Clare Stainthorp
LightNews LightNews
banner
claregs.bsky.social
Clare Stainthorp
@claregs.bsky.social
7.5K followers 1.2K following 300 posts
University-Policy Engagement & ARIs at UPEN/UCL ∣ Impact at the RCA ∣ Researches Victorian literature, social history, freethought periodicals ∣ Book: Constance Naden: Scientist, Philosopher, Poet ∣ she/her
https://clarestainthorp.wordpress.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
claregs.bsky.social
Clare Stainthorp @claregs.bsky.social · Oct 29
Find out more about the work I’m doing at the Universities Policy Engagement Network, plus my desert island disks!
upen.ac.uk/news/meet-th...
UPEN graphic that reads: MEET THE TEAM: Dr Clare Stainthorp, Policy Engagement Coordinator (UK-wide Areas of Research Interest), University College London. Photo inset of Clare smiling in front of large green banner that says ‘William Morris was Right’
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
ishash.bsky.social
Our first webinar of 2026 will be a chance to reflect on, discuss, and share experiences of teaching histories of atheism, secularism, and humanism. Join us on Wed 18 February - just get in touch to register, all welcome! atheismsecularismhumanism.wordpress.com/seminars/
teaching histories of atheism, secularism, and humanism. speakers Tina Block (Thompson Rivers University, Canada), Katharina Neef (University of Leipzig, Germany), and Atko Remmel (University of Tartu, Estonia). February 18th, 10.00 PT, 13.00 ET, 18.00 GMT, and 19.00 CET To sign up for the webinar and get the zoom link email ishashmail@gmail.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
ishash.bsky.social
Check out the new Fellowship Program for Humanist Thought @americanhumanist.bsky.social for early career researchers working in any discipline on the humanist-secularist-nonreligious spectrum! Deadline 20 March 2026. Details here: americanhumanist.org/about/opport...
Fellowship Opportunity | Fellowship Program for Humanist Thought - American Humanist Association
Applications are being considered by the Fellowship Program for Humanist Thought, an American Humanist Association and Institute for Humanist Studies program, new in 2026. Fellows are researchers havi...
americanhumanist.org
February 3, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
sabinastent.bsky.social
Happy Friday, have a newsletter:
sabinastent.substack.com/p/jane-grave...
Jane Graverol
I’ve always loved Jane Graverol’s work...
sabinastent.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
A voice of informed reason in a weltering wilderness of wild claims.
The grade inflation mutant algorithm, 2026
Grade inflation is falling, but OfS still thinks too many are getting good degrees. David Kernohan asks what it would take to know what is really going on
wonkhe.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
vjctorianist.bsky.social
Big thanks for all the suggestions! I spent my morning coffee break compiling them into a Google map for other hungry and thirsty scholars: maps.app.goo.gl/dTmWWY2jDhhE...
January 14, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
onslies.bsky.social
Three short paragraphs, and you've got the whole mind-bending mess that is #UKHE finance & governance neatly laid out.

This is why it's all so exhausting: our managers declare there's only one static frame, while we know their framing is part of the issue.

💡 www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/10/w...
How the financial problem is described is not neutral. It reflects and reinforces a particular way of understanding what a university is and how it should function. If the financial situation is framed as a classic demand-and-cost problem (i.e., demand is insufficient, prices are constrained, and unit costs are too high), then the university is, implicitly, being treated as a ‘service provider’ operating in a competitive international education market where students are customers. In that frame, the obvious actions are to emphasise tight cost controls and to strengthen output-focused performance metrics, targets and incentives such as promotions based on publications in highly rated journals, income generation or teaching satisfaction scores. If the same financial situation is framed instead as a system-level shock that threatens the conditions under which teaching, research and public service can flourish, then a different picture of the university comes into view: a ‘living knowledge ecosystem’ serving a public mission and facing financial constraints partly beyond its control. Within that frame, the responses appears quite different. Attention turns to protecting core capacities, reducing harm to the most vulnerable parts of the system and working with others to share risks and resources. In both cases, the numbers in the spreadsheets are the same. What differs is the story told about the problem, and the underlying image of the university that story presupposes. At present, the former factory-like framing is the most common. With it, the danger is that, under a narrative of financial constraints, universities take actions that emphasise governance practices that reshape behaviour so deeply that, over time, what remains may still be called a ‘university’, but no longer acts like one.
January 10, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
qmucu.bsky.social
This started with the tearing down of Palestinian flags. That in itself is dreadful -- and we tried to oppose that intimidation. Astonishing just how quickly that has moved to the censorship of all possible organising and solidarity.
qmucu.bsky.social QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · Jan 8
THEY'RE NOW ALSO TAKING DOWN GUARDIAN ARTICLES FROM OUR DOORS.

Nice freedom of expression we've got here. Not at all worrying censorship of trade union activities, international solidarity, and other organising.

Anyway, READ THE ARTICLE AGAIN THEN:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #UKHE
VERY pretty Guardian page with a siloette of Scrooge overlaid on the Queens' Building at QMUL. The title is 'the miserly tale of a university hoarding its staff's wages', written by aditya Chakrabortty. full readable text in link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/22/university-took-staff-wages-scrooge-marking-boycott
January 8, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
jpbrammer.bsky.social
sorry I'm late! I have at last broken my silence on Pantone's Color of the Year johnpaulbrammer.substack.com/p/cloud-danc...
'Cloud Dancer': A Measured Response
Regarding Pantone's decision, and so on, and so forth
johnpaulbrammer.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 7:55 PM
claregs.bsky.social
This was such a joy-filled event! @conwayhall.bsky.social at its best - bringing communities, histories, and ethical culture together! Wishing @francesmlynch.bsky.social and all other the singers a very merry Yuletide!
madeleineog.bsky.social Maddy Goodall @madeleineog.bsky.social · Dec 11
En route to London for Winter Carols by Candlelight @conwayhall.bsky.social 🕯️ Especially excited to hear @electricvoice.bsky.social's reworkings of songs from the ethical societies' hymn books 💝
December 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
claregs.bsky.social
I was part of the fantastic team that developed and wrote this report and evidence papers. If you’re interested in place-based and/or environmental policy making, do check it out!
December 12, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
britishacademy.bsky.social
Today, the Academy publishes a report setting out findings from our Where We Live Next programme on place-led approaches to environmental sustainability. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications...
The front cover of the British Academy's report: A place-sensitive approach for environmental sustainability
December 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
literaturegeek.bsky.social
I used actual 15th-century dog names from Scott-McNab’s edition of “Names of All Manners of Hounds” for this print using some of the dog letterpress blocks I’ve collected. “Beste-of-all” uses the tol Maple (my “good freend”) I lasercut, of course. + #DHmakes
Photo of a letterpress print using Old English and Centaur fonts, and various metal and wood dog illustration blocks, inked in black on olive-green paper. The text reads in somewhat inaccurate mock late Middle English: "Dogges Names of Olde" followed by names over each of 6 dog illustrations (Rudynowgh, Gourmande, Merymowthe, Pretyman, Havegooday, Beste-of-all) and captions under each: "This dogge may have a litel of youre mele, a treat." "This hound hath lengere legges; his feete goon til to the erthe. A good freend." "This hound stiketh out his tunge as him pleaseth." “This hound is yclept a jape for its swete maner.” “Ye mowe be assured she be verie gode.” “This dogge is slyk & faste. He ‘zoometh’.” At the bottom is an illustration of a bounding hound and the text "I Want A Dog". At the bottom is a bordered section that says “Actual 15th-century dog anmes from ‘Names of All Manners of Hounds’ via Scott-McNab’s edition.” To the side of this, smaller text in italics says “This saieth, ‘I wol a dog.’” Underneath is a bounding dog illustration, and the text “I Want A Dog”, as well as a timeline running from 15th-c. to 21st-c. Photo of a half-done version of my letterpress print, next to a metal galley tray containing various letteroress spacing, magnets, and blocks. The print used Old English and Centaur fonts, and various metal and wood dog illustration blocks, inked in black. The text reads in somewhat inaccurate mock late Middle English: "Dogges Names of Olde" followed by names over each of 6 spaces for eventual dog illustrations (Rudynowgh, Gourmande, Merymowthe, Pretyman, Havegooday, Beste-of-all) and captions under each: "This dogge may have a litel of youre mele, a treat." "This hound hath lengere legges; his feete goon til to the erthe. A good freend." "This hound stiketh out his tunge as him pleaseth." “This hound is yclept a jape for its swete maner.” “Ye mowe be assured she be verie gode.” “This dogge is slyk & faste. He ‘zoometh’.” At the bottom is a bordered section that says “Actual 15th-century dog anmes from ‘Names of All Manners of Hounds’ via Scott-McNab’s edition.” To the side of this, smaller text in italics says “This saieth, ‘I wol a dog.’” Photo of a letterpress print using Old English and Centaur fonts, and various metal and wood dog illustration blocks, inked in black on speckled cream paper. The text reads in somewhat inaccurate mock late Middle English: "Dogges Names of Olde" followed by names over each of 6 dog illustrations (Rudynowgh, Gourmande, Merymowthe, Pretyman, Havegooday, Beste-of-all) and captions under each: "This dogge may have a litel of youre mele, a treat." "This hound hath lengere legges; his feete goon til to the erthe. A good freend." "This hound stiketh out his tunge as him pleaseth." “This hound is yclept a jape for its swete maner.” “Ye mowe be assured she be verie gode.” “This dogge is slyk & faste. He ‘zoometh’.” At the bottom is an illustration of a bounding hound and the text "I Want A Dog". At the bottom is a bordered section that says “Actual 15th-century dog anmes from ‘Names of All Manners of Hounds’ via Scott-McNab’s edition.” To the side of this, smaller text in italics says “This saieth, ‘I wol a dog.’” Underneath is a bounding dog illustration, and the text “I Want A Dog”, as well as a timeline running from 15th-c. to 21st-c.
June 12, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
abbiestev.bsky.social
Omfg inject this article right into my veins!!! The advertising panopticon is aware that I recently turned 36, and is trying to make me feel bad-but-don't-worry-it's-fixable-buy-this-do-this... FUCK THAT.

"The Anti-Cosmetic Surgery Essay Every Woman Should Read"
open.substack.com/pub/fatherka...
The Anti-Cosmetic Surgery Essay Every Woman Should Read
Long Live the Old Flesh
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
historyworkshop.org.uk
Next year we are co-hosting a celebration event with @rshc.bsky.social to mark the 100th issue of History Workshop Journal.

📍Birkbeck, University of London
🗓️Saturday 31 January 2026
⏱️14:00-18:00

Everyone welcome! Please make sure to book via the link below.
History Workshop Journal’s 100th Issue: a celebration
Speakers include former and newer editors, and friends of the journal. Tea, coffee and a drink will be provided.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 8:59 AM
claregs.bsky.social
A beautiful but devastating essay to start your day, from Cynthia Zarin @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social

lareviewofbooks.org/article/dont...
Don’t Close Your Teeth | Los Angeles Review of Books
Cynthia Zarin traces the rise of fascism through the diary entries of Virginia Woolf, in an essay from LARB Quarterly no. 47: “Security.”
lareviewofbooks.org
December 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
claregs.bsky.social
One hour left to donate to preserve Conway Hall’s historic venue and continue hosting events that inspire community, creativity & ethical discussion!
Or why not join our wonderful community and become a member? www.conwayhall.org.uk/membership/
conwayhall.bsky.social Conway Hall @conwayhall.bsky.social · Dec 2
The #BigGive2025 is live! This week, your donation to Conway Hall will be DOUBLED 🥳

➡️ £1 becomes £2
➡️ £25 becomes £50
➡️ £50 becomes £100

Considered giving a gift that matters? This is the week. Make twice the impact. #GivingTuesday

