Andrew Thacker
LightNews LightNews
banner
andrewthacker.bsky.social
Andrew Thacker
@andrewthacker.bsky.social
1.4K followers 540 following 22 posts

Professor of Twentieth Century Literature, Nottingham Trent University. Modernism, periodicals, cricket.

Videos
Art 31%
History 26%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Brigitte Nerlich, Gavin A. Schmidt, Jonathan A. Foley , and 5 more

durrell.bsky.social
Durrell @durrell.bsky.social · 7d
Pantone just updated their Color Of The Year

Reposted by Dolly Jørgensen, Andrew Thacker, Dan Hicks

britishacademy.bsky.social
The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · 10d
Very welcome news today that the UK will join the Erasmus+ programme in 2027. This will enable greater opportunities for study abroad and contributions in UK universities, and is something we called for in our most recent Manifesto.

Reposted by Susan J. Smith, Bill Bowring, Andrew Thacker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 11d
British Academy's pioneering 'cold spots' work now replicated by HESA.

'University "cold spots" are developing in some parts of the country, new data analysis suggests, with courses in some subjects no longer available to students in certain regions.' 1/2
University students facing course 'cold spots' as enrolments fall
New data analysis suggests courses like artificial intelligence are surging in popularity as languages fall.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

wonkhe.bsky.social
Wonkhe @wonkhe.bsky.social · 19d
NEW on Wonkhe: The abolition of the binary divide in HE made visible the wealth of research excellence in what became known as the post-92 part of the sector. Katie Normington worries that forcing specialisation risks eroding longstanding research ecosystems buff.ly/a2Lusby

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

theapitman.bsky.social
Thea Pitman @theapitman.bsky.social · Nov 9
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
University of Nottingham students fight 'insane' cull of courses
Traitors composer Sam Watts is among those against plans to cut University of Nottingham courses.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Andrew Thacker

drdanielletw.bsky.social
Danielle Terrazas Williams @drdanielletw.bsky.social · Nov 5
Postdoc Opportunity!

University of Rochester - Postdoctoral Fellowship in Digital Humanities

networks.h-net.org/jobs/69418/u...
University of Rochester - Postdoctoral Fellowship in Digital Humanities | H-Net
networks.h-net.org

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn, Andrew Thacker

ronaldhartz.bsky.social
Ronald Hartz @ronaldhartz.bsky.social · Nov 5
“Four years ago, we suffered an earlier redundancy programme that we were told would secure the future of the university. That clearly was not true."

#UKHE

www.leicester.news/university-o...
University of Leicester moves forward with plans to cut 150 jobs
A 'large number of staff' across several schools could be impacted
www.leicester.news

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

johnraimo.bsky.social
John Raimo @johnraimo.bsky.social · Oct 31
Open-access and in print - Muireann Maguire (@muireanndinosaur.bsky.social), Invading the American Canon: Translators of Russian Literary Fiction, 1863-1984 (@bloomsburyhist.bsky.social, @bloomsburylit.bsky.social, 2025; h/t @jrdwrrn.bsky.social, #skystorians) www.bloomsbury.com/us/invading-...
Invading the American Canon
Through case studies of émigré literary translators and editors, this open access book traces how Russian literature kindled the American imagination in the 20t…
www.bloomsbury.com

Reposted by Tim M. Blackburn, Ben C. Sheldon, Marco Festa‐Bianchet , and 3 more

davidrvetter.bsky.social
Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · Oct 29
Private Eye nailing it.
A story in Private Eye, headlined "Minority representation on TV causes outrage". The article reads: "There has been widespread support for prominent Reform MP Sarah Pochin after she complained about the over-representation of minorities on television. Said one angry viewer, "She's right. Every time you turn on the telly there's another Reform MP being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg." She added, "I respect their way of life and their strange customs, but Reform MPs comprise only 0.7 percent of the House of Commons. Yet Nigel Farage is on Question Time more than Fiona Bruce." "I'm not prejudiced. Some of my best friends are swivel-eyed loons, but enough is enough. There are too many people with angry red faces on television."

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

chrishavergal.bsky.social
Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · Oct 23
Southampton Solent University accused of “unprecedented” attempt to move staff on to “inferior” pension schemes, with those not complying facing losing their jobs www.timeshighereducation.com/news/southam... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social
Southampton Solent pensions row ‘sets concerning precedent’
Union claims that professional service staff have been told to move on to subsidiary firm with less generous pension scheme, or face losing their job
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Oct 22
'And some academics are angry that universities are allowing or even encouraging the use of AI tools — many of which are controlled by companies, have unknown cognitive impacts and are dogged by ethical and environmental concerns.'
Universities are embracing AI: will students get smarter or stop thinking?
Millions of students arriving at campuses are now using artificial intelligence. Worries abound.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Andrew Thacker

drewhobbs.bsky.social
Andrew Hobbs @drewhobbs.bsky.social · Oct 22
New open-access article on a peculiar type of periodical, the county magazine:
Rural Modernity in an Interwar English County Magazine: Cheshire Life, 1934–39
doi.org/10.1080/1478...
In Cultural and Social History
Rural Modernity in an Interwar English County Magazine: Cheshire Life, 1934–39
There are some eighty-five county magazines across England, read by millions. This case study of 1930s Cheshire Life explains their appeal and demonstrates their value for twentieth-century social ...
doi.org

Reposted by Stuart Elden, Andrew Thacker

foucault-news.bsky.social
Foucault News @foucault-news.bsky.social · Oct 22
Relectures féministes de Michel Foucault. Colloque International (2025)

Feminist Re-readings of Michel Foucault, Hybrid, 7–8 Nov 2025, Sciences Po, Paris Registration link for anyone who might wish to attend online   Friday, November 7, 2025 (room K011) 9:15–10:00 – Introduction Judith Revel…
Relectures féministes de Michel Foucault. Colloque International (2025)
Feminist Re-readings of Michel Foucault, Hybrid, 7–8 Nov 2025, Sciences Po, Paris Registration link for anyone who might wish to attend online   Friday, November 7, 2025 (room K011) 9:15–10:00 – Introduction Judith Revel (Université Paris Nanterre) & Frédéric Gros (Sciences Po) 10:00–10:30 – Coffee break (for speakers and audience) 10:30–12:00 – Panel 1: Building Feminist Agency Beyond Foucault’s Elusions…
michel-foucault.com

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

ksaacomm.bsky.social
Keats-Shelley Assoc. @ksaacomm.bsky.social · Oct 21
Are you a grad student, untenured faculty member, or an independent scholar doing research in Romantic-era literature and culture? There's still time to apply for a Pforzheimer Award!

Apply by Nov. 1 to be considered.

Find more information here: www.k-saa.org/pforzheimera...
Carl H. Pforzheimer, Jr, Award — K-SAA
www.k-saa.org

Reposted by Paul Fisher, Andrew Thacker

jzossmpls.bsky.social
Jeremy Zoss @jzossmpls.bsky.social · Oct 18
The most Minnesotan protest sign. #NoKings
A sign reading "No Kings Just Prince"

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

lrb.co.uk
London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · Oct 2
Tony Harrison’s poem ‘V.’ is to be performed in the Leeds cemetery that inspired it.

The day of site-specific readings will now also serve as a tribute to the poet, who died last week.

Read the article: www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/s...

Book tickets here: www.slunglow.org/v-a-homecomi...
Tony Harrison’s poem V to be performed in the Leeds cemetery that inspired it
The site-specific performance of the once controversial poem was planned for its 40th anniversary in October, but will now double as a tribute to the writer who died last week
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Martin Paul Eve, Andrew Thacker , and 1 more

gsoh31.bsky.social
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Oct 2
ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed.
politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...
Where now for Britain’s Universities?
UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.
politicalquarterly.org.uk

Reposted by Michael H. Whitworth, Andrew Thacker

mmodernity.bsky.social
Modernism/modernity @mmodernity.bsky.social · Sep 30
New at Print Plus: "Virginia Woolf in Circulation: The Hogarth Press Order Books, Modernist Bookselling, and Digital Practice" by Alice Staveley et al sheds light on the business of modernism and reads order books as digital portals for literary history

modernismmodernity.org/articles/sta...

Reposted by Andrew Thacker, Pauline Stafford

wokestudies.bsky.social
Dr Ian McCormick @wokestudies.bsky.social · Sep 27
‘Them & [uz]’ by Tony Harrison (1937–2025)

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

jonathanwebber.bsky.social
Jonathan Webber @jonathanwebber.bsky.social · Sep 23
“AI has turbocharged the spread of bullshit and falsehoods. It is not able to produce actual, qualitative academic work, despite the claims of some in the AI industry. As researchers, as universities, we should be clearer about pushing back against these false claims by the AI industry.”
‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University
Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...
www.ru.nl

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Julie Cupples, Michael H. Whitworth , and 2 more

plashingvole.bsky.social
Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · Sep 18
Very much enjoying the culture of trust and respect implicit in the installation of room usage monitoring devices on academics' office doors today. Imagine my shock on discovering that managers' doors remain unsullied…
A SmartViz monitoring device installed at a university.

Reposted by Andrew Thacker, Gabriel Galvez-Behar

hyoyoonkang.bsky.social
Hyo Yoon Kang 강효윤 @hyoyoonkang.bsky.social · Sep 17
Gillian Rose's on law, history, and Marxism.
This should be an essential workshop with deep intellectual and theoretical engagement that is becoming rarer by the day in UK legal academia. Organised by the wonderful Rosie Woodhouse. Registration and more info here: warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/...
Poster of Gillian Rose: history, Marxism, and the Turn to Law. 3 December 2025, University of Warwick. With Jessica Feely, Will Spendlove, Tarik Kochi, Adrian Wilding, Chris O'kane, Nadia Bou Ali and the organiser, Rosie Woodhouse.

