Kate Spowage
@katespowage.bsky.social
Critical interdisciplinary sociolinguist working on the politics of language, capitalism, and colonialism. Shamelessly plugging Language as Statecraft, which thinks about all those things. Lecturer at the University of Leeds. Own views, reposts ≠ agreement
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Kate Spowage
@katespowage.bsky.social
· Jun 10
Against the game: Sid Meier’s Civilization and vernacular theories of language | Language in Society | Cambridge Core
Against the game: Sid Meier’s Civilization and vernacular theories of language
buff.ly
So on Friday @languageinsociety.bsky.social published my new article, Against the Game! It explores toponymic politics in one of the most successful videogame franchises of all time, asking how Civilization players engage with coloniality & placenames 🧵 #Sociolinguistics #PopCulture buff.ly/PiQVW50
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Once every 20 years or so, the director-general of the BBC is forced to resign for being insufficiently rightwing. Alastair Milne in 1987. Greg Dyke in 2004. Tim Davie in 2025. The great irony is that the BBC was in all cases profoundly biased towards established power. But just not biased enough …
November 10, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Once every 20 years or so, the director-general of the BBC is forced to resign for being insufficiently rightwing. Alastair Milne in 1987. Greg Dyke in 2004. Tim Davie in 2025. The great irony is that the BBC was in all cases profoundly biased towards established power. But just not biased enough …
Reposted by Kate Spowage
11. Regaining the freedom we’ve lost is much harder and less likely than defending the freedom we already possess. We must do all we can to stop governments with autocratic tendencies from winning elections and reasserting the old order. Lose it once, and it might be gone forever.
November 7, 2025 at 6:42 AM
11. Regaining the freedom we’ve lost is much harder and less likely than defending the freedom we already possess. We must do all we can to stop governments with autocratic tendencies from winning elections and reasserting the old order. Lose it once, and it might be gone forever.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
"An organized urban wing of the [Underground] railroad called vigilance committees focused on protecting, supporting, and learning from fugitives."
Jesse Olsavsky for @hammerandhope.bsky.social's latest, just released issue
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
Jesse Olsavsky for @hammerandhope.bsky.social's latest, just released issue
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
The Black People Who Fled Slavery Had a Lot to Teach Their Northern Allies
Black-led vigilance committees not only protected and aided fugitives but also learned from the formerly enslaved as they built a movement pedagogy together.
hammerandhope.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:27 PM
"An organized urban wing of the [Underground] railroad called vigilance committees focused on protecting, supporting, and learning from fugitives."
Jesse Olsavsky for @hammerandhope.bsky.social's latest, just released issue
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
Jesse Olsavsky for @hammerandhope.bsky.social's latest, just released issue
hammerandhope.org/article/unde...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
The university is not a skills machine and neither should politicians think of themselves of oiling the gears of economic performance. Politics is not just about adapting populations to fit labour market demands.
This is a pretty significant and welcome move by the EU. Starmer and his education team are going the other way - a total disaster for research/knowledge and democracy.
Universities will not become ‘skills machines’, EU warned share.google/DhbpW02PWdLA...
Universities will not become ‘skills machines’, EU warned share.google/DhbpW02PWdLA...
Universities will not become ‘skills machines’, EU warned
Leading European institutions warn of ‘risk of instrumentalisation’ and say they should be allowed to determine their own role in bloc’s agenda
share.google
October 31, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The university is not a skills machine and neither should politicians think of themselves of oiling the gears of economic performance. Politics is not just about adapting populations to fit labour market demands.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
The Spectator (owned by GBNews owner Paul Marshall - estimated wealth of £800 million) doesn’t like taxing wealth fairly.
I wonder how they got to this editorial decision?
Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
I wonder how they got to this editorial decision?
Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
October 14, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The Spectator (owned by GBNews owner Paul Marshall - estimated wealth of £800 million) doesn’t like taxing wealth fairly.
I wonder how they got to this editorial decision?
Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
I wonder how they got to this editorial decision?
Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
Reposted by Kate Spowage
To be effective, protest must be noisy, obstructive, annoying. No longer is this allowed. Now the last attribute of effective dissent – persistence – is also to be banned. But the moment protest ceases to be effective is the moment democracy dies. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Here’s what you need to know about Starmer’s illiberal protest curbs: they would have killed the Labour party at birth | George Monbiot
The rights we enjoy in the UK, and the movement the PM purports to lead, were built on protest. Those rights are in dire peril, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:40 AM
To be effective, protest must be noisy, obstructive, annoying. No longer is this allowed. Now the last attribute of effective dissent – persistence – is also to be banned. But the moment protest ceases to be effective is the moment democracy dies. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Please remember that the disgust people have over Christopher Columbus is not based on some modern, 21st century “woke” ideology, but rather on contemporaneous accounts of atrocities that make many modern genocides appear quaint in comparison.
Below, are the accounts of Bartlomé de las Casas.
Below, are the accounts of Bartlomé de las Casas.
October 13, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Please remember that the disgust people have over Christopher Columbus is not based on some modern, 21st century “woke” ideology, but rather on contemporaneous accounts of atrocities that make many modern genocides appear quaint in comparison.
Below, are the accounts of Bartlomé de las Casas.
Below, are the accounts of Bartlomé de las Casas.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Astonishing advance by the Greens, astonishing implosion of Labour. When will Starmer's government get the message that it is destroying its base with deeply unpopular, rightwing policies?
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
Latest poll puts Greens just two points behind Labour. When I said we weren't here to be disappointed in Labour but to replace them, I meant it.
Join us and let's make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
Join us and let's make hope normal again.
join.greenparty.org.uk
October 9, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Astonishing advance by the Greens, astonishing implosion of Labour. When will Starmer's government get the message that it is destroying its base with deeply unpopular, rightwing policies?
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
By chasing Reform, it legitimises the far right while delegitimising itself.
100%! And the hype can't be separated from the insane speculation on it (if I had zeroes riding on the success of AI I might tell people it was the future, regardless of its shortcomings).
Peter Atwater
“With each passing day, the AI space looks more and more like the USA’s home mortgage securitization at the peak of the 2007-8 housing bubble with its overlapping series of capital conveyor belts.”
“With each passing day, the AI space looks more and more like the USA’s home mortgage securitization at the peak of the 2007-8 housing bubble with its overlapping series of capital conveyor belts.”
October 10, 2025 at 8:07 AM
100%! And the hype can't be separated from the insane speculation on it (if I had zeroes riding on the success of AI I might tell people it was the future, regardless of its shortcomings).
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
October 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
signal.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
The Economist claims wealth taxes don't work mainly because the rich end up fleeing. I invite the magazine to read rigorous academic research like Cristobal Young's book or Sam Friedman et al.'s work on this issue instead of spilling out ideological nonsense share.google/pV3cOUrhnDMd...
Don’t tax wealth
Even the most sophisticated arguments in favour of doing so make no sense
share.google
October 5, 2025 at 8:50 AM
The Economist claims wealth taxes don't work mainly because the rich end up fleeing. I invite the magazine to read rigorous academic research like Cristobal Young's book or Sam Friedman et al.'s work on this issue instead of spilling out ideological nonsense share.google/pV3cOUrhnDMd...
The explosiveness of the attack, also, is noteworthy. There's no warning given here - it's drawn less from the repertoire of professional policing and more from the fear-inducing tactics of unstable, abusive people in interpersonal relationships. 'Snapping' is all about keeping people on edge.
She’s crying and pleading and he violently assaults her and throws her to the ground in front of a crowd. Imagine what they guys are doing to people behind closed doors. This is the result of authoritarian overreach and pervasive dehumanization strategies.
I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)
September 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The explosiveness of the attack, also, is noteworthy. There's no warning given here - it's drawn less from the repertoire of professional policing and more from the fear-inducing tactics of unstable, abusive people in interpersonal relationships. 'Snapping' is all about keeping people on edge.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
1. I've long contended that austerity doesn't save money. It merely transfers costs from one group (the very rich, who would otherwise pay more tax) to others. Last night was a powerful reminder of that. Before I go further, I should say I’m fine. Just a black eye, cuts & bruises, no serious harm. 🧵
September 26, 2025 at 9:33 AM
1. I've long contended that austerity doesn't save money. It merely transfers costs from one group (the very rich, who would otherwise pay more tax) to others. Last night was a powerful reminder of that. Before I go further, I should say I’m fine. Just a black eye, cuts & bruises, no serious harm. 🧵
Reposted by Kate Spowage
this exists it is called thinking
September 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
this exists it is called thinking
Working at the BNF in Paris, and came across this fabulous cartoon from L'Élongé (May 1968). Will show students on my new Language Policy & Politics module - De Gaulle, in a hospital bed, is schooled on French grammar by a nurse. A satire on conservativism and verbal hygiene perhaps? 🤔
September 19, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Working at the BNF in Paris, and came across this fabulous cartoon from L'Élongé (May 1968). Will show students on my new Language Policy & Politics module - De Gaulle, in a hospital bed, is schooled on French grammar by a nurse. A satire on conservativism and verbal hygiene perhaps? 🤔
Reposted by Kate Spowage
People are exhausted.
Our high streets, public spaces, whole communities left unloved.
Blaming migrants won’t fix this.
Tackling inequality will. Tax the super-rich. Fund public services.
#DrawTheLine
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Our high streets, public spaces, whole communities left unloved.
Blaming migrants won’t fix this.
Tackling inequality will. Tax the super-rich. Fund public services.
#DrawTheLine
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘We have to tell an alternative story’: Green leader Polanski chats to Nigel Farage’s constituents
Visit to Clacton-on-Sea part of social media strategy that Zack Polanski feels can rebut Reform’s rhetoric
www.theguardian.com
September 8, 2025 at 6:56 AM
People are exhausted.
Our high streets, public spaces, whole communities left unloved.
Blaming migrants won’t fix this.
Tackling inequality will. Tax the super-rich. Fund public services.
#DrawTheLine
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Our high streets, public spaces, whole communities left unloved.
Blaming migrants won’t fix this.
Tackling inequality will. Tax the super-rich. Fund public services.
#DrawTheLine
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Bingo. Westminster majoritarianism makes democratic backsliding not only easier to carry out but also harder to warn against, as I argued here. bsky.app/profile/leon...
NEW
The UK constitution is even more vulnerable than the US constitution
In the face of an illiberal radical assault, what has happened politically in America could easily happen in the UK
By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
The UK constitution is even more vulnerable than the US constitution
In the face of an illiberal radical assault, what has happened politically in America could easily happen in the UK
By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
August 28, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Bingo. Westminster majoritarianism makes democratic backsliding not only easier to carry out but also harder to warn against, as I argued here. bsky.app/profile/leon...
Worrying in lots of ways, including the suggestion that the talking points of political bodies should set the agenda for funding bodies. Growth and prosperity are falsely equated - growth can also impoverish people. Prosperity is about redistribution - not a word British governments are keen on.
The head of the UK's leading funder of social research has spoken against funding projects on post-growth and degrowth. Our research environment is wedded to an economic system that does harm daily to all human and non-human life. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
ESRC ‘bar against’ degrowth research branded ‘anti-scientific’ - Research Professional News
Research council leader signals shift against funding projects that question benefits of economic growth
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
August 29, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Worrying in lots of ways, including the suggestion that the talking points of political bodies should set the agenda for funding bodies. Growth and prosperity are falsely equated - growth can also impoverish people. Prosperity is about redistribution - not a word British governments are keen on.
Reposted by Kate Spowage
"These fires are neither isolated nor "natural" phenomena. They are expressions of a system in combustion, accelerated by climate change induced by our socioeconomic order and aggravated by land-use policies subordinated to accumulation, profit and growth." www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
Mediterranean wildfires are no accident
This summer’s infernos expose how climate change, land neglect and disaster capitalism turn forests into fuel.
www.aljazeera.com
August 28, 2025 at 6:56 AM
"These fires are neither isolated nor "natural" phenomena. They are expressions of a system in combustion, accelerated by climate change induced by our socioeconomic order and aggravated by land-use policies subordinated to accumulation, profit and growth." www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Looks like we are now live-broadcasting Reform events on mass deportation plans on major TV channels including the BBC. We've just published a study showing that this type of coverage moves public opinion in an extreme direction & normalises those ideas further: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
August 26, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Looks like we are now live-broadcasting Reform events on mass deportation plans on major TV channels including the BBC. We've just published a study showing that this type of coverage moves public opinion in an extreme direction & normalises those ideas further: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Kate Spowage
Labour won’t defend migration.
Too scared of Reform, too terrified to lead.
While they play dog whistle politics, inequality is the real problem.
Not small boats. But private jets.
Too scared of Reform, too terrified to lead.
While they play dog whistle politics, inequality is the real problem.
Not small boats. But private jets.
August 13, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Labour won’t defend migration.
Too scared of Reform, too terrified to lead.
While they play dog whistle politics, inequality is the real problem.
Not small boats. But private jets.
Too scared of Reform, too terrified to lead.
While they play dog whistle politics, inequality is the real problem.
Not small boats. But private jets.
Excellent ideology critique from Teen Vogue (yep), on a gender essentialist and fascist-adjacent trend that I am, mercifully, too offline to recognise. (Though I watched some videos after reading and yikes 😬)
"Repackaging rigid gender roles as spiritual self-help."
TikTok's "Divine Femininity" Advice Won't Fix Your Life — But It Could Ruin It
It's gender essentialism and, at worst, a door to the alt-right pipeline.
www.teenvogue.com
August 15, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Excellent ideology critique from Teen Vogue (yep), on a gender essentialist and fascist-adjacent trend that I am, mercifully, too offline to recognise. (Though I watched some videos after reading and yikes 😬)
Reposted by Kate Spowage
The employee asked the girl and her mother if they needed help shopping. That’s it. That’s all. The misinformation, the insinuations (because the facts are inconveniently benign) are EXACTLY what was done to lesbians in the 80s. This is the product of hate and fear, not reality.
August 6, 2025 at 9:39 AM
The employee asked the girl and her mother if they needed help shopping. That’s it. That’s all. The misinformation, the insinuations (because the facts are inconveniently benign) are EXACTLY what was done to lesbians in the 80s. This is the product of hate and fear, not reality.