Gillian Gower, PhD
@medievaliste.bsky.social
lapsed professor and stay at home pop princess
research: music, political culture, and identity in medieval England and beyond
academic editing and historical consulting ⤵️
glgower.com
research: music, political culture, and identity in medieval England and beyond
academic editing and historical consulting ⤵️
glgower.com
Pinned
Music and politics expert here. There is no music that is free from politics, because music is a human construct and whether or not we like to admit it, humans are all affected intimately by politics. Even music without words can express political ideas. You’re just noticing it for the first time.
At a party in LA and it seems like at least a third of the guests are talking about emigrating
November 15, 2025 at 6:08 AM
At a party in LA and it seems like at least a third of the guests are talking about emigrating
Yeah, my company’s going public, as in the government acquired it because it’s a public good that shouldn’t be run by a private citizen
November 14, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Yeah, my company’s going public, as in the government acquired it because it’s a public good that shouldn’t be run by a private citizen
We could fix a lot of problems if we abolished the stock market.
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 9:13 PM
We could fix a lot of problems if we abolished the stock market.
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
We are going Super Social Justice Blue Hair and Pronouns. We are calling things "gay" and "queer" as compliments and honorifics. We are proudly being buzzkills and harpies and feminine and vegan and giving a sincere fucking shit about the environment and climate and well-being of the community.
November 14, 2025 at 9:12 AM
We are going Super Social Justice Blue Hair and Pronouns. We are calling things "gay" and "queer" as compliments and honorifics. We are proudly being buzzkills and harpies and feminine and vegan and giving a sincere fucking shit about the environment and climate and well-being of the community.
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
this is lovely bc in many fields 90% of the job is telling students every conception they had of a topic is wrong. in my experience for ppl who look like stereotypical authoritative professors to students this lands as “whoa I learned something new” & the rest of us get “pretty sure that’s wrong”
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 2:13 PM
this is lovely bc in many fields 90% of the job is telling students every conception they had of a topic is wrong. in my experience for ppl who look like stereotypical authoritative professors to students this lands as “whoa I learned something new” & the rest of us get “pretty sure that’s wrong”
1 milly
On a scale of one to 10, how much do you want to add a small solar system to your apartment balcony? ☀️
The solar panels Germans are plugging into their walls » Yale Climate Connections
Plug-in solar technology is making it easier for renters and low-income households to harness the power of the sun – but it’s not yet legal across most of the U.S.
yaleclimateconnections.org
November 14, 2025 at 8:53 PM
1 milly
what people think medieval history is: wars! kings! cathedrals! filthy peasants!
what medieval history really is: bills, wills, monks crashing out
what medieval history really is: bills, wills, monks crashing out
I find the phrase “makes history” nonsensical. Have you seen the stuff historians study? Just dropping an old piece of farm equipment down a well or accidentally freezing to death in a glacier gives you a good shot at the history books
November 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
what people think medieval history is: wars! kings! cathedrals! filthy peasants!
what medieval history really is: bills, wills, monks crashing out
what medieval history really is: bills, wills, monks crashing out
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
In the US, the only leverage many academics have is threatening to leave. That leverage is growing weaker and weaker as jobs disappear. At this point, beyond a few superstars, it’s effectively nil. There are, of course, other forms of leverage, but they require working in concert.
November 14, 2025 at 2:38 PM
In the US, the only leverage many academics have is threatening to leave. That leverage is growing weaker and weaker as jobs disappear. At this point, beyond a few superstars, it’s effectively nil. There are, of course, other forms of leverage, but they require working in concert.
a pinned feed but it just tells you which big account is currently crashing out
November 14, 2025 at 6:48 PM
a pinned feed but it just tells you which big account is currently crashing out
railing about bsky moderation right before posting a link to your substack is very weird to me
November 14, 2025 at 6:44 PM
railing about bsky moderation right before posting a link to your substack is very weird to me
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:16 AM
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
this entire new has led me to a horrifying conclusion:
I think AMS-L shutting down was bad, actually
I think AMS-L shutting down was bad, actually
I'm catching up on the latest developments regarding governance American Musicological Society (AMS). The situation is even more concerning than I thought, and I appreciate all of the colleagues who have shared their experiences and those who have shared receipts, both here and elsewhere.
