Lucy Delap

@lucydelap.bsky.social

2.7K followers 620 following 240 posts

Historian of feminisms, labour and disability at University of Cambridge. Fellow of Murray Edwards college. Lover of nyckelharpa and uilleann pipes. She/her

Videos

History 35%

Political science 29%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Catherine Baker, Laura Kelly, Farah Mendlesohn , and 1 more Catherine Baker, Laura Kelly, Farah Mendlesohn, Lucy Delap

Rosa Campbell @rosavcampbell.bsky.social · 7d

Here, for @historyworkshop.org.uk I discuss the history of a refuge for trans women.

I show women’s shared experiences of violence across the spectrum of cis and trans.

I highlight histories of solidarity against male violence by feminists and trans women.

academic.oup.com/hwj/advance-...

Reconsidering Violence Against Women through the History of a Refuge for Trans Women

Abstract. Both right-wing forces and gender-critical feminists currently frame cis and trans women’s needs as fundamentally different and conflicting. Viol

academic.oup.com

Reposted by Claire Connolly

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 7d

Low key, but definitely Christmas at the UL @theul.bsky.social

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 11d

I learnt so much about China on this visit, and met such incredible people. Hoping for more conversations between historians of our respective academies

Two people talking in a red pagoda, surrounded by mountains and trees during winter

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 11d

A pleasure and an honour to be invited to talk about global feminisms at @pku1898.bsky.social History Department. I greatly appreciate the specially-designed poster, featuring Nüshu characters, a woman-created script that gave them private cultural space even when outside of formal education systems

three people, one holding a framed poster advertising a history lecture, stand in a lecture theatre.

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 14d

As a review is announced into who counts as disabled, I offer some reflections on disability and UK employment policies over the twentieth century
historyandpolicy.org/policy-paper...

Stigma, trust and the history of UK disability policy - History & Policy

The numbers of people who are physically impaired, neurodivergent, chronically sick or experiencing mental distress have increased to around one in four of the UK population. Government ministers have...

historyandpolicy.org

Reposted by Lucy Delap

Dr Ellie Chowns MP @elliechowns.bsky.social · 14d

Alongside fellow Green MPs and Peers, I have written to the Justice Secretary to express my serious concern about the wellbeing and conditions of the hunger strikers.

Five of the strikers have now been hospitalised - it is clear Lammy must take urgent action to prevent tragedy.

Dear David,

We are writing to express our concern about eight prisoners who took action in solidarity with Palestine in August 2024. Amu Gib, Qesser Zuhrah, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed, Muhammad Umer Khalid and Lewie Chiaramello are all being held on remand: none has been convicted. They are all on hunger strike, some since 2 November, in protest at their prolonged pre-trial imprisonment, censorship of communications and alleged mistreatment in custody.

We share concerns about the length of time they have been detained without trial. Some of the protestors have already been imprisoned for over a year and we note the assessment by UN human rights experts that terrorism powers were misused to circumvent normal legal protections, with this being a potential cause of excessively long pre-charge detention (ref). We are also worried by reports about their treatment and support the call on you made in Early Day Motion 2386 (ref) to intervene urgently to ensure their treatment is humane and their human rights are upheld.

To that end, would you:

• ensure the hunger strikers are not denied clinical monitoring or hospital access;
• instigate an immediate review of the remand/bail decisions in these cases;
• confirm that counter terror powers are not being misapplied to protest activity.

These protestors must also be guaranteed their right to a fair trial – the decision since their arrest to proscribe Palestine Action puts this seriously at risk. We would therefore like to know what measures you are putting in place to ensure such a vital cornerstone of our justice system is upheld, both in relation to the charges brought against these specific prisoners and more broadly in relation to offences committed by others acting in solidarity with Palestine.

Lastly, we urge you to meet with the families and loved ones of the prisoners on hunger strike – we understand you have not responded yet to representations they have made, and trust you will be o…

Reposted by Catherine Baker, Lesley A. Hall, Lucy Delap , and 1 more Catherine Baker, Lesley A. Hall, Lucy Delap, Kate Bradley

Sarah Wride @srwride.bsky.social · 14d

If you’re a #Humanities #ECR & in/willing to travel to York on 17 December, join me & the @historylabplus.bsky.social team for our 2025 ‘Christmas Connections’ event, a FREE & informal opportunity to support each other, build professional connections, & sample the city’s heritage & eatables. 👇&🧵

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Steven Fielding , and 1 more Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Steven Fielding, Lucy Delap

History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · 18d

Today’s campaigns against the BBC, from Donald Trump to The Daily Telegraph, have a surprisingly long history.

In our latest article, David Nowell Smith explores how commercial rivalries inspired the first accusations of left-wing bias at the BBC.

The Surprising Origins of the BBC’s ‘Left-Wing Bias’

David Nowell Smith explores how commercial rivalries inspired the first accusations of institutional bias at the BBC.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 22d

It's a lazy populist dogwhistle that reinforces ideas of scrounging and undeserving claimants. Many disability benefits are totally unrelated to work status, but do have the effect of making paid employment possible. They also add to human dignity & alleviate suffering - surely worth something too?

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Holger Nehring

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 22d

Wes Streeting accuses welfare state disabilty benefits of 'trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work.' But where is the recognition that disability benefits are often what makes it possible for people with higher living and transport costs to work?
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar

Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · 29d

Records of the International Federation of Persons with Physical Disability available at @archivum.org
Great holdings, and they also offer fellowships with stipend. #dishist
archivum.org/news/executi...

Executive Board Records of FIMITIC Now Open for Research

The first series of the Records of the International Federation of Persons with Physical Disability (FIMITIC) is now open for research.

archivum.org

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Nov 25

Great chance to get immersed in these fantastic collections, and have some quiet writing time in a beautiful Cambridge setting.

Churchill Archives Centre @chuarchives.bsky.social · Sep 18

📚 Whether you're an undergraduate, postgraduate, academic, or independent researcher, our research grants and By-Fellowships are designed to support work using our collections here at Churchill Archives Centre.

🔗 Click the link to find out more & apply: buff.ly/JGsTtHK

A poster advertising the By-Fellowships and Research Grants offered by Churchill Archives Centre. The text included on this image can be found at the link in the main post.

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Lyndsey Stonebridge, Lucy Delap

Dr Mary McAuliffe @drmarymcauliffe.bsky.social · Nov 25

Every day, 137 women and girls are killed by intimate partners or family members internationally - one death every 10 minutes, according to the UN, who released their annual femicide report today.
Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women #speirgorm jrnl.ie/6884469

One woman or girl killed every ten minutes by intimate partners or family members, UN says

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, but according to the UN the number of women and girls killed intentionally remains unchanged.

jrnl.ie

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Lucy Delap

LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · Nov 23

Seeking reading material?

For UK Disability History Month 2025 (20 November to 20 December), staff at LSE recommend eight powerful books about disability and neurodiversity and books sharing the experiences of disabled and neurodiverse people @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social

Eight books to read for UK Disability History Month - LSE Review of Books

For UK Disability History Month the LSE community recommends eight books about disability & neurodiversity and the experiences of disabled & neurodiverse people

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Lucy Delap

Erskine @erskinechilders.bsky.social · Nov 14

On behalf of the family, can I extend our thanks to the Faculty, Trustees and Board of
@camhistory.bsky.social @lucydelap.bsky.social
at the announcement of the Permanent " Childers Chair " of Irish History. My grandfather was incredibly proud to be an alumnus

www.gov.ie/en/departmen...

Tánaiste announces endowment of Chair of Irish History at University of Cambridge

www.gov.ie

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Nov 11

If you're a student who works with radio or podcasts, take a look at the Charles Parker prize. Brilliant opportunity for oral historians
www.cpatrust.org.uk/prize

Charles Parker Prize | Showcase Your Audio Talent — Charles Parker Archive Trust

Discover top student audio features and enter the Charles Parker Prize for a chance to broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

www.cpatrust.org.uk

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Nov 3

Great to be at the launch of Desi Queers, new intersectional oral history collection, with legendary founders of queer antiracist organisations Naz & Shakti

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Lucy Delap

Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · Nov 1

This week we also announced plans for a new Applied History Fellowship for postdoc historians, with @ihr.bsky.social and publisher DC Thomson bit.ly/4ofWArN

Fellowships will develop historical skills for use in workplaces beyond higher education. Launch event: 2.30pm, 19 Nov, online #Skystorians

New programme of 'Applied History Fellowships': launch and introductory event - RHS

In 2025-26 the Institute of Historical Research (IHR), Royal Historical Society and DC Thomson will launch a new Applied History Fellowship partnership. Join us at this online session -- 2.30pm on Wed...

bit.ly

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Oct 17

I'll be asking why photography was so important to disabled people, what it meant to control their own images, and have access to their own spaces.

A man wearing a flat cap in a recumbent wheel chair ('spinal carriage') with a dog on his lap, outside a building

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Oct 17

If you're in Cambridge next Wednesday, do join me for the History and Politics seminar, where I'll be talking about the politicisation of disability in early to mid twentieth-century Britain through print culture, marches, charters and defiant visual culture.
www.polis.cam.ac.uk/events/histo...

History and Politics Seminar Series | Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS)

Michaelmas Term Seminars All meetings will take place in the Knox Shaw Room at Sidney Sussex College on Wednesdays at 5:30pm, except for the conference on 13 November, which will be held at Churchill ...

www.polis.cam.ac.uk

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, Lesley A. Hall, Kevin O’Sullivan , and 1 more Dave O’Brien, Lesley A. Hall, Kevin O’Sullivan, Lucy Delap

Centre for Modern British Studies @mbsbirmingham.bsky.social · Oct 17

We are delighted to announce that MBS2026 will be held at the University of Birmingham, 3-5 June 2026!

Papers may consider the opening day's theme of 'Polycrisis', but we also welcome all submissions related to modern British studies.

For any questions please contact mbs2026@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Modern British Studies Conference 2026 - University of Birmingham

Conference information

www.birmingham.ac.uk

Reposted by Dave O’Brien, David Edgerton, Lucy Delap , and 1 more Dave O’Brien, David Edgerton, Lucy Delap, Kate Bradley

Modern British Studies Association @modbritstud.bsky.social · Oct 16

We're excited to announce the call for papers for #MBS26, the next Modern British Studies conference, at Birmingham in June 2026. We'll be launching the #MBS Association at this event, to support further regular conferences in Modern British Studies.

www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/moder...

Modern British Studies Conference 2026 - University of Birmingham

Conference information

www.birmingham.ac.uk

Reposted by Lucy Delap

Churchill Archives Centre @chuarchives.bsky.social · Oct 13

Join us for 'The 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement in historical perspective' a two day conference to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the signing of this momentous document.
🗓️ 13th-14th November
📍 Churchill College
🎫 buff.ly/s3lf071

Collage of documents relating to the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement

Reposted by Tom Shakespeare, Lucy Delap

Cambridge University History Faculty @camhistory.bsky.social · Oct 7

PhD student Kirstie Stage spent five months at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History thanks to a @ukri.org Fellowship.

Researching histories of Deaf & disabled people between the UK & US, she conducted archival work, presented at conferences & learnt American Sign Language (ASL). ⬇️⬇️

Reposted by Lucy Delap

Dr Rachel Clarke @drrachelclarke.com · Oct 4

This is Trevor Fisher, speaking to @channel4news.bsky.social from Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridgeshire this week.

As a palliative care specialist, Trevor’s interview has devastated me.

His hospice has just been told Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust is withdrawing £800k of funding. 🧵

photo of a man, Trevor fisher, in his hospice bed this week, filmed by channel 4 news

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Sep 27

Two days of tributes to @petermandler.bsky.social as he moves on from @camhistory.bsky.social to new vistas. We could scarcely cover all his interests, mentorship and provocations if we had two years

Two panelists view a PowerPoint slide in a lecture theatre

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Sep 26

A dream team of colleagues with which to spend yesterday discussing labour history, disability and the shape of the twentieth century. My book draft will be SO much better for their input. A huge thanks to all

a group of people sitting on stone steps in autumn sunshine

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Nancy M. Wingfield, Aviel Roshwald

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Sep 19

Come and work with our fab Americanists - a dynamic (and super nice!) group within @camhistory.bsky.social. We're hiring for a permanent position in twentieth century US history.

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...

Assistant Professor, History of the United States since 1920

The Faculty of History is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in post-1920 U.S. political history and/or the history of the United States in the World since 1920, beginning 1 October, 2026. The

www.cam.ac.uk

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Steven Fielding , and 1 more Lesley A. Hall, Margot C. Finn, Steven Fielding, Lucy Delap

Churchill Archives Centre @chuarchives.bsky.social · Sep 18

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall

Lucy Delap @lucydelap.bsky.social · Sep 9

Museum of Cambridge are looking for a #Disability Heritage Research Volunteer, to work remotely, creating histories of people with disabilities in Cambridgeshire. www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/wp-content/u...

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