Greg Walker
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gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker
@gregmw4.bsky.social
540 followers 110 following 230 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%
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gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 1d
Ring out those bells, Darryl…

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 2d
‘Brace, Death Star ahead!’
‘I’m pretty sure it’s just a réification of our engagement with material historical conditions, Han…’
(Lost footage of Georg Lukács’s failed Star Wars pilot found in Budapest attic.)

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 3d
Visitors left ´confused’ by new Marxist Santa’s grotto.´They told our Sandra that whether she’d been good or bad just disguises the false consciousness behind an essentially feudal system of gift allocation’, said one angry mum who reached out on X to complain of long delays & arguments with elves.

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · 5d
Progtastic!

Reposted by Charles West, Greg Walker, Jennie Batchelor

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 5d
"In an era where the authentic written word is under threat....English isn't just about reading the past--it's about understanding the power of words and narratives in the present and future and giving our students the skills to successfully navigate the world".

True of all UK English programmes.
jenniebatchelor.bsky.social Jennie Batchelor @jenniebatchelor.bsky.social · 5d
Today the Sunday Times discusses the decline in students studying A-level and beyond. I believe this is reversible. I believe it is necessary. And I’m glad to have some of my words on the importance of the discipline and the vibrancy of our degrees in English at York in the article.

Reposted by Charles West, Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn , and 1 more

jenniebatchelor.bsky.social
Jennie Batchelor @jenniebatchelor.bsky.social · 5d
Today the Sunday Times discusses the decline in students studying A-level and beyond. I believe this is reversible. I believe it is necessary. And I’m glad to have some of my words on the importance of the discipline and the vibrancy of our degrees in English at York in the article.

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

chrishavergal.bsky.social
Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · 7d
A cross-party review of the financial sustainability of Scotland’s universities will go ahead after months of initial talks between university leaders and politicians, reports @helenpacker.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/scottis...
Scottish HE funding review to start in January despite election
Scottish National Party minister says financial challenges go ‘beyond party political boundaries’ as official talks set to begin
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

llantwit.bsky.social
Andy Williams @llantwit.bsky.social · 7d
Some really (and qualifiedly) good news from Cardiff UCU @cardiffucu.bsky.social :
No redundancies next year, no downgrading of professional services staff.
And all without the need for disruptive industrial action, which nobody at all wants.

nation.cymru/news/cardiff...
Cardiff University agrees to no compulsory redundancies in 2026
Martin Shipton Union members at Cardiff University have welcomed “major concessions” from management including no compulsory redundancies in 2026 in an ongoing dispute about job cuts and working condi...
nation.cymru

Reposted by Mark Rubin, Du Plessis, Greg Walker , and 1 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 8d
;Eliminating funding for 3* research in the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) would benefit Russell Group institutions by about £50 million a year, suggests modelling into how potential changes to funding formulas may play out.' 1/3
‘Beware trade-offs’ of removing REF funding for 3* outputs
Review of formula used to allocate £2 billion QR funding could downgrade or withdraw money for ‘internationally excellent’ research, some fear
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

hetanshah.bsky.social
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 9d
A nice collection of @timeshighered.bsky.social essays all in one place about the value of the arts and the humanities
www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/makin...
Making the case for arts and humanities
The arts and humanities are often dismissed as an unaffordable luxury, when these disciplines underpin vital human skills such as critical thinking, creativity and communication. This collection explo...
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Greg Walker

pseudo-isidore.bsky.social
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 9d
Best news of the day.

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 13d
Now that antifreeze has been applied to REF2029, we know that research environments (now called SPRE) will be assessed 60% at institutional level (by an Institutional Level Statement) and 40% at Unit of Assessment level (by a Unit Level Statement).

Will we see a STEM SPRE triumph? 1/5 #Skystorians
Image depicts a grey radiator header tank with green fluorescent antifreeze where the cap will soon be fitted on. REF2029 is now unfrozen: the green light signals all systems go (but maybe time to do a bit of serious thinking about what universities are actually for too).

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18d
'There in the shadows [of the White Paper] lies the call for HE institutions to specialise, with the lurking threat that many will lose their research funding in some, but perhaps many, areas, in order to better fund those with more intensive research.'
Labour must not repeat history by sidelining research in post-92 universities
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 ris...
wonkhe.com

Reposted by Greg Walker

englishjournaloup.bsky.social
English: Journal of the English Association @englishjournaloup.bsky.social · 24d
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! YES, it’s PGR Essay Prize Competition time again! We are delighted to open this year’s competition, and invite PGRs from across the diverse fields of English to submit their essays. Details can be found here:

academic.oup.com/english/page...
English Postgraduate Essay Prize 2026
About the prize The English Association is pleased to invite submissions to the English journal’s annual essay competition, which is exclusive to postgrad
academic.oup.com

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Joanna Bryson, Dorothy Bishop , and 37 more

harrywallop.co.uk
Harry Wallop @harrywallop.co.uk · 24d
Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Richard S.J. Tol, Stephan Lewandowsky , and 21 more

lukemcgee.bsky.social
Luke McGee @lukemcgee.bsky.social · 26d
This is the most alarming story I’ve read today. Giving up the fight before it’s started

Reposted by Steve Peers, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Greg Walker , and 2 more

nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social
Natalie Bennett @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social · 28d
Home Office #HostileEnvironment - seems nothing has changed

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
UK rejects visa for girl left destitute in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa
Lati-Yana Brown’s parents had asked for application to be expedited so she could join them in UK after house ruined
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

chrisjparr.bsky.social
Chris Parr @chrisjparr.bsky.social · 29d
Is Haldane dead? The short answer is “yes”. Richard Burdon Haldane died in 1928.

For researchers, however, the question relates to the nuance of the Haldane principle.

My feature for @resprofnews.bsky.social:

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
Is the Haldane principle under threat? - Research Professional News
Increasing political direction in the allocation of research funding is alarming some policy experts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

Reposted by Greg Walker, Kelly Smith

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 29d
'Universities are communities of people and those within Scotland’s universities play a critical role in shaping our regions, our nation and our international reach and impact.'

Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

britishacademy.bsky.social
The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · Nov 26
"Today’s Budget was an opportunity for the government to offer further detail and clarity on the state and finances of the higher education sector, building on the recent White Paper."

Read our response to the Autumn Budget in full: https://bit.ly/4rs7bCc
The British Academy's response to the Autumn Budget
The British Academy has responded to the Autumn Budget (26 November 2025)
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Nov 24
'The Scottish Greens have lodged an amendment to the Scottish Government's Tertiary Education and Training Bill – set to be debated this week – which they believe will help to "boost the wages of ordinary workers".' 1/2
Plans lodged for crack down on 'obscene' pay of university principals
Propsals have been lodged to crack down on the 'obscene' pay inequality across Scotland's universities and colleges
www.thenational.scot

Reposted by Greg Walker

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Nov 23
Not reposting in agreement with the 10 principles (I disagree strongly on several), but because it's the 1st open, comprehensive agenda responding to post-16 White Paper (and the obvious direction of travel in DSIT/UKRI) I've seen from a sitting VC.

Principle 2, subject provision, merits more. 1/6

Reposted by Greg Walker, Constance Bantman

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Nov 22
'Michael Lynas, the UK country director for the Duolingo language app, who argues there is no good substitute for the hard graft of learning a language as a way of seeing another country’s culture from the inside.' 1/3
Universities blame ‘societal shift’ for axing foreign language degrees
Numbers taking languages at A-level and beyond has been falling for decades, although Duolingo says its app is most popular with young people
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn , and 2 more

kovesi.bsky.social
Simon Kővesi @kovesi.bsky.social · Nov 20
Applications Now Open for the University of Glasgow Library Visiting Research Fellowship scheme - supporting scholars from across academic disciplines to come to Glasgow to work on our unique research collections. Please RT or pass on:

www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/li...

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · Nov 20
What does ‘Speaking English to A Level standard’ mean here?

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · Nov 20
To obtain Settled Status, legal migrants must wait ten years and ‘There will be minimum standards, including having a clean criminal record, speaking English to A Level standard, made "sustained" national insurance contributions, and have no debt in the country.’

gregmw4.bsky.social
Greg Walker @gregmw4.bsky.social · Nov 20
Is spoken English really examined at A-Level? (Asking for an immigration system…)

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker, Catriona Seth , and 1 more

royalhistsoc.org
Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · Nov 20
Applications are now invited for the Society's 2026-27 Centenary PhD Fellowships for early career historians completing a doctorate bit.ly/48pWB72

Fellowships provide support of £8500 per award for 6 months and are held jointly with @ihr.bsky.social. Closing date: 31 January 2026 #Skystorians
Applications invited for the Society's Centenary PhD Fellowships, 2026-27 - RHS
Applications are now invited for the Royal Historical Society’s Centenary PhD Fellowships to support postgraduate historians to complete a doctorate. Two Fellowships, of six months each, are offered f...
bit.ly

Reposted by Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn

ihr.bsky.social
Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Nov 19
🎉 All stipendiary IHR Fellowships, Bursaries, & Prizes are now LIVE! 🎉

universityoflondon.smapply.io/prog/lst/

(All of our open competitions start with "IHR" in the title.)

Got a question? Please check the application page & our website for more information.

www.history.ac.uk/fellowships-...
Programs - School of Advanced Study
universityoflondon.smapply.io

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker, Margot C. Finn , and 2 more

misswalsingham.bsky.social
Nadine Akkerman @misswalsingham.bsky.social · Nov 18
Here’s another fully funded 4-year PhD position at Leiden within the ERC project LangPro led by Dr Alisa van de Haar, and co-supervised by yours truly, on guilds and associations supporting early modern language professionals bit.ly/49rsLA3

Apply by 15 Feb. 2026; starting date 1 Aug. 2026
PhD position, project LangPro: 'Societies and Guilds in the Language Industry'
PhD position, project LangPro: 'Societies and Guilds in the Language Industry'
bit.ly