Anita Gohdes
LightNews LightNews
banner
argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes
@argohdes.bsky.social
4.2K followers 600 following 230 posts

Studying repression, the internet, and contentious politics. Professor @thehertieschool. Consultant @hrdag. she/her.

Wrote a book on repression in the digital age: https://www.anitagohdes.net/book.html

Videos

Anita Gohdes is a German academic and political scientist working at the intersection of international security and technology. She is currently Professor of International and Cyber Security at the Hertie School in Berlin, Germany. .. more

Political science 43%
Sociology 29%
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · Aug 29
Happy to share this paper with @zacharyst.bsky.social
that was just published in the AJPS.

We study how civilian behavior on social media shifts during war, focusing on one of the most horrific episodes of the Syrian conflict - the siege of Aleppo: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Abstract of paper by Anita Gohdes and Zachary Steinert Threlkeld reading: Recent research emphasizes social media’s potential for citizens to express shared grievances. In active conflict, however, social media posts indicating political loyalties can pose severe risks to civilians. We develop a theory that explains how civilians modify their online behavior as part of efforts to improve their security during conflict. After major changes in territorial control, civilians should be more likely to post positive content, and more content that supports the winning side. We study social media behavior during and after the siege of Aleppo in November 2016. We match Aleppo-based Twitter users with users from other parts of Syria and use large language models to analyze changes in online behavior after the regime’s retaking of the city. Results show that users in Aleppo post more positive and pro-Assad content, but only when self-disclosing their location.

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Joanna Bryson, Ben H. Ansell , and 19 more

tabouchadi.bsky.social
Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 4d
We have just published the call for the Nuffield Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics. These are 3-year fully-funded postdocs that will allow you to focus on your research in a great academic environment. (And with excellent food)

www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk/the-college/...
Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellowships in Politics - Nuffield College Oxford University
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

stefwalter.bsky.social
Stefanie Walter @stefwalter.bsky.social · 7d
🗓️🗓️🗓️
EPSS Deadline is this week:
Submit your proposal by November 7
macartan.bsky.social Macartan Humphreys @macartan.bsky.social · 7d
Please share!: Last week to apply for @epssnet.bsky.social Belfast 2026

really good news is that there's been an amazing response to the call for papers already; now very excited for this meeting

⬇️ We put together a quick FAQ on Qs that have come up on submitting: epssnet.org/conferences/...
EPSS 2026 submissions FAQ - EPSS
Submissions are coming in fast for Belfast 2026 and so are your questions about submissions. Here are answers to the most common questions: Where do I go to submit? For panel submission: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/events/75765/symposia/create For paper submission: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/79266/submissions/new? How many papers can I submit? We put a constraint of max one presentation per person. This does …
epssnet.org

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · 7d
Very good overview of what RSF's seizure of El Fasher and the horrific atrocities being committed in Sudan: shows.acast.com/60b001bcdb92...
Special Episode: What Does the RSF’s Seizure of El Fasher Mean for Sudan’s War? | Hold Your Fire!
shows.acast.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Jeremy Ginges, Southern Africa , and 1 more

alexvont.bsky.social
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 8d
This from @nesrinemalik.bsky.social is a clear and horrifying explanation of the atrocities underway in El Fasher. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Blood spilled in Sudan can be seen from space. Nobody can feign ignorance about what’s going on | Nesrine Malik
The massacres carried out by the RSF in El Fasher, Darfur, with the support of its UAE sponsors, will only stop when the international community acts, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Anita Gohdes

gotmyniinaa.bsky.social
Nina @gotmyniinaa.bsky.social · 8d
"Even as the hunger and fear of living under siege and bombardment made him desperate to leave, Douda remained inside El Fasher, constantly working to let the outside world know what was happening to the people there."
He told the world what was happening in El Fasher. Then they sought him out. How Sudan lost ‘a true hero of the war’
For months, Mohamed Khamis Douda shared accounts of what life was like under siege. He was killed when RSF fighters finally took the Darfur city, raising fears activists and civil society figures are ...
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Stefanie Walter, Catherine E. De Vries, Alexander Wuttke , and 7 more

simonhix.bsky.social
Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 9d
Better get your paper submissions in for the @epssnet.bsky.social conference in June 2026, as the deadline is 7 November, and we have no intention of extended that (given the submission numbers)!
epssnet.org/belfast-2026...
Call for Papers | EPSS Belfast 2026 Conference
Submit your abstract or full paper for EPSS Belfast 2026. Share cutting‑edge political science research, network with peers & contribute to academic impact.
epssnet.org

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · 13d
Info on the PhD programme here: www.hertie-school.org/en/phd/apply...

