Adrian Streete
@profastreete.bsky.social
Professor of Early Modern English Literature and Religion, University of Glasgow. Old books, MSs, and ideas; classical music; and our cat. My views. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/adrianstreete/
Today I discovered that a letter attributed to a man was actually written by Ann Bathurst, the 17th-century visionary woman I’m researching. 🤩 Archival work might be slow and painstaking but it’s totally thrilling to be going in search of lost voices from the past and finding them! 📚
A deeply destructive and inexpert management consultancy class has emerged whose sole purpose is to shrink Anglosphere universities and to undermine their future - all the better to secure more work. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...
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
democracyforsale.substack.com
Another populist measure. If a University goes bust in a big UK city because of the government’s failure to fix the broken HE funding system, the effect on those pubs and music venues catering to students/staff will be devastating. Yet more jobs and revenue lost. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd...
Burnham announces 20% cut in business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues - live updates
The cut will take effect from April, saving the average pub about £1,100 in tax next year, No 10 says.
bbc.co.uk
£5! For the hardback! What a bargain. Now I just have to gird my loins and read it…
Congratulations to the government on saving 2700 jobs by nationalising British Steel. Now, about the 18,000 university jobs lost in the last 18 months, with more coming…
This, in particular. Increasingly of the view that government policy towards universities is the test case of whether it really has a wider economic policy.
Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social · 3w ago"A closed country will be poorer. A country that underinvests will not grow. A state that refuses to reform tax will ration ambition. And a Labour government afraid to say these things will discover once again that caution, too, has costs." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Advance notice of the British Academy reports published to be tomorrow (Wednesday) and their findings. It does not make happy reading if you value UK higher education and research.
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...
New book cover alert! The second, expanded edition of the Science of Demons is coming out at the end of this month! It features two new chapters and an epilogue, as well as corrected and updated content. Preorder (with a discount!) at www.routledge.com/The-Science-... #earlymodern #hextag
A good initiative - sign up below.
The English Association@englishassociation.bsky.social · 4w agoThe EA, the Institute of English Studies, & University English are holding an online #emergency summit for all English colleagues to address the proliferation of redundancies, restructurings, other significant challenges to our & cognate disciplines across the sector. 👇🏼 mailchi.mp/1b1ef2d5a8a3...
Glasgow is hiring a lecturer in medieval history (c.800-1500) on an open-ended basis. We are a lovely bunch in the medieval area, would be great to have a new colleague! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSF052/l...
Lecturer in Medieval History (Research & Teaching Track) at University of Glasgow
Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Lecturer in Medieval History (Research & Teaching Track) on jobs.ac.uk!
jobs.ac.uk
Waiting on a delayed train at Birmingham New St on one of the hottest days of the year - Dante missed a trick by not including this particular circle in the ‘Inferno’.
First they came for the languages. In the hope that no one would have the words to say what was happening. 1/9🧵
University of Aberdeen's plans to cut modern language degrees were 'rushed' - review
The University of Aberdeen says it accepts there were "missteps" in its process in 2023.
bbc.co.uk
Who wants to come and work in my lovely department for a year? We’re looking for someone with expertise in 18th / 19th c literature while one of my brilliant colleagues is taking up a BA mid career fellowship. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSD064/l...
Lecturer in English Literature (12 Months Fixed Term) at Liverpool John Moores University
An opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in English Literature (12 Months Fixed Term) is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings.
jobs.ac.uk
British Academy President's statement on the UK's higher education crisis, July 2026.
British Academy President: UK higher education crisis risks irreversible damage
As course closures, shrinking provision and widening regional inequalities threaten the future of UK higher education and research, President of the British Academy, Susan J Smith calls for an immedia...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
Oh, now suddenly people notice! Absurd, pathetic. It's been going on for years. Wait until the Big Names suddenly piling in see what happens next - and where it happens. Serious failure of journalism on almost every front of the university crisis. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts
Rowan Williams and Mark Kermode join campaign against proposed cuts for arts and social sciences
theguardian.com
It’s not every day you have two PhD students graduating - congratulations to Dr Belton and Dr Leemann.
MHRA Research Associate: Oxford Correspondence of John Donne Closes: 9th July 2026 KCL English dept The postholder will undertake stylometric, corpus-based, & computational authorship-attribution analysis of selected materials from the Burley Manuscript. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSB149/m...
MHRA Research Associate at King's College London
Recruiting now: MHRA Research Associate on jobs.ac.uk. Click for details and explore more academic job opportunities on the top job board
jobs.ac.uk
Hey Bluesky crowd! You also should be signing our petition opposing the announced redundancies at the University of Exeter. 📢 We're 17k and growing! Redundancies ARE NOT necessary and we must #DefendExeterUni 🩷 c.org/RFqMvrKb6z
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
c.org
The news of brutal cuts to the Arts and Humanities at Exeter and elsewhere highlights the self-destructive nature of the ´strategies’ being pursued across UK HE. Exeter’s English Dept was rated the best research unit in English in the country in RAE 2008. 1/4
I’ve just finished as external for English Literature and Creative Writing at Exeter. It’s a superb department with an amazing array of modules and brilliant teaching staff. Any sensible University management team would see it as a jewel in their crown. I’m disgusted by these proposed redundancies.
Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · last mo.'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
A day at the NLS - punctuated by lunch with the indomitable Jamie Reid-Baxter - was a fine way to end the week. Is it too much to hope for a #Scotland win tonight too…
After a rather drawn-out process, I am so delighted that the festschrift for the wonderful @lisahopkins.bsky.social that @matthewsteggle.bsky.social and I have edited is only a few months out from publication with @dgb-mem.bsky.social! www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isb...
Reform have now lost six by-elections in a row in England, Scotland and Wales. Their national poll rating is 26% – below Labour in 1983 – and Farage’s approval rating is -37. They’re very far from the voice of the people and need to stop being treated as such.
65% of US universities drop in QS 2027 ranking. 40% of UK universities drop. 61% of China's universities rise. Who knew that sustained investment might prove advantageous and persistent policy churn prove deleterious?
Chinese universities gain ground on UK and US in global rankings
Britain and US retain grip on top 10, with MIT first and Imperial College London second
ft.com
Two very happy boys here with the #Scotland result. As an early modernist, I particularly enjoyed when Haiti substituted Providence for Fortune!