Reposted by Martin Paul Eve, Michael H. Whitworth, Andrew Thacker

jonathangibbs.bsky.social
Jonathan Gibbs @jonathangibbs.bsky.social · Sep 15
Jeremy Noel-Tod on the importance of ‘unfunded’ or ‘hobbyist’ research in academica.

open.substack.com/pub/someflow...
Unfunded Hobbit Research
In defence of academic inspiration
open.substack.com

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

modernistudies.bsky.social
British Association for Modernist Studies (BAMS) @modernistudies.bsky.social · Sep 9
We’re delighted to announce a CFP for a Virginia Woolf special issue of TMR, marking the 34th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. Please see the details below:

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

modernistudies.bsky.social
British Association for Modernist Studies (BAMS) @modernistudies.bsky.social · Sep 9
We’re excited to share #TheModernistReview57, our first autumn issue! It includes seven reviews on diverse topics in modernist studies. Go check it out! we hope you enjoy reading:
modernistreviewcouk.wordpress.com/2025/09/09/t...
The Modernist Review Issue #57
8th September 2025 All the months are crude experiments out of which the perfect September is made. (Virginia Woolf, ‘The Lands End’, 1905) September arrives again, and with the beginning of autumn…
modernistreviewcouk.wordpress.com

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

weimarfilmnetwork.bsky.social
Weimar Film Network @weimarfilmnetwork.bsky.social · Sep 5
📢📢📢 Upcoming Conference: 'Rethinking Weimar Cinema' (University of Oxford, 17 - 19 June 2026)

Full Call for Papers: drive.google.com/file/d/1pxBI...

Deadline: 31 October 2025

Please share widely with anyone who may be interested in joining us in Oxford next year!
Call for Papers: Rethinking Weimar Cinema (University of Oxford, 17 - 19 June 2026) Keynote Speakers: Dr Paul Dobryden (University of Virginia) Dr Sara F. Hall (University of Illinois Chicago) Dr Qinna Shen (Bryn Mawr College) Film Screenings: TBC, in collaboration with the Ultimate Picture Palace and Weimar 100 Organizers: Dr Lawrence Alexander (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford) and Dr Molly Harrabin (University of St. Andrews/University of Warwick). Deadline for submitting proposals: 31 October 2025 The centennial years of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) have seen a rise in academic engagement with and public interest in this period of German film history. As one of the most dynamic and experimental periods in global cinema, Weimar film has long been recognized for its aesthetic innovations, sociopolitical commentary, and influence on subsequent film movements. Yet these anniversary commemorations have not only reaffirmed the significance of this era, they have also opened the door for new questions, perspectives, and critical paradigms. This conference seeks to build on this momentum by revisiting Weimar cinema through fresh critical lenses and innovative methodologies, inviting participants to reconsider its cultural, political, and aesthetic significance in light of new archival discoveries, theoretical frameworks, and interdisciplinary approaches. The conference will take stock of our current understanding of Weimar film to map where this field may be heading as well as offering new genealogies of those images, figures, and texts that have defined it thus far. In addition to traditional conference papers, we welcome contributions from archivists, practice-based researchers, and works of videographic criticism. Please submit proposals of up to 300 words to lawrence.alexander@rsa.ox.ac.uk and mlh21@st-andrews.ac.uk by 31st October 2025. Notices of acceptance will be sent out in December. A limited number of bursaries are available to contribute to travel and accommodation costs for postgraduate and early-career speakers. This event is hosted by the Weimar Film Network and funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) as part of a three-year Promoting German Studies networking grant awarded to the German Screen Studies Network, co-directed by Dr Paul Flaig and Dr Dora Osborne.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Andrew Thacker

sarahpyke.bsky.social
Sarah Pyke @sarahpyke.bsky.social · Aug 28
very much enjoyed reviewing Jane Cholmeley's excellent A BOOKSHOP OF ONE'S OWN for Publishing Research Quarterly

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Screenshot of a book review, of Jane Cholmeley's A Bookshop of One's Own, in Publishing Research Quarterly

Reposted by Thucydides, David Bartram, Andrew Thacker

gsoh31.bsky.social
Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Aug 13
This is what I'm hearing too. A total failure of public policy all the more staggering for having been totally predicted and predictable. A disaster.
echrhawk.bsky.social Dr Stuart Wallace @echrhawk.bsky.social · Aug 13
Hearing a lot of Russell group unis are taking on staggering numbers of Home UG students to offset weaker international recruitment. This has been a recent trend, but it seems to be out of control this recruitment cycle. Downstream impact on newer unis will be catastrophic @gsoh31.bsky.social

Reposted by Andrew Thacker

annagirling.bsky.social
Anna Girling @annagirling.bsky.social · Aug 12
Further to this @thetls.bsky.social essay about Una Marson's early work as a publisher, the full run of Marson's 1920s/1930s magazine, The Cosmopolitan, is now freely available on the Digital Library of the Caribbean (@dlocaribbean.bsky.social): www.dloc.com/AA00114844/0...