Apply here (by Jan 31st): apply.interfolio.com/176670
PhD programmes
www.hertie-school.org

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Gordon Hodson, Simon Munzert

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · 13d
We are hiring a PhD student to join us at the @hertiesecurity.bsky.social (start Sept. 2026)!

If you want to conduct research on topics related to digital authoritarianism, state repression, contentious politics or social movements online, then this job might be for you!

Reposted by Richard Fletcher, Jacob Montgomery, Scott L. Althaus , and 3 more

reutersinstitute.bsky.social
Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · 14d
We've just published the most comprehensive study of news creators to date covering 24 countries. Authored by Nic Newman @amyrossarguedas.bsky.social @mitalilive.bsky.social @richardfletcher.bsky.social, it identifies the most mentioned in each country

📱Report buff.ly/bL6y8Hj
🧵6 findings in thread

Reposted by Margaret Mitchell, Henry Farrell, Greg Linden , and 2 more

meredithmeredith.bsky.social
Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · 14d
The question isn’t "why does Signal use AWS?" It’s to look at the infrastructural requirements of any global, real-time, mass comms platform and ask how it is that we got to a place where there’s no realistic alternative to AWS and the other hyperscalers. 3/

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Zen Faulkes, Anita Gohdes

lukaszolejnik.bsky.social
Lukasz Olejnik @lukaszolejnik.bsky.social · 17d
And here’s a startup offering influencing/propaganda services. Called it ;) www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

sambiddle.com
Sam Biddle @sambiddle.com · 20d
What a time to be alive

Reposted by Prokla Redaktion, Ben Kaden, Anita Gohdes

teresabuecker.bsky.social
Teresa Bücker @teresabuecker.bsky.social · 21d
Was Merz tut, wird seit vielen Jahren in den Gender-Wissenschaften als »Femonationalismus« beschrieben (Sara Farris).

„Versuche europäischer rechter Parteien feministische Ideale für Kampagnen gegen Migranten und Migrantinnen und gegen den Islam zu vereinnahmen.“

Es geht nicht um Sicherheit.

Reposted by Simon Hix, Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook , and 13 more

sumitra.bsky.social
Sumitra Badrinathan @sumitra.bsky.social · 26d
🚨 out at @apsrjournal.bsky.social 🚨

➡️ We ran a large media literacy experiment to fight misinformation
➡️ 13,500 students, 583 villages in Bihar, India
➡️Created custom misinfo curriculum of 4 months
➡️Partnered w the government to roll it out as an official course in classrooms

hopeful findings👇🏽

Reposted by Catherine E. De Vries, Paul Lehmann

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · 27d
👏🏻 ‼️ "We don’t train young scholars to fail well. [...] rarely do we discuss how to handle the inevitable: the harsh review, the desk rejection, the grant proposal that doesn’t get funded."
catherinedevries.bsky.social Catherine E. de Vries @catherinedevries.bsky.social · 27d
Every academic career is built on rejection, but we don’t show it.

CVs list publications, grants & awards, not rejected manuscripts, unfunded proposals, or failures.

But those invisible rejections shape us more than our successes ever do.

👉 catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/fail-bette...

🧵
Fail Better: Why Your Rejections Will Shape You More Than Your Publications
The Art of Learning from Rejection
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Anna O. Law, Dorothy Bishop , and 9 more

catherinedevries.bsky.social
Catherine E. de Vries @catherinedevries.bsky.social · 27d
Every academic career is built on rejection, but we don’t show it.

CVs list publications, grants & awards, not rejected manuscripts, unfunded proposals, or failures.

But those invisible rejections shape us more than our successes ever do.

👉 catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/fail-bette...

🧵
Fail Better: Why Your Rejections Will Shape You More Than Your Publications
The Art of Learning from Rejection
catherineeunicedevries.substack.com

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Jan W. Mueller, John Quiggin , and 7 more

filipecampante.bsky.social
Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · Oct 10
It might be hard to convey to people outside economics just how seismic this is. The Trump effect has most certainly arrived to US academia.
florianscheuer.bsky.social Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · Oct 10
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

makenakelly.bsky.social
makena kelly @makenakelly.bsky.social · Oct 10
NEW: Trump Wants to Take Over Cities. Influencers Are Giving Him the Fuel to Do It

Wrote a bit about the content mill for consensus the Trump administration has created to justify its law-and-order immigration agenda.

More here:
www.wired.com/story/trump-...
Trump Wants to Take Over Cities. Influencers Are Giving Him the Fuel to Do It
The Trump administration has built its own content mill to justify its law-and-order immigration agenda.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Stephen M. Walt, Cas Mudde , and 51 more

florianscheuer.bsky.social
Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · Oct 10
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

meredithmeredith.bsky.social
Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · Oct 9
Defending privacy isn't easy. Those in power always want more access+more info. It's especially hard when emotionally charged args are used to advance surveillance
❤️ to those doing the work 2/
bsky.app/profile/ccc.de
bsky.app/profile/d-64...
bsky.app/profile/digi...
bsky.app/profile/figh...
bsky.app

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

abenewman.bsky.social
Abe Newman @abenewman.bsky.social · Oct 5
5/And much of Silicon Valley has become complicit. Cozying up to the US government. This might help the Valley at home but it further undermines its position globally. See Macron speech.
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
The Brewing Transatlantic Tech War
How Silicon Valley got entangled in geopolitics—and lost.
www.foreignaffairs.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Christine Kooi, Els Torreele , and 10 more

signal.org
Signal @signal.org · Oct 3
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
signal.org

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

shamjaff.bsky.social
Sham Jaff @shamjaff.bsky.social · Oct 1
"The Taliban have yet to give an official reason for the shutdown." They don't need to. We already know it's about control. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Afghan women lose their 'last hope' as Taliban shut down internet
For many women, the internet was their last resource. An internet shutdown threatens to end this.
www.bbc.com

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Oct 1
The Trump administration has reached a deal to deport about 400 Iranian immigrants to Iran, marking a rare display of cooperation between the two countries that immediately raised concerns among human rights advocates for the immigrants’ safety.
U.S. to deport immigrants to Iran, Tehran says, raising human rights concerns
The rare cooperation between Washington and Tehran would come as tensions mount over Iran’s nuclear program and the U.S. travel ban.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

hertiesecurity.bsky.social
Centre for International Security - Hertie School @hertiesecurity.bsky.social · Oct 1
📢 Applications now open for our International Security Fellowship!

For researchers working on topics related to our four core research areas: nuclear security, grand strategy, state & non-state actors, digital tech & security.

Apply by 31 Oct 2025 👇
lnkd.in/dZ2UCukQ

Reposted by Jochen Müller

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · Sep 29
And if you want to learn more about how people make a career in dictatorship, pre-order the authors' (Christian Gläßel and @ascharpf.bsky.social) new book "Making a Career in Dictatorship":

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Reposted by Pieter Vanhuysse, Els Torreele, Mark Rice , and 2 more

patrickiber.bsky.social
Patrick Iber @patrickiber.bsky.social · Sep 26
It was a true honor to talk to legendary political scientist Adam Przeworski about how he understands the present crisis, what he learned from Chile and Poland, and how to move forward from here www.dissentmagazine.org/article/how-...
How Democracies Fall Apart - Dissent Magazine
An interview with Adam Przeworski.
www.dissentmagazine.org

Reposted by Monika Dommann

argohdes.bsky.social
Anita Gohdes @argohdes.bsky.social · Sep 26
This is big news. Microsoft ends Israeli military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian and +972 Magazine investigation 👇

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Microsoft blocks Israel’s use of its technology in mass surveillance of Palestinians
Exclusive: Tech firm ends military unit’s access to AI and data services after Guardian reveals secret spy project
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Anita Gohdes

amnesty.org
Amnesty International @amnesty.org · Sep 26
Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people thus far in 2025, the highest number of yearly executions in Iran that Amnesty has recorded in at least 15 years.

Read more:
Iran: Over 1,000 people executed as authorities step up horrifying assault on right to life
Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people thus far in 2025, the highest number of yearly executions in Iran that the organization has recorded in at least 15 years, said Amnesty International. The organization is calling on the Iranian authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on executions as a first step, and issuing an urgent […]
amn.st

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Ingolf Kühn, Will Jennings , and 12 more

tabouchadi.bsky.social
Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · Sep 26
For the Guardian, @turnbulldugarte.com and I discuss our research that clearly shows one thing: Labour's anti-immigration strategy will only strengthen Reform and weaken its own electoral prospects. It won't win voters back but ultimately normalizes the far right

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Our research makes it clear: by capitulating to the right, Labour is driving voters to Reform UK | Tarik Abou-Chadi and Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte
Mimicking Farage on immigration is senseless. Labour voters feel betrayed; anti-immigration voters see through the ruse, say academics Tarik Abou-Chadi and Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte
www.theguardian.com