Geoff Pfeifer
@gdpfeifer.bsky.social
Associate professor of philosophy and global studies at WPI. Critical Theory, climate politics, global justice, pedagogy, antifascist, father, public transit-pilled Boston (JP) bike/train commuter. He/him. Views my own.
https://geoffpfeifer.com
https://geoffpfeifer.com
Pinned
Geoff Pfeifer
@gdpfeifer.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Ok. Gonna try this space for a bit. Hi folks!
Feeling thankful for the impending snowstorm for many reasons. One of which is that I do not think I can walk into a classroom in this country and teach normal shit on Monday.
January 24, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Feeling thankful for the impending snowstorm for many reasons. One of which is that I do not think I can walk into a classroom in this country and teach normal shit on Monday.
Massachusettes folks. Now is the time if you have not joined yet.
If you're in Massachusetts, contact LUCE.
You don't have to go out in the streets and observe. They need people (especially bilingual people) to volunteer for the hotline. They need people to help with training and onboarding and data:
www.lucemass.org
You don't have to go out in the streets and observe. They need people (especially bilingual people) to volunteer for the hotline. They need people to help with training and onboarding and data:
www.lucemass.org
LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA
www.lucemass.org
January 24, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Massachusettes folks. Now is the time if you have not joined yet.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
It’s not enough to say Abolish ICE. It’s not enough to vote no on ICE funding. It’s not enough to confront Kristi Noem or Greg Bovino with Stern Words.
If you are a leader, what are you doing to protect your community? How are you using your power, privilege, and position to confront this threat?
If you are a leader, what are you doing to protect your community? How are you using your power, privilege, and position to confront this threat?
January 24, 2026 at 4:40 PM
It’s not enough to say Abolish ICE. It’s not enough to vote no on ICE funding. It’s not enough to confront Kristi Noem or Greg Bovino with Stern Words.
If you are a leader, what are you doing to protect your community? How are you using your power, privilege, and position to confront this threat?
If you are a leader, what are you doing to protect your community? How are you using your power, privilege, and position to confront this threat?
Full solidarity with ordinary people out in force in Minneapolis standing up to this violent federal occupation.
January 24, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Full solidarity with ordinary people out in force in Minneapolis standing up to this violent federal occupation.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
“Meet the Alaska Student Arrested for Eating an AI Art Exhibit
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. ‘AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.’”
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. ‘AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.’”
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Meet the Alaska Student Arrested for Eating an AI Art Exhibit
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. “AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.”
www.thenation.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:16 AM
“Meet the Alaska Student Arrested for Eating an AI Art Exhibit
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. ‘AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.’”
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. ‘AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.’”
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Same.
i've seen enough: greg bovino is a bitch.
January 20, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Same.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
jack asked if i would sketch up a poster to tell people in nearby neighborhoods about the partnership between flock and ring, and this is what i came up with. it can be printed on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.
![YOUR RING CAMERA IS AN ICE AGENT
[a drawing of a ring camera with an ice agent dragging a person away in its field of vision]
"In October of 2025, Amazon's Ring announced its partnership with FLOCK, an A.I. surveillance group that freely shares its footage with ICE, the secret service, and the navy. Flock customers can use A.I. tools to sift through footage to assist in all manner of operations (like raids and deportations) without a warrant. Unplug Ring! Melt ICE! Protect your neighbors!
See: https://blog.ring.com/about-ring/ring-expands-community-requests-to-additional-community-safety-partners/
https://www.404media.co/ice-secret-service-navy-all-had-access-to-flocks-nationwide-network-of-cameras/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9MwZkHiMQ
https://www.aclum.org/campaigns-initiatives/get-the-flock-out-resource-guide/](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p2aefnvhb3zmkrazk67dppxw/bafkreic7teyeocg7k5qcqxnc666k7clyiislh2zfi6iopcz6fs3e3lt6xy@jpeg)
January 19, 2026 at 8:15 PM
jack asked if i would sketch up a poster to tell people in nearby neighborhoods about the partnership between flock and ring, and this is what i came up with. it can be printed on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.
A+ backyard this AM.
January 19, 2026 at 12:46 PM
A+ backyard this AM.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 16, 2026 at 6:55 PM
For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
Break is nice and all but the classroom is such a magical bulwark against despair in this increasingly dark moment we are in.
January 14, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Break is nice and all but the classroom is such a magical bulwark against despair in this increasingly dark moment we are in.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Censorship Arrives on Campus
In her debut column, “Echoes in the Quad,” higher education policy scholar Dominique J. Baker explores how the political oppression of the McCarthy era reverberates in the stifling of academic freedom...
www.insidehighered.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:24 PM
It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
i hope all the people resisting ICE on the ground know how fucking inspiring they are. minneapolis right now, and chicago and LA and charlotte and DC and portland before them, you’re setting the blueprint for the future battles sure to come. thank you.
January 13, 2026 at 1:54 AM
i hope all the people resisting ICE on the ground know how fucking inspiring they are. minneapolis right now, and chicago and LA and charlotte and DC and portland before them, you’re setting the blueprint for the future battles sure to come. thank you.
Working on final edits to an OER book on climate change that my students wrote in the Fall. Finding that references to some EPA data they used just a few months ago no longer link back to available govt. webpages. Might leave those in to show how quickly this govt. has destroyed its own resources.
January 11, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Working on final edits to an OER book on climate change that my students wrote in the Fall. Finding that references to some EPA data they used just a few months ago no longer link back to available govt. webpages. Might leave those in to show how quickly this govt. has destroyed its own resources.
This piece is very good. Thinking about starting both of my classes next week with it.
Our students should be part of our work to defend the university. And the article makes this point as well.
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Our students should be part of our work to defend the university. And the article makes this point as well.
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Universities Need a New Defense
The authoritarian threat is growing. The old playbook won’t work.
www.chronicle.com
January 10, 2026 at 10:33 PM
This piece is very good. Thinking about starting both of my classes next week with it.
Our students should be part of our work to defend the university. And the article makes this point as well.
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Our students should be part of our work to defend the university. And the article makes this point as well.
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Amazing response to this last question citing the freedom of movement as a human right. Love that Fox viewers got to see/hear that. Hope they and others who think that borders actually do any good for anyone think a little about that comment in ways that expand their thinking.
Hannity has a Fox reporter in Minneapolis talk to a random protester walking through the city who goes on to spit bars for 2 minutes
January 10, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Amazing response to this last question citing the freedom of movement as a human right. Love that Fox viewers got to see/hear that. Hope they and others who think that borders actually do any good for anyone think a little about that comment in ways that expand their thinking.
Not at all surprising. These are who is filling the ranks of this administration’s shock troops.
"In since-deleted Facebook comments by Ross, his sister took issue with Ross’ apparent support of the Proud Boys, an alt-right male chauvinist group that has allied in the past with neo-Nazis in anti-LGBTQ+ protests." www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/ice-...
ICE agent who killed queer mom was a Trumper, “committed Christian,” his family says - LGBTQ Nation
He's a conservative Christian, flew Trump flags at his house, and has an immigrant wife.
www.lgbtqnation.com
January 9, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Not at all surprising. These are who is filling the ranks of this administration’s shock troops.
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
Professor Peterson response to censorship at Texas A&M. (philosopher) king
Some have pointed out that the whole letter would have fit in the alt text window, so here is a version with the whole letter in alt text.
January 8, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Professor Peterson response to censorship at Texas A&M. (philosopher) king
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
Boston, there is another protest tonight in memory of Renee Nicole Good (Thurs Jan 8):
January 8, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Boston, there is another protest tonight in memory of Renee Nicole Good (Thurs Jan 8):
Back in the classroom next week (global studies seminar and intro to philosophy class).
Still not sure how to help my students (and myself!) process all that this country’s dumb authoritarian regime has done in the last few days (and is claiming it will do) both domestically and internationally.
Still not sure how to help my students (and myself!) process all that this country’s dumb authoritarian regime has done in the last few days (and is claiming it will do) both domestically and internationally.
January 8, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Back in the classroom next week (global studies seminar and intro to philosophy class).
Still not sure how to help my students (and myself!) process all that this country’s dumb authoritarian regime has done in the last few days (and is claiming it will do) both domestically and internationally.
Still not sure how to help my students (and myself!) process all that this country’s dumb authoritarian regime has done in the last few days (and is claiming it will do) both domestically and internationally.
Full solidarity with these brave observers.
I need people to wrap their minds around the fact that here in Minneapolis, ICE broke the window of a vehicle yesterday, pepper sprayed the occupants, and arrested them, and shot another observer in the face today, and OBSERVERS ARE STILL GOING OUT TO PROTECT THEIR NEIGHBORS AT MASSIVE PERSONAL RISK
I’m eating lunch, I’m having a panic attack, I’m charging my phone, and then I’m going back out to try and keep my neighborhood safe.
January 7, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Full solidarity with these brave observers.
These ordinary folks are straight heroes.
ICE agents stopped by protesters after the shooting an observer in Minneapolis, according to witnesse. ICE deployed pepper spray and tear gas.
January 7, 2026 at 6:20 PM
These ordinary folks are straight heroes.
This was last year’s collective reading list.
The Boston Institute for Social Theory is starting this year with Alyssa Battistoni’s Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature.
Reading group meets every few weeks in Boston.
Reach out if you are in the area and interested in joining!
The Boston Institute for Social Theory is starting this year with Alyssa Battistoni’s Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature.
Reading group meets every few weeks in Boston.
Reach out if you are in the area and interested in joining!
Books the Boston Institute for Social Theory has read:
Kornbluh, Immediacy, or The Style of Too Late Capitalism
Táíwò, Elite Capture
Wark, Capital is Dead
Han, The Burnout Society
Hui, Post-Europe.
Next up: Seymour, Disaster Nationalism.
In Boston? get in touch if you want to join!
Kornbluh, Immediacy, or The Style of Too Late Capitalism
Táíwò, Elite Capture
Wark, Capital is Dead
Han, The Burnout Society
Hui, Post-Europe.
Next up: Seymour, Disaster Nationalism.
In Boston? get in touch if you want to join!
January 7, 2026 at 5:04 PM
This was last year’s collective reading list.
The Boston Institute for Social Theory is starting this year with Alyssa Battistoni’s Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature.
Reading group meets every few weeks in Boston.
Reach out if you are in the area and interested in joining!
The Boston Institute for Social Theory is starting this year with Alyssa Battistoni’s Free Gifts: Capitalism and the Politics of Nature.
Reading group meets every few weeks in Boston.
Reach out if you are in the area and interested in joining!
Reposted by Geoff Pfeifer
Every US academic should read this today.
US universities are under unprecedented authoritarian threat.
In the @chronicle.com, the former two-decade president of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social outlines the new long-term strategy they must enact: administration, legal, teaching, comms, +others
US universities are under unprecedented authoritarian threat.
In the @chronicle.com, the former two-decade president of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social outlines the new long-term strategy they must enact: administration, legal, teaching, comms, +others
Universities Need a New Defense
The authoritarian threat is growing. The old playbook won’t work.
www.chronicle.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Every US academic should read this today.
US universities are under unprecedented authoritarian threat.
In the @chronicle.com, the former two-decade president of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social outlines the new long-term strategy they must enact: administration, legal, teaching, comms, +others
US universities are under unprecedented authoritarian threat.
In the @chronicle.com, the former two-decade president of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social outlines the new long-term strategy they must enact: administration, legal, teaching, comms, +others
Read if you have not.
This was published in the dead week between Christmas and New Year’s. If you work in education & were, reasonably, taking a break, maybe you missed it.
Don’t miss it.
Don’t miss it.
The ‘Crisis of the Humanities’ Is Over. That’s Not a Good Thing.
All of higher ed now suffers the attacks of politics and technology.
www.chronicle.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:45 AM
Read if you have not.
Lol. Socrates still getting banned by shitty authoritarians 2500 years later.
From an email to one of our faculty members....
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
January 7, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Lol. Socrates still getting banned by shitty authoritarians 2500 years later.