Tessera
Folgen

Mikki Brock

@mikkibrock.bsky.social

historian of religion, the supernatural, & gender in early modern Scotland | professor | views mine | she/her.

318 Posts4962 Follower1500 Folgt
Mikki Brock@mikkibrock.bsky.social · 3d ago

My heart breaks for my talented colleagues at so many UK institutions (and many in the US, too, though the dismantling of the humanities has its own rhythm here). The state of higher ed is utterly infuriating, both because it’s a choice, and because we need the arts & humanities more than ever.

Owen Davies@odavies9.bsky.social · 4d ago

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.

Mikki Brock@mikkibrock.bsky.social · 4d ago

1. Usually, 2-3; 1-2 now as Dept. Head 2. I try to set aside a full day (usually Friday); a few hours on the weekend; where I can. 3. Mornings preferred, but whenever works. 4. Dept. Head to-dos (sigh) 5. Highlight in your doc. where you left off last, with notes to self about what to do next.

Kenneth F. Duggan 🇨🇦@kfduggan.bsky.social · 4d ago

Academics who write during term (i.e. while teaching): 1. How many classes do you teach per term? 2. How often do you write (e.g. once/wk, when you can, etc.)? 3. When do you write (e.g. weekend, morning, at night, etc.)? 4. What's the biggest barrier(s) to you writing? 5. Do you have any tips?

A scribe in a ruby tunic with a dark purple cloak over top is seated on a wooden chair, and focusing on the task of writing in a manuscript that is resting on a lectern. The scribe appears inside a large, illuminated letter E that is blue. Within the E the background is made up of small dark blue squares with a circle in each square, almost like the wall behind the clerk is a quilt. The background outside the letter E is similar to the background in the letter E, only it is made up of red squares instead of blue ones. Reference: Durham Cathedral Library MS A.II.3 f.279v
Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social · last wk.

(looks out at a nation run entirely by Republicans, with literally everything in shambles and more and more disasters on the way) "You know, the thing I worry about is a handful of DSA candidates winning House primaries."

Marc Elias@marcelias.bsky.social · 2w ago

The legacy media sat there while Trump lied about the past elections and "joked" about running again in 2028. They did not boo. They did not walk out. They just sat there and ate their dinner. The journalists in that room will be remembered as the journalists in that room.

David Veevers@davidveevers.bsky.social · 2w ago

How you can submit a paper created by LLMs as an academic is mind boggling. Like what are you doing with your life? Where is the satisfaction and dignity? What are your principles and values? What does establishing a body of work look like to you? You are not an academic. You are a fraud.

Ben Williamson@benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 3w ago

The anatomy of an AI-supported academic article is becoming more apparent. I desk reviewed ~70 manuscripts this week for our journal. Reckon 20ish had significant AI assistance. On top of hundreds of others recently I'm starting to see patterns. Are other editors are seeing the same or similar? 1/

Phil Plait@philplait.bsky.social · 3w ago

When a politician dies we see a lot of hagiographies about them. If you mention they were a terrible person IRL, you get chastised. My feeling? If you don't want people to talk shit about you after you die, don't be shitty when you're alive.

King Algamemnon@adamrothman.bsky.social · last mo.

Next time I moderate a panel at an academic conference, I will be using a system of yellow and red cards to keep things moving along properly: yellow cards for speakers going overtime, red cards for multiple infractions on time and any audience member who offers a comment instead of a question.

jamelle@jamellebouie.net · 4w ago

let this be a lesson to deal with your feelings of gender anxiety and masculine inadequacy with a hobby or therapy or something and not a high stakes senate election

American Historical Association@historians.org · last mo.

⚠️ Action Alert ⚠️ The Presidential Religious Liberty Commission has released a draft report that misrepresents American religious history. Make your voice heard--submit a public comment by July 12. It only takes a few minutes. Submission guidance and suggested talking points at the link.

Action Alert: Submit Comments on the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission Draft Report - AHA

On June 26, 2026, the Presidential Religious Liberty Commission published a draft report that relies on distorted accounts of American religious history to advance a constitutional interpretation that...

historians.org

jamelle@jamellebouie.net · last mo.

the use of “performative” as an insult here is why these people are losing their primaries. yes, voters want you to perform their anger and disgust! they want representatives to represent their symbolic interests! the idea that good representation is necessarily quiet and unobtrusive is wrong!

David Nir@davidnir.com · last mo.

If incumbents want to sneer at primary voters, they'll probably keep losing. Serious "No, it's the children who are wrong" energy here. www.axios.com/2026/07/01/m...

Why it matters: Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) was a staunch progressive, not a moderate, these members are privately fuming. So why did she become a target of the left? "One more case in the growing dynamic of performative politics," one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share candid analysis on the results, told Axios. "Diana was an excellent representative with seniority — but the style of someone younger and more outspoken has become more attractive to that cohort of motivated urban left voters." A senior House Democrat called the result a "wake-up call" for members of Congress
Mikki Brock@mikkibrock.bsky.social · last mo.

there is something particular about being a woman who studies the history of a place you are not from. namely, that men from said place enjoy asking about your research and then proceeding to explain it to you, because surely you do not know these VERY WIDELY KNOWN FACTS about their country's past.

Bookshop.org@bookshop.org · last mo.

Anti-Prime Day starts…NOW! 🥳 Today through 6/26, enjoy free standard shipping site-wide, all while supporting local, independent bookstores.

Ana Marie Cox@anamariecox.com · last mo.

Brb getting my unicorn outfit and a poster with the Emma Lazarus poem: “Give me your tired, your poor/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched algae of your teeming shore…”

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last mo.

Trump: “Here is another example of a crazy pro-algae (likely paid) protestor. The sign says, ‘First they came for the algae…’ which is in reference to a famous post-WW2 statement about Germans not speaking out against Nazis ‘…Then they came for the Jews, & I did not speak out—bc I was not a Jew “

Trump: “Here is another example of a crazy pro-algae (likely paid) protestor. The sign says, ‘First they came for the algae…’ which is in reference to a famous post-WW2 statement about Germans not speaking out against the Nazis: ‘…Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.’”
Citizen.Coping@propcazhpm.bsky.social · last mo.

"One projection near the Reflecting Pool has Mitch McConnell as a turtle and Pete Hegseth as a crocodile crawling around in a swamp; Stephen Miller as a bat hanging from the ceiling of the Lincoln Memorial.; Ted Cruz is depicted as a sex worker wearing “Trump” underwear; Vance as some kind of worm"

D.C. Hit With Prank Projections Ahead of Trump’s July 4 Celebrations

The president, his Cabinet, Stephen Miller, Ted Cruz, and Jeffrey Epstein were mocked across the city.

newrepublic.com

Kateration@kateration.bsky.social · last mo.

Someone has been projecting images all over D.C. “It’s swampier than ever.” The Kennedy Center one is pretty hilarious. 😂😂😂