Islay Shelbourne
islayshelbourne.bsky.social
Islay Shelbourne
@islayshelbourne.bsky.social
Historian. Currently researching Californian understandings of the 1918-19 Flu. Strolling in St Andrews and finding my future in the past.
Pinned
Hey Bluesky! My name is Islay and I am a final year Environmental History PhD Candidate @standrewshist.bsky.social where my research explores understandings of contagion in Southern California during the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic.
Come along next Tuesday to hear all about Californian health myths and their impact on perceptions of TB and the 1918-19 Flu. I'm excited to share my findings and delve into all the details that didn't fit into my recently submitted PhD thesis, reincarnating zephrys and mammoth oranges included!
We're looking forward to @islayshelbourne.bsky.social's paper in a few weeks' time, on histories of contagion in modern California. To sign up, use the eventbrite link here: (Just look at the size of those oranges!) www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/california...
November 12, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Reposted by Islay Shelbourne
Our research into historical #pandemics and literature has just been published on the medical humanities platform @the-polyphony.bsky.social - find it here ⬇️ #medhums #hstm #histsci #litsi
September 1, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Islay Shelbourne
I'm delighted that @royalhistsoc.org has published our roundtable article on 'The Future of (Environmental) History'.

This came out of a workshop in April 2023 with @northernenvhistory.bsky.social

I've summarised our paper (link to OA article) in a blog 👇

blog.royalhistsoc.org/2025/07/27/f...
Four Suggestions for the Future of (Environmental) History | Historical Transactions
blog.royalhistsoc.org
July 28, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Islay Shelbourne
"THE WESTERNERS" COVER REVEAL, including the spine!

Both show how my new history of the 19th-c American West puts readers on the ground in this vast region with several fascinating individuals (four of them pictured here), all of whom put the lie to the frontier myth.

Pub date: April 21, 2026!
July 17, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The Inaugural St Andrews Medical Humanities Network Symposium was a fascinating event to attend and was just as interesting to write about for this review!
April 16, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Hey Bluesky! My name is Islay and I am a final year Environmental History PhD Candidate @standrewshist.bsky.social where my research explores understandings of contagion in Southern California during the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic.
April 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM