John Lidwell-Durnin
@johnlidwelldurnin.bsky.social
Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Exeter. I work on the history of demography, agricultural science, entomology, and the natural world. https://experts.exeter.ac.uk/37160-john-lidwelldurnin
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Archbishop McArchbishopface
Public asked to name next Archbishop of Canterbury after Justin Welby resignation
Public asked to name next Archbishop of Canterbury after Justin Welby resignation
The public is being given the chance to suggest who should be the next Archbishop of Canterbury, replacing Justin Welby, who resigned after a report found the Church of England covered up sexual abuse by a barrister.
news.sky.com
February 7, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Archbishop McArchbishopface
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
At a time when so many UK universities are closing Humanities courses and limiting so-called 'unfunded' Humanities research, this investment in 14 three-year postdoctoral fellowships by @official-uom.bsky.social 's Faculty of Humanities is especially impressive. Deadline 7 March.
February 5, 2025 at 7:36 AM
At a time when so many UK universities are closing Humanities courses and limiting so-called 'unfunded' Humanities research, this investment in 14 three-year postdoctoral fellowships by @official-uom.bsky.social 's Faculty of Humanities is especially impressive. Deadline 7 March.
I’ve lived in Oxford for fifteen years, and a lot of stylistic changes have happened in how undergraduates dress over that time. But for the last few years, they’re increasingly all wearing these plain black puffy jackets that feature a college crest. During term, they’re everywhere.
February 4, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I’ve lived in Oxford for fifteen years, and a lot of stylistic changes have happened in how undergraduates dress over that time. But for the last few years, they’re increasingly all wearing these plain black puffy jackets that feature a college crest. During term, they’re everywhere.
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Found the review of Capital that led Marx to write that he was not interested in "writing recipes...for the cook-shops of the future"
January 31, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Found the review of Capital that led Marx to write that he was not interested in "writing recipes...for the cook-shops of the future"
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
I am one of these NSF postdocs. NSF has frozen everyone’s access to their salaries and research stipends (that were already awarded) with no information about when they might be expected to be unfrozen. It still appears like we are expected to continue doing our work though.
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
It’s official: all funding requests made on Tuesday by postdocs for their salaries have been unilaterally rejected by NSF.
January 31, 2025 at 12:43 AM
I am one of these NSF postdocs. NSF has frozen everyone’s access to their salaries and research stipends (that were already awarded) with no information about when they might be expected to be unfrozen. It still appears like we are expected to continue doing our work though.
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
It's all about promoting "meritocracy," we've been repeatedly told . . .
robert f. kennedy jr. submits his application to harvard university. his application is, in its entirety, a single page with his name "Robert F. Kennedy Jr."
he is accepted immediately.
he is accepted immediately.
January 29, 2025 at 8:19 PM
It's all about promoting "meritocracy," we've been repeatedly told . . .
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
can you believe that it's the 459th day of January 2025 and yet there are still two more days in which you can make a January visit to The Museum of English Rural Life?
January 29, 2025 at 5:04 PM
can you believe that it's the 459th day of January 2025 and yet there are still two more days in which you can make a January visit to The Museum of English Rural Life?
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
‘Perhaps the most critical judgment that might be made of this noted critic of market fundamentalism is that he badly underestimated the resilience of capitalism.’
Stefan Collini on Karl Polanyi’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Stefan Collini on Karl Polanyi’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Stefan Collini · The future was social: Karl Polanyi’s Predictions
The Great Transformation was an exceptionally bold effort to make sense of contemporary developments on an international...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
‘Perhaps the most critical judgment that might be made of this noted critic of market fundamentalism is that he badly underestimated the resilience of capitalism.’
Stefan Collini on Karl Polanyi’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Stefan Collini on Karl Polanyi’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
All the Oxford news you need in our weekly newsletter:
🚧 Botley Road to reopen in August 2026
🏙 Oxpens development gets go-ahead
🚌 New orbital bus for Oxford
🪧 Radcliffe Camera occupied
🐈 A lovely picture of a cat
Read online or direct to your inbox: oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-week...
🚧 Botley Road to reopen in August 2026
🏙 Oxpens development gets go-ahead
🚌 New orbital bus for Oxford
🪧 Radcliffe Camera occupied
🐈 A lovely picture of a cat
Read online or direct to your inbox: oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-week...
Clarion Weekly, 24 January 2025
Botley Road to reopen in August 2026
The Botley Road rail bridge will remain closed for another 18 months. Network Rail announced an August 2026 completion date this morning (Friday) at a meeting wit...
oxfordclarion.uk
January 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
All the Oxford news you need in our weekly newsletter:
🚧 Botley Road to reopen in August 2026
🏙 Oxpens development gets go-ahead
🚌 New orbital bus for Oxford
🪧 Radcliffe Camera occupied
🐈 A lovely picture of a cat
Read online or direct to your inbox: oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-week...
🚧 Botley Road to reopen in August 2026
🏙 Oxpens development gets go-ahead
🚌 New orbital bus for Oxford
🪧 Radcliffe Camera occupied
🐈 A lovely picture of a cat
Read online or direct to your inbox: oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-week...
Any feelings on what it means to assign an essay in the age of google notebook lm? Does assigning an essay no longer require time spent reading?
January 24, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Any feelings on what it means to assign an essay in the age of google notebook lm? Does assigning an essay no longer require time spent reading?
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Very excited to announce the release of my new book today, Land Power! Based on 15 years of work, it tells the story of how land shapes societies, from racial hierarchy to inequality, development, gender & the environment.
In hardcover/eBook/audiobook. More in 🧵
In hardcover/eBook/audiobook. More in 🧵
January 14, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Very excited to announce the release of my new book today, Land Power! Based on 15 years of work, it tells the story of how land shapes societies, from racial hierarchy to inequality, development, gender & the environment.
In hardcover/eBook/audiobook. More in 🧵
In hardcover/eBook/audiobook. More in 🧵
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
The only word that truly reflects the simultaneous feelings of joy, relief and utter terror at receiving proofs of your book is “Eeeeep!”
‘Transatlantic Threads: Scottish Linen and Society, c.1707-1780’ is one step closer to being unleashed. @edinburghup.bsky.social
‘Transatlantic Threads: Scottish Linen and Society, c.1707-1780’ is one step closer to being unleashed. @edinburghup.bsky.social
January 14, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The only word that truly reflects the simultaneous feelings of joy, relief and utter terror at receiving proofs of your book is “Eeeeep!”
‘Transatlantic Threads: Scottish Linen and Society, c.1707-1780’ is one step closer to being unleashed. @edinburghup.bsky.social
‘Transatlantic Threads: Scottish Linen and Society, c.1707-1780’ is one step closer to being unleashed. @edinburghup.bsky.social
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
More cheerfully, I start 2025 astonished that the wildest aspect of my 2024 was that I now not only know who Taylor Swift's boyfriend is but I have an opinion about him! Thanks to Amanda Herbert for this unexpected ride from French notarial records to Travis Kelce via Time. time.com/6971832/the-...
‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Stirs Up the Document Market
Swifties are buying old French documents for mood-boards and more. But this trivializes the importance of the documents.
time.com
January 2, 2025 at 4:52 PM
More cheerfully, I start 2025 astonished that the wildest aspect of my 2024 was that I now not only know who Taylor Swift's boyfriend is but I have an opinion about him! Thanks to Amanda Herbert for this unexpected ride from French notarial records to Travis Kelce via Time. time.com/6971832/the-...
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Academic guilt season starts today, winter edition. Feel guilty if working, feel guilty if not.
December 20, 2024 at 10:14 AM
Academic guilt season starts today, winter edition. Feel guilty if working, feel guilty if not.
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
For every noble or gentleman who did the 'Grand Tour', there was one or more servants who did it with them, but these men and women have been mostly invisible and unheard.
@richardjansell.bsky.social's new edition finally gives us access to their perspectives and their #WrittenWorlds!
@richardjansell.bsky.social's new edition finally gives us access to their perspectives and their #WrittenWorlds!
My edition of four travel journals by 18th-c servants is out now, including accounts of France, Italy, the Low Countries, Germany and the Ottoman Empire by three valets and a maid – the majority of people who went on the 'Grand Tour' #skystorians #18thc #c18th global.oup.com/academic/pro...
November 23, 2024 at 10:13 AM
For every noble or gentleman who did the 'Grand Tour', there was one or more servants who did it with them, but these men and women have been mostly invisible and unheard.
@richardjansell.bsky.social's new edition finally gives us access to their perspectives and their #WrittenWorlds!
@richardjansell.bsky.social's new edition finally gives us access to their perspectives and their #WrittenWorlds!
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
"Sector leaders expected more than 100 of the UK’s 140-odd universities to be making redundancies by the start of 2025, in what has been described as a “cataclysmic” situation where “everything is on the table”."
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
University job cuts to ‘hit 10,000 by year end’ despite fee rise
English fee rise does little to relieve pressure on institutions, with increased staff costs likely to swallow additional funding
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 21, 2024 at 10:45 AM
"Sector leaders expected more than 100 of the UK’s 140-odd universities to be making redundancies by the start of 2025, in what has been described as a “cataclysmic” situation where “everything is on the table”."
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
more users are joining
and the hog grows longer
and the hog grows longer
November 21, 2024 at 12:51 PM
more users are joining
and the hog grows longer
and the hog grows longer
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
It has snowed in Chicago and YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! Time to remind everyone that we light our train tracks on fire to prevent the switches from freezing.
November 21, 2024 at 10:54 AM
It has snowed in Chicago and YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! Time to remind everyone that we light our train tracks on fire to prevent the switches from freezing.
Interesting— I wonder who the biologists are in the story.
November 21, 2024 at 8:14 AM
Interesting— I wonder who the biologists are in the story.
This snow squirrel made me happy.
November 19, 2024 at 3:19 PM
This snow squirrel made me happy.
Spotted in the wild: Peter Frankopan’s new book included on the fairy tales section.
November 17, 2024 at 4:53 PM
Spotted in the wild: Peter Frankopan’s new book included on the fairy tales section.
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Remembered earlier today the story of Sociologist Max Weber visiting the US and remarking how extraordinary it was American academics could get any work done, given their lack of servants.
November 15, 2024 at 9:44 PM
Remembered earlier today the story of Sociologist Max Weber visiting the US and remarking how extraordinary it was American academics could get any work done, given their lack of servants.
Listening to a running playlist while not running is like watching that beautiful pebble plucked from the bottom of the sea become dull and mundane. A pebble in poor taste. A pebble you shouldn’t be seen with. “This isn’t the kind of stone I’d normally collect, you know.”
November 15, 2024 at 9:43 AM
Listening to a running playlist while not running is like watching that beautiful pebble plucked from the bottom of the sea become dull and mundane. A pebble in poor taste. A pebble you shouldn’t be seen with. “This isn’t the kind of stone I’d normally collect, you know.”
Reposted by John Lidwell-Durnin
Recent article on Advance Access: Rachel Singer on 'Contextualising Edix Hill: First-Pandemic Plague and Britain'
@rachelbsinger.bsky.social #plague
academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...
@rachelbsinger.bsky.social #plague
academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...
Contextualising Edix Hill: First-Pandemic Plague and Britain*
Abstract:. The 2019 discovery of Yersinia pestis ancient DNA at Edix Hill in Cambridgeshire unquestionably confirms that plague was present in sixth-centur
academic.oup.com
November 14, 2024 at 3:59 PM
Recent article on Advance Access: Rachel Singer on 'Contextualising Edix Hill: First-Pandemic Plague and Britain'
@rachelbsinger.bsky.social #plague
academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...
@rachelbsinger.bsky.social #plague
academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-...