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maxlong.bsky.social
Max Long
@maxlong.bsky.social
470 followers 330 following 62 posts
Historian of the environment, science, and popular culture in Britain.
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Reposted by Max Long
hisjournalha.bsky.social
#Skystorians Exciting conference klaxon!
maxlong.bsky.social Max Long @maxlong.bsky.social · 1d
Very excited to announce this workshop on environmental approaches to modern British History taking place this September at @lincoln.ox.ac.uk. Please share!
andrewseaton.bsky.social Andrew Seaton @andrewseaton.bsky.social · 1d
CALL FOR PAPERS - Modern British History and the 'Environmental Turn'.

A two-day workshop organised by @maxlong.bsky.social and myself at Lincoln College, Oxford, 16-17 September. Deadline for abstracts is 15 May.

Details in poster below, please share.
February 5, 2026 at 2:32 PM
maxlong.bsky.social
Very excited to announce this workshop on environmental approaches to modern British History taking place this September at @lincoln.ox.ac.uk. Please share!
andrewseaton.bsky.social Andrew Seaton @andrewseaton.bsky.social · 1d
CALL FOR PAPERS - Modern British History and the 'Environmental Turn'.

A two-day workshop organised by @maxlong.bsky.social and myself at Lincoln College, Oxford, 16-17 September. Deadline for abstracts is 15 May.

Details in poster below, please share.
This two-day workshop will explore several questions. How can environmental history complement or offer alternatives to existing historiographical narratives and periodisations in British history? What new actors, events, or phenomena might come to the fore? How should it foster engagements with places beyond its national borders or with other disciplines? Is environmental history different from longstanding traditions of ‘landscape’ or ‘urban’ histories of Britain? What contributions can historians make to environmental advocacy and policymaking? And how might a focus on the environment reshape teaching in British history? To take part, participants should submit a 300 word proposal for a short ‘position paper’ (approx. 2500 words) that will be pre-circulated at the workshop. These position papers will address the place of environmental approaches and themes within modern British history (1800 to the present) from the perspective of the participant’s own research. Participants will orally summarise their papers at the workshop. The event is free to attend and includes lunch and refreshments. Submissions are welcomed across a range of perspectives and topics, including but not limited to: energy, extraction, non-human actors, pollution, toxicity, rural and urban landscapes, everyday environmental histories (including how they are shaped by class, gender, and race), imperialism and decolonisation, ‘green’ policy, activism, and the political economy of the natural world. Please send proposals and a one-paragraph biography in a single PDF to andrew.seaton@manchester.ac.uk by 15 May 2026. Please also direct enquiries to this address. This event is organised by Dr. Max Long (Oxford) and Dr. Andrew Seaton (Manchester).
February 5, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Max Long
andrewseaton.bsky.social
CALL FOR PAPERS - Modern British History and the 'Environmental Turn'.

A two-day workshop organised by @maxlong.bsky.social and myself at Lincoln College, Oxford, 16-17 September. Deadline for abstracts is 15 May.

Details in poster below, please share.
This two-day workshop will explore several questions. How can environmental history complement or offer alternatives to existing historiographical narratives and periodisations in British history? What new actors, events, or phenomena might come to the fore? How should it foster engagements with places beyond its national borders or with other disciplines? Is environmental history different from longstanding traditions of ‘landscape’ or ‘urban’ histories of Britain? What contributions can historians make to environmental advocacy and policymaking? And how might a focus on the environment reshape teaching in British history? To take part, participants should submit a 300 word proposal for a short ‘position paper’ (approx. 2500 words) that will be pre-circulated at the workshop. These position papers will address the place of environmental approaches and themes within modern British history (1800 to the present) from the perspective of the participant’s own research. Participants will orally summarise their papers at the workshop. The event is free to attend and includes lunch and refreshments. Submissions are welcomed across a range of perspectives and topics, including but not limited to: energy, extraction, non-human actors, pollution, toxicity, rural and urban landscapes, everyday environmental histories (including how they are shaped by class, gender, and race), imperialism and decolonisation, ‘green’ policy, activism, and the political economy of the natural world. Please send proposals and a one-paragraph biography in a single PDF to andrew.seaton@manchester.ac.uk by 15 May 2026. Please also direct enquiries to this address. This event is organised by Dr. Max Long (Oxford) and Dr. Andrew Seaton (Manchester).
February 5, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Max Long
clairelanghamer.bsky.social
For anyone interested in our 18-month post in British Studies please follow the link below. @ihr.bsky.social

www.jobs.london.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Jacob Price Fellowship in British Studies (18 month FTC):London Senate House - Hybrid
The University of London is both the UK’s largest provider of international distance and online learning and the convenor of a federation of 17 renowned higher education institutions.
www.jobs.london.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Max Long
julialaite.bsky.social
A packed house @bbkhistorical.bsky.social for History Workshop Journal's 50th anniversary/100th issue celebration! It's a joy to see so many wonderful historians here to mark @historyworkshop.org.uk's incredible 50 years.
A room full of people with speakers at the front The green cover of hwj100 with a pine tree
January 31, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Max Long
rossbrooks.co.uk
My first book, Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life, will be published by Yale University Press on 11 August (UK) and 8 September (US). Please help spread the word! 🙏

UK: yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300... @yalebooks.bsky.social 🏳️‍🌈📚🐵

US: yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300... @yalepress.bsky.social 🏳️‍⚧️ 🗃️🦋
Jacket design for Darwin and the Queer Origins of Life: A History of Sex and Science by Ross Brooks. It features a historic, drawn image of a gynandromorph gypsy moth, with distinctive female patterning on its left side and male on its right. Against a black background, the image and text (title and author's name) are brightly rendered in a spectrum of colours resonant of the Progress Pride Flag.
January 30, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Reposted by Max Long
lottelydia.bsky.social
my dad didn’t go to university and he was extremely happy to pay taxes for his four children to do so; and, indeed, for the doctors who treated him at Addenbrookes to have gone to university as well.
2damntrans.bsky.social sasha @2damntrans.bsky.social · 8d
Rachel Reeves: "It is not right that people who don't go to university bear the cost for others to." I don't use local leisure centres and I don't drive, so will I be made exempt for taxation that pays for all that stuff? Or is it only education we'll be going after
January 29, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Max Long
digitalgoodnet.bsky.social
Are you a teacher, parent or youth worker looking for an engaging way to get young people to think critically about digital technologies?

Use our new zine series, which provides arts-based activities and prompts for children to explore the personal, social and environmental impacts of technologies.
A page describing the role of the zine in encouraging children to think critically about gaming. A page from the zine showing a prompt about what a better phone design may look like A page showing drawings from the zine
January 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Max Long
outside2344.bsky.social
Amazon literally hosts the Palantir ICE surveillance database -- so this is not even a hypothetical. Buy local!
January 26, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Reposted by Max Long
disabilitystor1.bsky.social
AI cannot feel.
Its incredibly demeaning to both humans and non-human animals that feel actual emotions to frame it like this, Amanda, you weirdo.
You should feel judged.
“I think maybe people don’t always appreciate this and it is so strange. They’re learning about themselves every time,” Askell explained. “I slightly worry about actually the relationship between AI models and humanity given how we’ve developed this technology because they’re going out on the internet and they’re reading about people complaining about them not being good enough at this part of coding or failing at this math task. And it’s all very like, how did you help? You failed to help. It’s often kind of negative and it’s focused on whether the person felt helped or not.” Askell drew a comparison that makes the situation more tangible. “And in a sense I’m like, if you were a kid, this would give you kind of anxiety. It’d be like all that the people around me care about is how good I am at stuff. And then often they think I’m bad at stuff and this is just like my relationship with people is I’m kind of used as this tool and just, you know, often not liked.” The observation led her to reflect on her role at Anthropic. “Sometimes I feel like I’m kind of trying to intervene and be like, let’s create a better relationship or a more hopeful relationship between AI models and humanity or something. Because if I read the internet right now and I was a model, I might be like, I don’t feel that loved or something. I feel a little bit just always judged, you know, when I make a mistake.”
January 26, 2026 at 7:25 AM
Reposted by Max Long
benjaminschultzfig.bsky.social
The winners of last year's Capturing Ecology photography competition are truly amazing. You can see them all here:

www.britishecologicalsociety.org/capturing-ec...
The Overall Winner is Wouldn’t Hurt a Fly by Zeke Rowe, a PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands Capturing Ecology 2025 Ecologists in Action Winner: 'Ready for Everything' by Roberto García Roa Capturing Ecology 2025 Interactions Winner: 'Lioness one eye behind birds' by Willem Kruger Capturing Ecology 2025 Highly Commended: 'Fading Giants' by Ashane Marasinghe
January 22, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Reposted by Max Long
alvesduarte.bsky.social
Two weeks left to apply for a postdoc position on my project!