November 14, 2025 at 2:44 AM
this entire new has led me to a horrifying conclusion:
I think AMS-L shutting down was bad, actually
I think AMS-L shutting down was bad, actually
You could say the same thing about the enrollment cliff
Every "population crisis" article in western media is just "WHERE ARE THE WHITE BABIES" in disguise and we absolutely do not have to give any credence to any of them
November 14, 2025 at 2:42 AM
You could say the same thing about the enrollment cliff
American exceptionalism includes having the most racist politicians, top-of-line racist politicians, nobody’s ever seen anything like our racist politicians, one day a British racist, big racist, strong racist, tears streaming down his face and he said to me, sir, you have the most racist politicia
November 14, 2025 at 2:26 AM
American exceptionalism includes having the most racist politicians, top-of-line racist politicians, nobody’s ever seen anything like our racist politicians, one day a British racist, big racist, strong racist, tears streaming down his face and he said to me, sir, you have the most racist politicia
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
The phrase itself is even an insult, because it gets it wrong---in reality, it's
she said, he said
that is, an accuser comes forward, tells her story, and the accused says "well she's lying" and we just stop there because men who assault and rape have more epistemic weight than their victims
she said, he said
that is, an accuser comes forward, tells her story, and the accused says "well she's lying" and we just stop there because men who assault and rape have more epistemic weight than their victims
oh it's just another "he said she said"—yes, and we're learning that in the vast majority of cases "he" was lying, so isn't it so interesting that in such a culture a phrase was popularized for such situations to mean "no way of knowing the truth here, let's not investigate or change anything"
November 13, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The phrase itself is even an insult, because it gets it wrong---in reality, it's
she said, he said
that is, an accuser comes forward, tells her story, and the accused says "well she's lying" and we just stop there because men who assault and rape have more epistemic weight than their victims
she said, he said
that is, an accuser comes forward, tells her story, and the accused says "well she's lying" and we just stop there because men who assault and rape have more epistemic weight than their victims
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
November 8, 2025 at 4:23 AM
40 years ago we’d have congressional hearings falsely accusing metal bands of putting backwards messages in their songs that told kids to kill themselves & now we have a planet-killing chatbot that’s all like “bet you won’t commit suicide chickenshit bitch” & the government is like here’s $5 billion
cannot wait until Americans learn about immigration discourse in the UK
In addition to being straight-up Nazi rhetoric, the "undocumented immigrants caused the housing crisis" lie seems designed to drive me, personally, insane.
November 14, 2025 at 1:53 AM
cannot wait until Americans learn about immigration discourse in the UK
now this is a direct action I can support
I think professors from *all* universities should email the Texas A&M fella there
November 14, 2025 at 1:49 AM
now this is a direct action I can support
I really need everyone to understand that this isn’t new. Universities were already censoring their own professors. They’re just doing it in public now.
November 14, 2025 at 1:45 AM
I really need everyone to understand that this isn’t new. Universities were already censoring their own professors. They’re just doing it in public now.
People are joking about this, but if you’ve ever had the misfortune of disagreeing with an administrator about how to teach your class, you know it’s not even a little funny
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 14, 2025 at 1:38 AM
People are joking about this, but if you’ve ever had the misfortune of disagreeing with an administrator about how to teach your class, you know it’s not even a little funny
I’m afraid I have some bad news about faculty hiring practices
If you have to get permission to teach in your area of expertise from people who are definitionally not qualified to adjudicate your expertise then you are no longer working at a university.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
You’re working at a state propaganda factory.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 14, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I’m afraid I have some bad news about faculty hiring practices
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
damn these epstein emails are crazy
November 13, 2025 at 1:32 PM
damn these epstein emails are crazy
Reposted by Gillian Gower, PhD
chicago!
how can faculty make sense of the rapidly shifting economic and epistemic conditions for learning? how should faculty exercise governance and exert expertise over expensive partnerships between universities and technology companies?
join us for Theory At The Bargaining Table Dec 4!
how can faculty make sense of the rapidly shifting economic and epistemic conditions for learning? how should faculty exercise governance and exert expertise over expensive partnerships between universities and technology companies?
join us for Theory At The Bargaining Table Dec 4!
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
chicago!
how can faculty make sense of the rapidly shifting economic and epistemic conditions for learning? how should faculty exercise governance and exert expertise over expensive partnerships between universities and technology companies?
join us for Theory At The Bargaining Table Dec 4!
how can faculty make sense of the rapidly shifting economic and epistemic conditions for learning? how should faculty exercise governance and exert expertise over expensive partnerships between universities and technology companies?
join us for Theory At The Bargaining Table Dec 4!
“You’re too good for them!”
Too good for what? Getting paid?
Too good for what? Getting paid?
The great Karen Attiah captures my fury and anger at employed people when they say losing your job and being blacklisted is a "badge of honor"
November 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
“You’re too good for them!”
Too good for what? Getting paid?
Too good for what? Getting paid?