James Fisher
@jamdanfish.bsky.social
Historian of work, knowledge and capitalism (C16-18th) | Lecturer at Uni of Exeter | Author of THE ENCLOSURE OF KNOWLEDGE (CUP, 2022)
📢PROJECT UPDATE📢 You may have seen the news that the University of Exeter, home of the wills project, has placed 500 academics at risk of redundancy. The project leader Prof. Jane Whittle & project co-investigator Dr Laura Sangha are both at risk, alongside almost all of the History department. 1/
I never thought that I would have to write this piece about my university. But after weeks of demonstrating privately to senior managers that their case is based on a false prospectus, that their data are inaccurate and their claims misleading, there was little choice. substack.com/@lucasamin/n...
Inside Britain's university crisis
As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter
substack.com
So it's farewell to the History subject area at the University of Hertfordshire, not the first nor the last to go. One of the best departments in the country, just extinguished like a snap of the fingers. Think of the waste. (1/2)
Letter from the executive director of the Modern Language Association to the Uni of Exeter VC: ‘We are aware of no university on the financial footing of Exeter that has seen the need to make dramatic cuts to the humanities such as you propose.’ #DefendExeterUni
So a whole lot of my talented Humanities colleagues are now unemployed as of today. A lot of understandable concern over Exeter. But for over two decades my Hums colleagues were in the top quartile for their research contribution to society. History top 10. Now gone with only a national whisper.
The UK is torching one of the few sectors in which they still have a global edge, horrifying to watch.
Reading articles on the amounts HE has spent in APCs over the last 5-10 years, and slowly watching my blood pressure rise. Millions upon millions, on something WE CAN ABSOLUTELY DO OURSELVES FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST - what universities couldn't do with that kind of money now... 😠 And breathe...
All the swirling feelings experienced by a university lecturer under threat are eloquently described here by a colleague at Exeter, Lizzie Williamson. #DefendExeterUni substack.com/@lizzywillia...
On Redundancy
Four weeks ago, the university that I have been working at for 9 years announced massive, unjustified, reckless job cuts, predominantly targeting the humanities, arts and social sciences.
substack.com
Every major player in UK HE quoted in this piece is saying the same thing. It is very, very bad and without action from government it will get much worse. Thousands of students will lose out. The uniform response would be encouraging, except it only happens under serious collective stress.
Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3w ago‘Thousands of university job cuts in humanities and social sciences are creating widespread cold spots for languages, classics and theology degrees, the British Academy has warned’ www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Odd feeling when your own livelihood is a national news story. www.newstatesman.com/politics/edu...
How to kill a university's reputation
After Exeter’s announcement that it will cut 150 academic jobs, is there any hope for higher education?
newstatesman.com
I've signed and sent a letter - from authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, scholars and performers - to express our deep concern at @exeter.ac.uk’s troubling plans to make mass redundancies within the Humanities Dept @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social. I would love it if you read and shared widely.
Something deeply troubling & shocking is happening at Exeter University*, where a mass cull of staff is planned, even though it's in surplus. No good justifications given. @jamesgdyke.info provides the details: www.technosphere.earth/the-bonfire-... *Disclosure: I have a Visiting Fellowship here. +🧵
The bonfire of the humanities
150 academic posts at the University of Exeter are to be cut, most in the humanities but also in social sciences, engineering and environmental sciences
technosphere.earth
We are ‘at risk’. Not just me, not just my wonderful colleagues in History, and not just the world-class community of teachers and researchers across the University of Exeter, but all of us who value the humanities. You can support us here: c.org/2cSZVFyhNF #defendexeteruni
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
c.org
In January, lovely colleagues at Exeter organised a book launch for my monograph - a beautiful event that represented the best kind of collegiality and support. 6 months later, we have been served risk of redundancy notices along with 500 staff mostly in Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences. 1/n
Good piece by @nicolawoolcock.bsky.social and colleagues (Times), that highlights what’s distinctively destructive about the proposed Exeter cuts. #DefendExeterUni
We are very sad to announce the death of Professor John Hatcher, Emeritus Professor of Economic and Social History and Life Fellow of @corpuscambridge.bsky.social (7 January 1942 - 13 June 2026). Colleagues and former students pay tribute to a brilliant scholar: www.hist.cam.ac.uk/news/profess...
We are ‘at risk’. Not just me, not just my wonderful colleagues in History, and not just the world-class community of teachers and researchers across the University of Exeter, but all of us who value the humanities. You can support us here: c.org/2cSZVFyhNF #defendexeteruni
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
c.org
We're on Bluesky now! 🦋 Follow us here for updates, we're just getting started. @ucu.org.uk @exetergreens.bsky.social @exeterlabour.bsky.social Here are our six key messages:
'About 150 academic roles are set to go at the south-west institution, which said it was targeting areas that are “no longer sustainable” or have seen changes in student demand.' History and English are name-checked. 1/3
University of Exeter cuts an ‘existential threat to humanities’
Russell Group institution cites changing student demand as it puts 500 staff at risk of redundancy, with 150 jobs set to go
timeshighereducation.com
'The University of Exeter is proposing to cut about 150 staff roles. A spokesperson for the university said it was "consulting with colleagues over limited and specific potential changes across some areas of our academic faculties".' 1/4
University of Exeter in talks to cut about 150 members of staff
The university says it is consulting with colleagues over "limited and specific potential changes".
bbc.co.uk
A statement from Exeter UCU branch @ucu.org.uk - please share far and wide.
When utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.
This matches my experience and helpfully frames current student perspectives. Although we need more thinking about pro-active measures to stimulate intellectual curiosity, highlight discipline-specific values, etc.
Royal Historical Society@royalhistsoc.org · 2mo agoHow do we enhance the engagement of history students in their degree programmes? A new article - 'Rethinking Engagement: Insights from UK History Departments' - bit.ly/4viEKru, by Sarah Jones and Simon Peplow offers discipline-specific proposals. Latest Open Access article in 'Transactions' 1/2
"Ten years of dropping this commodity to see where the pieces land is not an education policy worthy of the name. It is neglect bordering on vandalism." royalhistsoc.org/history-and-...
History and the humanities at the University of Hertfordshire – a statement from the Royal Historical Society - RHS
Even for those familiar with bleak times, this has been a particularly bad few weeks in UK higher education. Confirmed job losses at the University of Essex were followed by further bad news from Hert...
royalhistsoc.org
Currently marking and its difficult to escape a sense of deep despair. The impact of AI has been catastrophic for higher education. We are in crisis and any solution feels years away.
knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-a... Now up at @knightcolumbia.org - Cosma Shalizi and myself on "AI as Social Technology." It says that AI models are really a technology of social mediation that allow humans to connect with thoughts of other humans. Short-ish thread with major points follows.
AI as Social Technology
knightcolumbia.org