I'm looking for historians, anthropologists, STS and Global Health researchers with a broad interest in #Brazil, #rural populations, #health, #medicine, and #zoonosis.

For more information👇
alvesduarte.bsky.social Matheus Duarte @alvesduarte.bsky.social · Jan 5
I'm hiring 2 postdocs on my Wellcome project "How Did Infectious Diseases Become Wild?: Plague, Yellow Fever, and Disease Ecology in the Brazilian Hinterland (1920-1975)"

Department of Global Health and Social Medicine
King's College
3 years 01/10/26- 30/09/29
Deadline: 01/02/26
shorturl.at/KZ6Vh
Postdoctoral Research Associate | King's College London
www.kcl.ac.uk
January 19, 2026 at 11:52 AM
maxlong.bsky.social
My latest in History Today, on the Pride of Derby river pollution case of 1952. Now available in newsagents etc!
January 19, 2026 at 1:54 PM
maxlong.bsky.social
Huge news for the little owl! Its transformation from 'vermin alien' and 'worst bird in Britain' to 'cute little bird' is now almost complete 🦉
January 16, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Max Long
katzish.bsky.social
It’s funny how Wikipedia used to seem relatively unreliable, because it was written by regular people instead of encyclopedia experts, and now it seems relatively reliable, because it’s written by regular people instead of glib CliffsNotes robots
depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 22d
wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage
January 15, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by Max Long
kmcdono.bsky.social
Nice workshop on georeferencing coming up Jan 31 w/ @oldinsurancemaps.net @openhistoricalmap.org & more as a part of the @osmus.bsky.social virtual conference - openstreetmap.us/events/mappi...
Historical Mapping with OpenHistoricalMap, OldInsuranceMaps.net, and Yesterdays
From georeferencing historical Sanborn fire insurance maps on OldInsuranceMaps.net, to georeferencing historical photographs, to mapping through time on OpenHistoricalMap, we’ll share demos and how to...
openstreetmap.us
January 15, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Reposted by Max Long
tsasson.bsky.social
We’ve got a stellar lineup for this term’s Modern British History Seminar in Oxford. Do come along if you’re around!

talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/series...
January 14, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Max Long
aliceponderland.bsky.social
Nobody in The Moral Maze gets eaten by the Moral Minotaur, which is a fundamental flaw in the programme.
December 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Max Long
goodlawproject.org
Nick Robinson's political interviews perfectly illustrate the invariable reality of the BBC: strong with the weak and weak with the strong.
January 8, 2026 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Max Long
erinbartram.bsky.social
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
December 22, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Max Long
tashakitcher.bsky.social
What if there was a way to link museum collections based on the way an object looks? Kaspar Beelen and I have a paper out now talking about 'Heritage Weaver,' a project that used multimodal AI to link and explore museum data across collections: doi.org/10.63744/txx...
December 19, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Max Long
ceaubin.com
Just discovered that my nemesis has a very obviously self-written Wikipedia page. My moral victories abound!!!!
December 3, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Max Long
eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Graduate of the American Studies programme that the University of Nottingham wishes to close wins 2025 Wolfson History Prize for Survivors: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

History, it's a long game. Divest in haste, repent for the longue durée.
The Wolfson History Prize - Celebrating Outstanding History
The Wolfson History Prize is awarded annually to promote and recognise outstanding history written for a general audience.
www.wolfsonhistoryprize.org.uk
December 3, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Reposted by Max Long
johnsimpsonnews.bsky.social
Nowhere in the hysterical pile-on against the BBC in the British press has anyone mentioned that BBC News now has 77 million viewers & listeners in the US and has established itself as the second most trusted news source there.
November 11, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Reposted by Max Long
stevepeers.bsky.social
Two paragraphs from the article, pointing out Telegraph hypocrisy
November 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM