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Joe Borsato

@theecoalchemyst.bsky.social

Research fellow, policy analyst, grant writer, & editor from Tsilhqot’in Nen, working in Cataraqui (Kingston, Ontario); PhD in Indigenous & global history from Queen’s University; Italo-Canadian, Irish (il/he/him)

587 Posts865 Follower262 Folgt
Joe Borsato@theecoalchemyst.bsky.social · 2h ago

It’s really pathetic to hear some tenured historians talk about how “AI is the future” when they have no evidence that it will be, and (not to be coy) besides it’s not in the business of historians to predict the future. It has real Alan “keys” Lichtman vibes.

Joe Borsato@theecoalchemyst.bsky.social · 2d ago

Glad to see 2 more of my archival-based research articles are now accepted/forthcoming. I also have 2 more under consideration, which if accepted will bring my total to 7, all in Q1/Q2 journals. It’s not bad considering I’m also finishing book revisions, adjuncting, and working a 2nd job. #NoLLMs

Erin Grievances@erinbartram.bsky.social · last wk.

I hate to say history, of all of the humanities disciplines, deserves what's coming to it, but many of the field's leaders, the people with the power and security to protect it and advocate for it, have done absolutely fuck all instead.

Asheesh Kapur Siddique@asheeshks.org · last wk.

We keep discussing ”strategies” for teaching in the age of AI to avoid talking about resources. It’s so boring!! The strategy is invest $ to hire people, lower class size, support research-engaged learning & stop measuring the worth of disciplines in relation to # of enrollments and majors.

Keith Grant@keithsgrant.bsky.social · 2w ago

Folks, can any of you recommend a very good Canadian consultant who specializes in SSHRC grant application editing? If so, would you please DM me? Editors/consultants, please feel free to tell me about your own services, too. Thank you!

lissa@unraveledlissa.bsky.social · 2w ago

“Canadians are living through the devastating reality of not having a meaningful plan to address climate change… at this critical moment, the government is fighting to throw our case out of court, while… moving ahead with fossil fuel expansion and rolling back key climate protections.”

Bentley ****TALK CLIMATE****@bigclimate.bsky.social · 2w ago

There's a straight line between this week's death & devastation in #Nepal & what this PM is doing in YOUR name RIGHT NOW That's not refutable. Stop supporting policies that destroy the world & kill people #MarkCarney #Nepal #Canada #cdnpoli #ClimateChange www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Joe Borsato@theecoalchemyst.bsky.social · 3w ago

I am ashamed to admit that it has taken me six years of living in Kingston to finally try the sushi burrito, which the university district is know for, and holy sh!t it did not disappoint! Folks, I now actually feel ready to teach a new semester, in a way that I did not yesterday! #SushiBurrito

Cheryl in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦🍁🍁@minibubbly.bsky.social · 7mo ago

One hundred accounts are behind the majority of conspiracy theory content in Canada #Propaganda #Canada According to the report, just 100 users are responsible for almost 70 per cent of all online conspiracy claims in Canada. /1 thread www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/25/n...

One hundred accounts are behind the majority of conspiracy theory content in Canada

Researchers analyzed more than 14 million social media posts from accounts in Canada and found that 87 per cent of conspiratorial claims come from influencers, with just 100 users responsible for near...

nationalobserver.com

Asheesh Kapur Siddique@asheeshks.org · 3w ago

When the profession is in dire straits, when there's no research funding, when there are no jobs, when the academic freedom of historians is under attack, it's hard to stomach the fact that the AHA invested in paying lobbyists to thwart democracy within the organization. THIS is your priority?! 🗃️

Asheesh Kapur Siddique@asheeshks.org · 3w ago

Kind of hard for a professional organization to argue that history is integral to democracy when it goes to lengths to quash democracy within its own membership. And this isn't what I want my members dues to be used for. I suspect many will feel the same. 🗃️

If the AHA leadership continues to heed that advice, its members can expect further silencing of their voices within the organization. In addition to recommending that the AHA frame the historical profession as an arm of the “national security” apparatus, Thorn Run has told its leadership that it should reroute “all future requests for public statements,” “all member concerns regarding conflict zones,” and “all concerns regarding historians in conflict zones” to a leadership committee, so that it can contain and control “out-of-scope debates.” The aim, in other words, is to “utilize the January 2026 veto as a safe harbor precedent to prevent future mission-creep” by shifting from vetoes to a place where institutional silence ensures that there is nothing to veto.
Stacy Fahrenthold@sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 3w ago

The American Historical Association hired a lobbying firm to help silence member advocacy on Palestine. In this essay, Adam Rzepka covers @historians.org's relationship w/ Thorn Run Partners, its deep ethical conflicts, & the advocacy crisis AHA has thrust upon us. www.chronicle.com/article/a-sc...

Ed Zitron@edzitron.com · 3w ago

The post-dot com bubble story doesn’t work here. Training ai models at scale is only possible with billions of dollars of funding. Ai data centers are not useful for other stuff at any meaningful scale. A data center will be as expensive to finish building or run in ten years as it is today.

Rachel Ernst @rachelernst.myatproto.social · 4w ago

I cannot begin to count the amount of technology tools I have been told in the last 20 years that I need to teach my students how to use because they were the future. 95% of them are gone. A tool is a tool.

Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 4w ago

there is no rhyme or reason to an entire “AI” department, much less an AI school. There is no curriculum, as such, because AI is not a school of thought. It has no theory, no method. It’s just a tool. Two or three courses, max, if someone is obsessed with it should suffice.