Jon Dell Isola
@medievaljon.bsky.social
PhD Medieval History. I work on early medieval politics and society. I think about the meaning and purpose of history a lot. I have a blog called Among the Ruins: among-the-ruins.ghost.io
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Your regular reminders that 1) government jobs are real jobs & you can't run a modern rich country economy while you're decimating the public sector; & 2) the median voter works in the nontradable services sector, experiences trade <only> as a consumer, & the tariffs are just impoverishing her.
February 17, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Your regular reminders that 1) government jobs are real jobs & you can't run a modern rich country economy while you're decimating the public sector; & 2) the median voter works in the nontradable services sector, experiences trade <only> as a consumer, & the tariffs are just impoverishing her.
New book on early medieval kingship, curious about this "desecularization" argument. Color me skeptical but I'll need to check out the book first #medievalsky
global.oup.com
February 17, 2026 at 5:22 PM
New book on early medieval kingship, curious about this "desecularization" argument. Color me skeptical but I'll need to check out the book first #medievalsky
Reading an article by Timothy Reuter and struck yet again by his style and clarity. One of those historians I deeply wish to imitate, however feebly
February 17, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Reading an article by Timothy Reuter and struck yet again by his style and clarity. One of those historians I deeply wish to imitate, however feebly
Carolingian coded #medievalsky
Is there a dynasty-specific starter pack for Bluesky?
February 17, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Carolingian coded #medievalsky
🎯🎯🎯
Language evolves and all new words are real and valid as long as they're expressing something to others who understand it.
Except for this. I refuse to accept this as language.
Except for this. I refuse to accept this as language.
Guys, I’m hearing 6'5 Australian TERA-CHAD Androgenic has flown to U.S and BONESMASHMAXXED in order to HUNT down the ASU frat leader and engage in a MOG-OFF to avenge Clavicular after the
BRUTAL frame mog incident that took place last week.
BRUTAL frame mog incident that took place last week.
February 14, 2026 at 6:15 PM
🎯🎯🎯
Rapidly becoming an account that shares cool books I find: #medievalsky
Medieval Holy Women and the Desire for Death
Medieval Holy Women and the Desire for Death investigates the tension between death as necessary for bringing about union with God and as the end of life on ...
undpress.nd.edu
February 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Rapidly becoming an account that shares cool books I find: #medievalsky
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Also, the entire vocational case for <not> majoring in the humanities/liberal arts rests on approximately no data at all:
👇🎯 Periodic reminder that the right-wing career/salary talking points about the liberal arts are belied by huge piles of data (e.g., news.wisc.edu/new-data-on-...), & the complicity of Democrats & university administrators in repeating those right-wing talking points is a major part of then problem.
February 13, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Also, the entire vocational case for <not> majoring in the humanities/liberal arts rests on approximately no data at all:
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
I'd like at add a few things to this. (1) humanists have not been able to convince any political party that curiosity-driven humanities research is a public good that should be funded using tax dollars. Republicans don't believe this, but neither do Democrats.
It's possible to do a non-reactionary critique of the current landscape of humanities research funding: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Does humanities research matter anymore? (opinion)
The rapid collapse in available research funding is one crisis in the humanities we aren’t talking enough about, Asheesh Kapur Siddique writes.
www.insidehighered.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I'd like at add a few things to this. (1) humanists have not been able to convince any political party that curiosity-driven humanities research is a public good that should be funded using tax dollars. Republicans don't believe this, but neither do Democrats.
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Massachusetts should not be spending money on this.
Massachusetts should not be undermining its knowledge workers.
Massachusetts should not be entrusting any aspect of our government or its processes to ChatGPT.
Massachusetts should not be undermining its knowledge workers.
Massachusetts should not be entrusting any aspect of our government or its processes to ChatGPT.
Healey rolls out ChatGPT-powered AI assistant for state workers - The Boston Globe
Massachusetts plans to make the digital tool available to all 40,000 employees in the state's executive branch.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Massachusetts should not be spending money on this.
