Dr Cath Feely
@cathfeely.bsky.social
Cultural historian of modern Britain. Senior Lecturer at the University of Derby and Councillor of the Royal Historical Society. All views my own.
Pinned
Dr Cath Feely
@cathfeely.bsky.social
· Nov 9
The Trenches, the Tram and the Trolley Bus
A twentieth-century story
botheringmiancestors.substack.com
For Remembrance Sunday, a short reflection on the life and death of my great grandfather in the twenty years after his return. botheringmiancestors.substack.com/p/the-trench...
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
You have no idea how historians work, do you? You can just say, "I have no idea how things work." You don't have to do this.
December 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
You have no idea how historians work, do you? You can just say, "I have no idea how things work." You don't have to do this.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
I think it's important to keep in mind that when dudes like this say "military history" they never mean the actual rigorous academic discipline, they mean comparing stats of WWII tanks or drawing maps of the same three battles from Caesar's campaigns or whatever
December 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
I think it's important to keep in mind that when dudes like this say "military history" they never mean the actual rigorous academic discipline, they mean comparing stats of WWII tanks or drawing maps of the same three battles from Caesar's campaigns or whatever
Destroyed by the end of E.T. (literally in floods of tears remembering my Dad crying every year, the daft sod), I turn over and ... shitting hell, it's only The Snowman. Solidarity to my elder millenials, just trying to keep it together this Christmas Eve in the face of the wall of nostalgia.
December 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Destroyed by the end of E.T. (literally in floods of tears remembering my Dad crying every year, the daft sod), I turn over and ... shitting hell, it's only The Snowman. Solidarity to my elder millenials, just trying to keep it together this Christmas Eve in the face of the wall of nostalgia.
Hope you all have a happy Christmas, one and all. I'm signing off for a few days to see family and do a bit of this.
December 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Hope you all have a happy Christmas, one and all. I'm signing off for a few days to see family and do a bit of this.
Re-reading Keep the Aspidistra Flying and Orwell's writing is even more objectionable than I remembered. Orwell really was one of the best writers and one of the very worst people. I can't imagine writing about the mid-20th c without some outrageous statement of his to disagree with for 10,000 words
December 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Re-reading Keep the Aspidistra Flying and Orwell's writing is even more objectionable than I remembered. Orwell really was one of the best writers and one of the very worst people. I can't imagine writing about the mid-20th c without some outrageous statement of his to disagree with for 10,000 words
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 became UK law #OTD 23 Dec 1919. "A person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from exercise of any public function...holding any civil or judicial office..carrying on any civil profession..or admission to any society" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Dis...
![Front cover of Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 tied with offical red tape. (Governmental practice is the source of the phrase "tied up in red tape"). The basic purpose of the act was, as stated in its long title, "to amend the Law with respect to disqualification on account of sex", which it achieved in four short sections and one schedule. Its broad aim was achieved by section 1, which stated that:
A person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public function, or from being appointed to or holding any civil or judicial office or post, or from entering or assuming or carrying on any civil profession or vocation, or for admission to any incorporated society (whether incorporated by Royal Charter or otherwise), [and a person shall not be exempted by sex or marriage from the liability to serve as a juror] ...[3].
It is the reason many of the women i post about had their careers but was weakened by act passed in August the same yeat The Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act 1919 which saw 25% of working women legally pushed out of their jobs](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ofyd6kin2pdaihewn3pollex/bafkreihd5qhoddlx27qwtcbzd6esxfijsg3yxf2olq32o4gl7vlpc7ltkm@jpeg)
December 23, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 became UK law #OTD 23 Dec 1919. "A person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from exercise of any public function...holding any civil or judicial office..carrying on any civil profession..or admission to any society" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Dis...
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
Not now, haunted Victorian shoes
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on Ogmore beach
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on Ogmore beach
More than 400 leather hobnailed boots, thought to date back to the 19th Century, have been found.
www.bbc.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Not now, haunted Victorian shoes
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
Am I happy or sad that Paddington has replace Charon in our mythology?
We're going to start burying people with a pot of marmalade on each eye
We're going to start burying people with a pot of marmalade on each eye
December 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Am I happy or sad that Paddington has replace Charon in our mythology?
We're going to start burying people with a pot of marmalade on each eye
We're going to start burying people with a pot of marmalade on each eye
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
PhD Funding!
University of Leeds
The School of History invites applicants from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups who wish to study for a PhD commencing in the academic year 2026/27 to apply for the School of History Access to Research Scholarship.
phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/387-...
University of Leeds
The School of History invites applicants from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups who wish to study for a PhD commencing in the academic year 2026/27 to apply for the School of History Access to Research Scholarship.
phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/387-...
School of History Access to Research Scholarship 2026/27
Project opportunity - School of History Access to Research Scholarship 2026/27 at the University of Leeds
phd.leeds.ac.uk
December 22, 2025 at 7:56 PM
PhD Funding!
University of Leeds
The School of History invites applicants from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups who wish to study for a PhD commencing in the academic year 2026/27 to apply for the School of History Access to Research Scholarship.
phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/387-...
University of Leeds
The School of History invites applicants from Black, Asian and other minoritised ethnic groups who wish to study for a PhD commencing in the academic year 2026/27 to apply for the School of History Access to Research Scholarship.
phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/387-...
