Greg Walker
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gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker
@gregmw4.bsky.social
530 followers 110 following 220 posts

Literature Prof at the University of Edinburgh, fan of Prog rock and Nottingham Forest.

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Greg Walker is Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. He is a graduate of the University of Southampton. His specialist field is the history of literature and drama in the late-medieval period and the sixteenth century. Before taking up the Regius Chair he was the Masson Professor of English at Edinburgh. Before that he was Professor of Early-Modern Literature and Culture and Director of the Medieval Research Centre at the University of Leicester. Between 1986 and 1989 he was a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Southampton and has also taught at the Universities of Queensland and Buckingham. He was the Head of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures between 2008 and 2011. .. more

History 48%
Art 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Greg Walker, Pauline Stafford, Catriona Seth , and 1 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1h
'people who are multilingual are half as likely to show signs of accelerated biological ageing than are those who speak just one language.'

Good thing that schools, universities and governments are so actively promoting modern languages then, isn't it? 1/2
Want a younger brain? Learn another language
A vast study suggests that being multilingual can slow down cognitive ageing.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe, Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker , and 2 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 23h
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?

Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
The organ donation ‘opt-out’ has been a fatal failure | The Observer
observer.co.uk

Reposted by Greg Walker, Laura Bradley, Catriona Seth

artsandhums.bsky.social
Arts and Humanities Alliance @artsandhums.bsky.social · 3d
Excellent article here. Our students are our greatest advocates. Counter proposals will be put forward, and we are supporting colleagues in Music, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at Nottingham with their campaigns 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 Greg Walker

iashedinburgh.bsky.social
The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities @iashedinburgh.bsky.social · 4d
Webinar: IASH Fellowship applicants for 2026-27, on Monday 15 December at 13:00 GMT. Find out about our programmes, and ask any questions you may have.

Register free: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/0fdfeb...

Please sign up even if you can't attend, as a recording will be circulated afterwards.
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
events.teams.microsoft.com

Reposted by Greg Walker, Judith Jesch

norseincork.bsky.social
NorseInCork @norseincork.bsky.social · 5d
A reminder that there are still a few days left to apply for this funded PhD, working on literary and cultural reception of the Vikings. University fees and a budget for conference attendance included in addition to the stipend: it's a great opportunity for someone! www.ucc.ie/en/hr/vacanc...
Research Vacancies | University College Cork
Learn, Study and Research in UCC, Ireland's first 5 star university. Our tradition of independent thinking will prepare you for the world and the workplace in a vibrant, modern, green campus.
www.ucc.ie

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

ronaldhartz.bsky.social
Ronald Hartz @ronaldhartz.bsky.social · 6d
“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 Greg Walker

suiss-edi.bsky.social
Scottish Universities' International Summer School @suiss-edi.bsky.social · 6d
The Edinburgh University-based Scottish Universities' International Summer School is open for registration for 2026. Come study Theatre during the Festival; or immerse yourself in our literature programmes, or hone those writing skills on our Creative Writing course: www.suiss.ed.ac.uk/programme/
SUISS Summer School - Programme
We offer a summer programme in Literature, Creative Writing, and Theatre and Performance at the University of Edinburgh.
www.suiss.ed.ac.uk

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 7d
Exceptionally sad news for scholars of early English Drama. The great Jean-Paul Debax, a towering figure in Tudor theatre Studies in France, and a kind, generous scholar, has passed away at the age of 90: the last of the founders of the delightful Tours Tables-Rondes.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Greg Walker, Malcolm MacLean , and 3 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 8d
'In February, Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC), a leading research institution focused on human rights, ordered one of its best-known professors, Laura Murphy, to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China.' 1/3
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China
Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities
www.theguardian.com

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 9d
I was deeply sorry to learn, very belatedly, of the passing earlier this year of Prof Marie-Helene Besnault, a stalwart of the long-running Table-Ronde on Tudor drama at the University of Tours. The kindest of souls and most generous of hosts to we travelling Brits. God speed M-H.

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 10d
‘Will he have cakes… and tea? Perhaps camomile? He’d surely like that best. No?
(OTD in 1957 John Betjeman auditioned for the role of Sauron in Leni Riefenstahl’s doomed Lord of The Rings project. His ‘lack of chemistry’ with co-star Conrad Veidt (Frodo) allegedly blighted the project from the start

Reposted by Greg Walker, Elisa Freschi

drdanielletw.bsky.social
Danielle Terrazas Williams @drdanielletw.bsky.social · 10d
Job Opportunity!

Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400

University of Cambridge - History and Philosophy of Science

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPG062/a...
Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400 at University of Cambridge
Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Assistant Professor in History of Knowledge Pre-1400 on jobs.ac.uk!
www.jobs.ac.uk

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12d
Side-lining learned societies & subject associations from these discussions is a missed opportunity. They have & will provide many of the REF expert assessors: they have a wealth of knowledge & work at the coalface. See also Main Panel and SP reports. Attention to data would be a fine thing. 3/3

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12d
'The twin or multi-track approach is seen as an increasingly likely prospect after the government’s post-16 education and skills white paper promised to reduce bureaucracy in the exercise. The approach is aimed at cutting bureaucracy for less research-active institutions'. Hmm. Is that the goal? 1/3

Reposted by Greg Walker

michaeloneill.org
Michael O’Neill @michaeloneill.org · 13d
And the British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social has done an amazing piece of mapping for SHAPE subjects here. 7/ www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/policy-and-r...
Mapping SHAPE provision in UK higher education
This new project from the British Academy maps changing provision of SHAPE subjects in UK higher education institutions. It uses data to visually depict contractions and expansions in provision by a v...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

resprofnews.bsky.social
Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 18d
Universities ‘must avoid same traps as Dundee’, says former VC

Anton Muscatelli urges institutions to take governance failings that led to bailout “very seriously indeed”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Universities ‘must avoid same traps as Dundee’, says former VC - Research Professional News
Anton Muscatelli urges institutions to take governance failings that led to bailout “very seriously indeed”
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 20d
So what are the sticks going to be to ‘drive’ this particular unwelcome change? (3/2)

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 20d
But just as no HEI was willing to say ‘yeah, our degrees are probably only worth £2k pa’, do they really expect many to say, ’Actually, we’re not that good at this research malarkey’? All previous REFs show that there’s excellent research across the sector, esp in Arts and Humanities disciplines.

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 20d
I wonder just how interventionist the government is intending to be in terms of ‘driving specialisation’. The hope is clearly that ‘the market’ will sort itself out into fast and slow lane research institutions, just as it was when fees were introduced… (1/2)

Reposted by Stephen P. Jenkins, Mel Bartley, Karen R. Lips , and 37 more

anavaldi.bsky.social
ana valdivia @anavaldi.bsky.social · 20d
After submitting a FOIA request UKRI, I obtained success rates by three grant call scheme and I can only say that I am disheartened by the results:

- AHRC Responsive Mode 2025: 2%
- ESRC New Investigator Grant 2025: 1%
- ESRC Research Grant Round 2025: 1%

Reposted by Greg Walker

royalhistsoc.org
Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 22d
We must maintain a focus on research culture, impact and engagement during the current REF pause. These are areas of importance for historians and in which historians excel.

A statement from the Royal Historical Society bit.ly/4hkdd2P

#Skystorians 1/3 🧵👇
A Healthy Culture for Historians: disciplinary perspective on the REF Pause - RHS
Last month, Research England pressed ‘pause’ on REF2029. The run up to this had seen announcements on core elements of the current Research Excellence Framework: recruitment of Subject Panel chairs, d...
bit.ly

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 24d
'We are told that universities are seething hives of (sigh) ‘woke’; that every campus is a zombie apocalypse swarming with Stepford Students in search of their next cancellation...and that when they do bother to attend lectures they are being indoctrinated in postmodern anticolonial Marxism'. 1/3
The joy of university
For those who are privileged to go to university, they get three years suspended between childhood and the adult world
www.spectator.co.uk

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 24d
Fake gnus!

Reposted by Greg Walker

chrisjparr.bsky.social
Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 25d
Universities do a great deal of wonderful work in their local areas, but this risks being overshadowed by local higher education institutions laying off scores of local people.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-he-govern...
Paper wait - Research Professional News
Is the government finally about to publish its skills plans?
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 26d
OTD in 1953 historian AJP Taylor guested on Radio 4’s ‘Beat the Experts’. Wrongly billed as ‘author of ‘How Warts Begin’’, he faced 38 unanswerable questions on swimming pool hygiene, verrucas & how best to touch toads, before hitting host Robert Robinson with an egg sandwich & storming out.

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 27d
Tha’s ynowt ywonge with thatte!

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 27d
Delighted to be working with the brilliant @ellierycroft.bsky.social on this excellent project. An ideal Christmas stocking filler* for that hard-to-please friend or relative I’d have thought… (*other forms of yuletide leg covering are available, obvs)
ellierycroft.bsky.social EarlyModernista @ellierycroft.bsky.social · 27d
@gregmw4.bsky.social and I received the wonderfully welcome news that 'Predramatic Theatre' has been accepted for publication by Palgrave following peer review. Who knows? It might even be out by Christmas! It has certainly been a gift working with my mentor on a topic we're both passionate about.

Reposted by Greg Walker

ellierycroft.bsky.social
EarlyModernista @ellierycroft.bsky.social · 27d
@gregmw4.bsky.social and I received the wonderfully welcome news that 'Predramatic Theatre' has been accepted for publication by Palgrave following peer review. Who knows? It might even be out by Christmas! It has certainly been a gift working with my mentor on a topic we're both passionate about.

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn, Michael Hancher

mercedessheldon.bsky.social
Mercedes Sheldon @mercedessheldon.bsky.social · 28d
Fab editorial by @umnenglish.bsky.social faculty.
"Majoring in English is by no means a bad investment of a student’s time and tuition dollars. ... While graduates with English degrees may start out earning less than peers in other fields, they out-earn them in the second half of their careers."
Counterpoint | Actually, English majors are thriving at the University of Minnesota
"As the chair of the English department, past English chair, and assistant dean of curriculum and instruction at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, we often find reports of the demise of ...
www.startribune.com

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 29d
‘If I can just lever all these little cogs out, the whole thing will work a lot better...’
‘You do know that’s not how clocks work, don’t you?’
(‘Allegory of University Management’, 2025)