👉 Donate now: https://tinyurl.com/conway-hall
December 9, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
historianhelen.bsky.social
If you are a historian with policy-facing interests who has recently submitted their PhD (or will do so imminently), this fantastic new London-based postdoc fellowship in Applied History could be for you. www.history.ac.uk/fellowships/...
Robert Mcintosh Applied History & Policy Fellowship
Robert Mcintosh Applied History & Policy Fellowship
www.history.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 7:44 AM
claregs.bsky.social
Great to see my article on 19th century secularists’ use of the biographical dictionary in such brilliant company!
Clare Stainthorp, “Recording Secularist Lives: Multiplicity and Collectivity in J.M. Wheeler’s A Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers of All Ages and Nations (1889),” Secular Studies 7, no. 1 (2025): 58-80. This article argues that the biographical dictionary was a crucial form through which nineteenth-century secularists conceptualised their own history as a movement that spanned time, place, and class, and envision themselves as part of this multitude. By illuminating how J.M. Wheeler negotiated gender, nationality, and contemporaneity in A Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers of All Ages and Nations (1889), it identifies how biographical compilation—a form commonly associated with nation building—was co-opted for radical ends.
December 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM
claregs.bsky.social
Proud to have been part of Woodcraft Folk as a child 💚
December 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
claregs.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who helped us meet our target and unlock all of our match funds in under 3 hours ❤️ The Big Give page stays open though - please support us to go above & beyond! Help preserve our historic venue and continue hosting events that inspire community, creativity & ethical discussion.
conwayhall.bsky.social Conway Hall @conwayhall.bsky.social · Dec 2
The #BigGive2025 is live! This week, your donation to Conway Hall will be DOUBLED 🥳

➡️ £1 becomes £2
➡️ £25 becomes £50
➡️ £50 becomes £100

Considered giving a gift that matters? This is the week. Make twice the impact. #GivingTuesday

👉 Donate now: https://tinyurl.com/conway-hall
December 2, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
roseschmits.bsky.social
All I can think is this what you teach the kids? That when cruel people bully you give in for an easy life? That cruelty and threats are what get your way and its wise to surrender to bigotry?
December 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
claregs.bsky.social
Thanks to everyone who helped us meet our target and unlock all of our match funds in under 3 hours ❤️ The Big Give page stays open though - please support us to go above & beyond! Help preserve our historic venue and continue hosting events that inspire community, creativity & ethical discussion.
conwayhall.bsky.social Conway Hall @conwayhall.bsky.social · Dec 2
The #BigGive2025 is live! This week, your donation to Conway Hall will be DOUBLED 🥳

➡️ £1 becomes £2
➡️ £25 becomes £50
➡️ £50 becomes £100

Considered giving a gift that matters? This is the week. Make twice the impact. #GivingTuesday

👉 Donate now: https://tinyurl.com/conway-hall
December 2, 2025 at 7:16 PM
claregs.bsky.social
#GivingTuesday and if you have anything to spare, please support @conwayhall.bsky.social. Your donation this week will be doubled - and we really need to repair our roof, so we can keep on working to Make Ethics Matter!
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Repair Conway Hall’s Roof – Make Ethics Matter – Big Give
Support us to carry out vital repairs on the roof of our iconic, Grade II listed building to ensure that …
donate.biggive.org
December 2, 2025 at 11:59 AM
claregs.bsky.social
Looking forward to the always-wonderful @c19qmul.bsky.social Carols on Friday. You can get your free tickets here! www.tickettailor.com/events/qmul1...
Nineteenth-Century Carols in Context With short talks by Queen Mary scholars of Victorian culture, carol singing, mulled wine, and mince pies! Friday 5 December 2025 6.15pm to 8pm The Octagon, Queen Mary University of London, E1 4NS All welcome from some festive cheer, with an ecological focus!
December 2, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by Clare Stainthorp
rcolesworthy.bsky.social
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM