Booking open: 'A Sense of Nature', SHNH International Summer Meeting, University of Glasgow, 19-20 June 2025 - Society for the History of Natural History

A Sense of Nature The ‘sensory turn’ in a range of humanities and social sciences disciplines has led to innovative research exploring how sensory experiences shape cultural and historical narratives....

shnh.org.uk