Massachusetts should not be undermining its knowledge workers.
Massachusetts should not be entrusting any aspect of our government or its processes to ChatGPT.
Massachusetts should not be undermining its knowledge workers.
Massachusetts should not be entrusting any aspect of our government or its processes to ChatGPT.
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Are you interested in learning new ways to study medieval manuscripts and early modern books? Check out some of RBS’s 2026 summer courses on these topics!
Apply by the first-round deadline of 17 February: rarebookschool.org/schedule/
#RareBooks #BookSky #MedievalSky
Apply by the first-round deadline of 17 February: rarebookschool.org/schedule/
#RareBooks #BookSky #MedievalSky
February 12, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Are you interested in learning new ways to study medieval manuscripts and early modern books? Check out some of RBS’s 2026 summer courses on these topics!
Apply by the first-round deadline of 17 February: rarebookschool.org/schedule/
#RareBooks #BookSky #MedievalSky
Apply by the first-round deadline of 17 February: rarebookschool.org/schedule/
#RareBooks #BookSky #MedievalSky
All these AI threads calling to me like the Green Goblin mask, but I got stuff to do
February 12, 2026 at 5:05 PM
All these AI threads calling to me like the Green Goblin mask, but I got stuff to do
Got a bunch of new followers so who am I? Im a medieval historian who received my PhD last year. Most of my research is about the mechanisms of politics and political change in the early middle ages. I write a newsletter called Among the Ruins (which I hope you will sign up for!) #medievalsky
Among the Ruins
History, Writing, and the Medieval Past
among-the-ruins.ghost.io
February 12, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Got a bunch of new followers so who am I? Im a medieval historian who received my PhD last year. Most of my research is about the mechanisms of politics and political change in the early middle ages. I write a newsletter called Among the Ruins (which I hope you will sign up for!) #medievalsky
Harold and Maude is a goated romcom. I will not be hearing disagreements
Bud Cort, the actor best known for playing Harold in the 1971 comedy “Harold and Maude,” has died at 77.
Bud Cort, Who Starred in 1971’s ‘Harold and Maude,’ Dies at 77
The role, one of his first, made him a household name and a film idol of the anti-establishment 1970s. But it also limited his growth as an actor.
nyti.ms
February 12, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Harold and Maude is a goated romcom. I will not be hearing disagreements
Its a real catch-22. The Ghost version of my newsletter barely sees any growth because it is really hard to grow without virality and topicality. Substack does still give me consistent growth because it recommends me to other history newsletters. It is really, really, hard to make a newsletter work
I do not shame anyone who's still on Substack and I am still impatient with Patreon's newsletter features but here's a good reminder of why so many of us are putting up with the various difficulties of *not* using Substack
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Its a real catch-22. The Ghost version of my newsletter barely sees any growth because it is really hard to grow without virality and topicality. Substack does still give me consistent growth because it recommends me to other history newsletters. It is really, really, hard to make a newsletter work
🎯
I hate this phrase, and I literally do my own research for a living. But this is why we have the FDA. This is why news media should have fact checkers. I *do not need* to do my own double-blind medical trials. I should not need to go out and interview every relevant person myself
Nearly all Americans (94%) – including similar shares of both political parties – say it is at least somewhat important for people to “do their own research” to check the accuracy of the news they get.
February 11, 2026 at 4:18 PM
🎯
Tragic, they demolished the cursed DC Burger King that used to be an old movie theater, complete with giant shark over the drink machine, guitars in the basement, and other oddities (pictures in the link, you need to see them to believe it). I lived around the corner in undergrad, sad
Down Goes the Van Ness, Movie and Rock and Roll Themed, Burger King – I can’t look but I’m told Demolition has Begun - PoPville
4422 Connecticut Ave, NW Welp. Tell me when it's over. And tell me what is coming. And tell me when my garbage gets picked up. I'm exhausted. Fin. ANYWAY, enough about me. If you’ve never been blessed...
www.popville.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:34 PM
Tragic, they demolished the cursed DC Burger King that used to be an old movie theater, complete with giant shark over the drink machine, guitars in the basement, and other oddities (pictures in the link, you need to see them to believe it). I lived around the corner in undergrad, sad
Sadly this is probably my last year, I didn't get a bursary but did get reduced registration fee thankfully. All told it will cost me around $1500 to go between airfare, rooms, and registration. I pay it all out of pocket, its a great event but super expensive. This isn't just a Leeds problem though
The base registration fee for the Leeds International Medieval Congress is now up to 347 GBP (= 475 USD or 399 EUR). That just gets you in, & doesn't include meals or anything else.
I only attended last year because I was lucky to get into a Leverhulme-sponsored panel.
This is unsustainable.
I only attended last year because I was lucky to get into a Leverhulme-sponsored panel.
This is unsustainable.
February 10, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Sadly this is probably my last year, I didn't get a bursary but did get reduced registration fee thankfully. All told it will cost me around $1500 to go between airfare, rooms, and registration. I pay it all out of pocket, its a great event but super expensive. This isn't just a Leeds problem though
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Asking my girlfriend in the next room and then making her leave #toughtruths
You must answer one simple question before you enter my Super Bowl party
February 8, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Asking my girlfriend in the next room and then making her leave #toughtruths
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
"His farewell email, which was terse, thanked only Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Post, and did not mention journalists at the newspaper."
once again tapping the sign reminding you all to support billionaire free news.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
once again tapping the sign reminding you all to support billionaire free news.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:00 AM
"His farewell email, which was terse, thanked only Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Post, and did not mention journalists at the newspaper."
once again tapping the sign reminding you all to support billionaire free news.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
once again tapping the sign reminding you all to support billionaire free news.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
Superstar culture (often) reaffirms privilege and worsens the field as a whole
This seems considerably less prevalent at state R1s than private R1s, which is another reason we should be prioritizing state R1s more.
There’s a “superstar” layer at every R1 institution I’ve been at that isn’t composed of academics in any sense I recognize. They’re there so the institution can claim them, but they use the university as a launchpad to contracts and speaking engagements. They’re not teaching the intro classes.
February 7, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Superstar culture (often) reaffirms privilege and worsens the field as a whole
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
February 7, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Jon Dell Isola
This week I went on a bit of a digression from what I planned to write, eventually ending up looking at wax seals and Roman gemstones. #medievalsky
Wax Seals and Roman Gemstones: A Study of Historical Digressions
Hello! I received my PhD in Medieval History in May 2025 and am using my expertise to educate interested people in the Middle Ages and the process of creating history. Subscribing as either a free or ...
among-the-ruins.ghost.io
February 6, 2026 at 5:01 PM
This week I went on a bit of a digression from what I planned to write, eventually ending up looking at wax seals and Roman gemstones. #medievalsky
Wanted to read the accompanying piece about this project, it is really cool! There is a ton of hidden info in our datasets, and its a smart idea to try to repackage them for others. I've often wondered whether my Obsidian library of charters is worth sharing, maybe it is after all #medievalsky
I am very excited to report that a project I have been working on for 3+ years is finally seeing the light of day! Along with @byzcapp.bsky.social and Jesse Torgerson, we debut a new annual section in Digital Philology that proposes the dataset as a new genre of publication. odfms.hcommons.org
Open Datasets For Medieval Studies – ODFMS is a showcase of world-class research on the Middle Ages in dataset format.
odfms.hcommons.org
February 6, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Wanted to read the accompanying piece about this project, it is really cool! There is a ton of hidden info in our datasets, and its a smart idea to try to repackage them for others. I've often wondered whether my Obsidian library of charters is worth sharing, maybe it is after all #medievalsky