Had the misfortune to hear this person on the radio earlier (despite her and her friends being 'silenced'). What fragile egos these people have.
Important to realise that one of Alice Sullivan's demands in her legal letter to University of Bristol is for the university to withdraw its Trans Inclusion Policy profalices.co.uk/wp-content/u... (the policy is already listed as under review by the university www.bristol.ac.uk/inclusion/lg...)
December 22, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Had the misfortune to hear this person on the radio earlier (despite her and her friends being 'silenced'). What fragile egos these people have.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
Absolutely right.
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
Not a historian but like to research. The AI might summarize what I'm looking for, but it doesn't find what I'm *not* looking for. The book on the shelf next to the one I wanted. The insight in chapter 6 based on the quote I needed from chapter 4.
December 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Absolutely right.
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
AI might be able to summarize (poorly) what we currently know, but a major goal of historical research is to find the hidden surprises out there.
Let me illustrate …
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
These people really have no idea what we do or how we do it and they are out here with incredible audacity and hubris, presuming they can tell us how to research and think and write.
December 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
These people really have no idea what we do or how we do it and they are out here with incredible audacity and hubris, presuming they can tell us how to research and think and write.
My number one reading tip for students: follow the footnotes.
Am I the only one who gets a real kick out of citation chains? Reading people's writing and footnotes, and making assessments and notes, finding the sources in the footnotes and reading them yourself, and making more notes?
I...love it?
I...love it?
Not for academics it isn’t. You learn by reading and by following citation chains and talking to other people in the field. Letting the AI do the summary is abdicating your job.
December 21, 2025 at 10:53 AM
My number one reading tip for students: follow the footnotes.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
Citation chains are positioned as stuffy pedantry, but they can be the gift economy at work, a virtual open community, a generous pedagogy and a honest dialogue with readers. Here’s who’s in the room with us right now; here’s who I am compelled to speak with; here’s work that will blow your mind…
December 21, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Citation chains are positioned as stuffy pedantry, but they can be the gift economy at work, a virtual open community, a generous pedagogy and a honest dialogue with readers. Here’s who’s in the room with us right now; here’s who I am compelled to speak with; here’s work that will blow your mind…
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
I am not sorry. This is simply true. Academics should be able to write fluently and express themselves clearly and academics should do their own work. It’s literally our job. It’s what we trained until 22nd grade to do. This is a simple observation that should require no explanation or defense.
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.
December 20, 2025 at 1:45 PM
I am not sorry. This is simply true. Academics should be able to write fluently and express themselves clearly and academics should do their own work. It’s literally our job. It’s what we trained until 22nd grade to do. This is a simple observation that should require no explanation or defense.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
The whole point of being an academic is that you need to be willing to spend three days creating a 700-word footnote that you will later delete. And you need to LIKE IT.
December 20, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The whole point of being an academic is that you need to be willing to spend three days creating a 700-word footnote that you will later delete. And you need to LIKE IT.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
yall this is so, so funny to me 😂
December 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
yall this is so, so funny to me 😂
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
I’m embarrassed for these people. I was at a writing retreat this summer that suggested we use genai for ideation. They told academics to use a plagiarism machine for ideas. If you are doing this, do us all a favor and leave the field. If you have no more ideas, you shouldn’t be an academic.
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.
December 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I’m embarrassed for these people. I was at a writing retreat this summer that suggested we use genai for ideation. They told academics to use a plagiarism machine for ideas. If you are doing this, do us all a favor and leave the field. If you have no more ideas, you shouldn’t be an academic.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
I think one of the reasons why people don't take the study of the humanities seriously is they think being a history buff = being a historian and reading a lot = being a literature scholar because there's still so little public understanding of what methodologies in those fields actually look like
I’m jumping off a bit here but this is something that always grinds me about how people treat history. Lots of people are history hobbyists, and that’s great! It is different from being a Professional Historian. Passion does not equal skills and expertise.
"knowing all sorts of details" is a sufficient qualification for a history buff
being oblivious to the latest research is not a qualification for anything
being oblivious to the latest research is not a qualification for anything
December 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I think one of the reasons why people don't take the study of the humanities seriously is they think being a history buff = being a historian and reading a lot = being a literature scholar because there's still so little public understanding of what methodologies in those fields actually look like
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
One thing that absolutely definitely happens for real in the academic job market is that when you do not get a job, the Dean calls you and explains why you didn't get it. This is extra-super true when the explanation is something legally actionable on its face.
You’ll never guess who else experienced ‘racism’ on the job market despite their unimpeachable academic credentials.
December 19, 2025 at 2:59 PM
One thing that absolutely definitely happens for real in the academic job market is that when you do not get a job, the Dean calls you and explains why you didn't get it. This is extra-super true when the explanation is something legally actionable on its face.
Reposted by Dr Cath Feely
THERE ARE NO JOBS IN ACADEMIA! NO JOBS! DOZENS OF HYPER QUALIFIED APPLICANTS PER JOB!
December 19, 2025 at 1:29 PM
THERE ARE NO JOBS IN ACADEMIA! NO JOBS! DOZENS OF HYPER QUALIFIED APPLICANTS PER JOB!