Neil Stewart
@neilstewart.bsky.social
Head of Library & Digital @ihrlibrary.bsky.social at the Institute of Historical Research, London, UK @ihr.bsky.social. Libraries, history, books, music, film, current affairs, the odd bit of politics- you know, the good stuff.
Reposted by Neil Stewart
British Library boss unexpectedly quits amid ongoing strike. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
November 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
British Library boss unexpectedly quits amid ongoing strike. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-c...
IHR Director Professor Claire Langhamer @clairelanghamer.bsky.social has written about today’s History Day #histday25 here at Senate House, and how it reflects the crucial work of @ihr.bsky.social in supporting historical research in all its forms. Read more here! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
Making History Together
History Day
www.history.ac.uk
November 4, 2025 at 10:35 AM
IHR Director Professor Claire Langhamer @clairelanghamer.bsky.social has written about today’s History Day #histday25 here at Senate House, and how it reflects the crucial work of @ihr.bsky.social in supporting historical research in all its forms. Read more here! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...
Reposted by Neil Stewart
Our trainees Sasha and Sarah have written a blog showcasing some of the spookier and scarier books in the IHR Library’s collection - check it out! 🎃 🕸️
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/hall...
#halloween #libraries #blog
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/hall...
#halloween #libraries #blog
October 31, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Our trainees Sasha and Sarah have written a blog showcasing some of the spookier and scarier books in the IHR Library’s collection - check it out! 🎃 🕸️
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/hall...
#halloween #libraries #blog
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/hall...
#halloween #libraries #blog
To think that just a few weeks ago I hadn’t even heard of “Katie Lam” or seen her ridiculous Margaret Thatcher haircut
October 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
To think that just a few weeks ago I hadn’t even heard of “Katie Lam” or seen her ridiculous Margaret Thatcher haircut
This is excellent. One reflection: the lack of ANY theoretical interest, even in the philosophy of science. Kuhn gives interesting models for paradigm change in science, and shows that ALL science is socially constructed. But no, it's all "the woke postmoderns are infecting science with IDEOLOGY!!!"
October 21, 2025 at 12:26 PM
This is excellent. One reflection: the lack of ANY theoretical interest, even in the philosophy of science. Kuhn gives interesting models for paradigm change in science, and shows that ALL science is socially constructed. But no, it's all "the woke postmoderns are infecting science with IDEOLOGY!!!"
Reposted by Neil Stewart
Our brand new @ihr.bsky.social Discovery Courses are designed to be accessible and engaging for all: historians and other professionals looking for training, as well as individuals looking for new learning experiences, enrichment and inspiration. Book now! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/... #history
October 20, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Our brand new @ihr.bsky.social Discovery Courses are designed to be accessible and engaging for all: historians and other professionals looking for training, as well as individuals looking for new learning experiences, enrichment and inspiration. Book now! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/... #history
Define your musical taste in eight artists.
Black Sabbath
Wu-Tang Clan
New Order
Neil Young
Sleep
The Fall
Can
Underworld
Black Sabbath
Wu-Tang Clan
New Order
Neil Young
Sleep
The Fall
Can
Underworld
Define your musical taste in eight artists.
Basic Channel
Kerri Chandler
DJ Harvey
Gigi Masin
Pet Shop Boys
Miles Davis
Pat Metheny
Laurent Garnier
Could have maybe chosen eight DJs. Or eight singles.
Basic Channel
Kerri Chandler
DJ Harvey
Gigi Masin
Pet Shop Boys
Miles Davis
Pat Metheny
Laurent Garnier
Could have maybe chosen eight DJs. Or eight singles.
Define your musical taste in eight artists:
The Fall
Public Enemy
The Pastels
Rolling Stones
Lee Scratch Perry
Motörhead
Cocteau Twins
David Bowie
I don’t know how many lists would feature both The Pastels and Motörhead but personally I see no contradiction.
The Fall
Public Enemy
The Pastels
Rolling Stones
Lee Scratch Perry
Motörhead
Cocteau Twins
David Bowie
I don’t know how many lists would feature both The Pastels and Motörhead but personally I see no contradiction.
October 19, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Define your musical taste in eight artists.
Black Sabbath
Wu-Tang Clan
New Order
Neil Young
Sleep
The Fall
Can
Underworld
Black Sabbath
Wu-Tang Clan
New Order
Neil Young
Sleep
The Fall
Can
Underworld
Reposted by Neil Stewart
Are you using #maps in research?
Want to learn about their history and use as sources?
In London in late January?
Sign up for @ihr.bsky.social short course, Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place!
#maphistory #skystorians 🗃️
Want to learn about their history and use as sources?
In London in late January?
Sign up for @ihr.bsky.social short course, Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place!
#maphistory #skystorians 🗃️
Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place
Discovery Course 1
www.sas.ac.uk
October 15, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Are you using #maps in research?
Want to learn about their history and use as sources?
In London in late January?
Sign up for @ihr.bsky.social short course, Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place!
#maphistory #skystorians 🗃️
Want to learn about their history and use as sources?
In London in late January?
Sign up for @ihr.bsky.social short course, Historic Maps: Interpreting Stories of Place!
#maphistory #skystorians 🗃️
Reposted by Neil Stewart
For reasons, it would be v. helpful to have information from a broad range of academic and non-academic (incl. GLAM) users of the BBC Written Archives OTHER THAN historians, briefly on: 1) What you've used it for and 2) How the proposed changes would impact on your research.
Reposts welcomed.
Reposts welcomed.
Historians dismayed by ‘scandal’ of BBC cutting access to...
Critics say new limit to trove of information sounds knell for independent research
observer.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 9:09 AM
For reasons, it would be v. helpful to have information from a broad range of academic and non-academic (incl. GLAM) users of the BBC Written Archives OTHER THAN historians, briefly on: 1) What you've used it for and 2) How the proposed changes would impact on your research.
Reposts welcomed.
Reposts welcomed.
Whom amongst can truly say, hand on heart, that our close associates have not taken bribes from a hostile foreign state in order to influence domestic politics?
I called this out on #BBCQT last night and I'm calling it out again now.
He is gaslighting a nation.
He is gaslighting a nation.
Farage insists ex-Reform UK Wales leader convicted of bribery is ‘bad apple’
October 10, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Whom amongst can truly say, hand on heart, that our close associates have not taken bribes from a hostile foreign state in order to influence domestic politics?
Haha the usual eco-fascist propaganda from the woke communists of the [reads article] Joint Intelligence Committee???
October 8, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Haha the usual eco-fascist propaganda from the woke communists of the [reads article] Joint Intelligence Committee???
Exactly the kind of building in which you would hope to find a comptroller or indeed an ombudsman @tom.2x2.graphics
General Comptroller's Office building, Costa Rica. r/brutalism
October 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Exactly the kind of building in which you would hope to find a comptroller or indeed an ombudsman @tom.2x2.graphics
Reposted by Neil Stewart
Celebration and Resistance: Explore LGBTQ+ collections and more at History Day 2025 🎉
This #HistDay25 we're partnering with @justinbengry.bsky.social to create a Queer History and Heritage Trail highlighting queer stories, figures & collections. Hear from Justin here: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
This #HistDay25 we're partnering with @justinbengry.bsky.social to create a Queer History and Heritage Trail highlighting queer stories, figures & collections. Hear from Justin here: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Celebration and Resistance: Explore LGBTQ+ collections and more at History Day 2025
Every year in November we host History Day, an event for students, researchers and history enthusiasts.
www.sas.ac.uk
October 3, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Celebration and Resistance: Explore LGBTQ+ collections and more at History Day 2025 🎉
This #HistDay25 we're partnering with @justinbengry.bsky.social to create a Queer History and Heritage Trail highlighting queer stories, figures & collections. Hear from Justin here: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
This #HistDay25 we're partnering with @justinbengry.bsky.social to create a Queer History and Heritage Trail highlighting queer stories, figures & collections. Hear from Justin here: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...
Reposted by Neil Stewart
My essay on stupidology (originally published in N+1) is in today's Guardian www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oc...
A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0
If the first term of Donald Trump provoked anxiety over the fate of objective knowledge, the second has led to claims we live in a world-historical age of stupid, accelerated by big tech. But might th...
www.theguardian.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:08 AM
My essay on stupidology (originally published in N+1) is in today's Guardian www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oc...
Damn RIP Ozzy, confirmation here news.sky.com/story/ozzy-o...
July 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Damn RIP Ozzy, confirmation here news.sky.com/story/ozzy-o...
Reposted by Neil Stewart
#JobAlert! Come and join us for 12 months in our lovely
@chppc.bsky.social team @ihr.bsky.social.
We're seeking a fixed-term #Lecturer in Historic Environment, who'll work on our projects, including research, publishing and digitisation.
Closing date 29 August. Please share! #Skystorians
@chppc.bsky.social team @ihr.bsky.social.
We're seeking a fixed-term #Lecturer in Historic Environment, who'll work on our projects, including research, publishing and digitisation.
Closing date 29 August. Please share! #Skystorians
Lecturer in Historic Environment:London Senate House
www.jobs.london.ac.uk
July 21, 2025 at 9:33 AM
#JobAlert! Come and join us for 12 months in our lovely
@chppc.bsky.social team @ihr.bsky.social.
We're seeking a fixed-term #Lecturer in Historic Environment, who'll work on our projects, including research, publishing and digitisation.
Closing date 29 August. Please share! #Skystorians
@chppc.bsky.social team @ihr.bsky.social.
We're seeking a fixed-term #Lecturer in Historic Environment, who'll work on our projects, including research, publishing and digitisation.
Closing date 29 August. Please share! #Skystorians
Shook Ones Pt. II into Incarcerated Scarfaces is all time, and the Erick Sermon freestyle is 🔥 too.
July 18, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Shook Ones Pt. II into Incarcerated Scarfaces is all time, and the Erick Sermon freestyle is 🔥 too.
Reposted by Neil Stewart
I highly recommend the 'Interviews with Historians' exhibition @ihr.bsky.social, launching the wonderful resource www.history.ac.uk/library-digi.... Fascinating insights into how #historians do #history + some gorgeous media archaeology! Congrats to @ihrlibrary.bsky.social colleagues & all involved.
June 28, 2025 at 10:26 AM
I highly recommend the 'Interviews with Historians' exhibition @ihr.bsky.social, launching the wonderful resource www.history.ac.uk/library-digi.... Fascinating insights into how #historians do #history + some gorgeous media archaeology! Congrats to @ihrlibrary.bsky.social colleagues & all involved.
Reposted by Neil Stewart
At a time of crisis for the History departments across the UK @ihr.bsky.social has made available a unique archive of interviews with leading post-war British historians. They point to the importance of history & the urgent need to defend the profession. historyandpolicy.org/opinion-arti...
At a time of crisis for the profession, a unique collection of interviews demonstrates the importance of history. - History & Policy
At a time of crisis for the History departments across the UK, the Institute of Historical Research has made available a unique archive of interviews with some of the profession's leading post-war Bri...
historyandpolicy.org
June 30, 2025 at 8:31 AM
At a time of crisis for the History departments across the UK @ihr.bsky.social has made available a unique archive of interviews with leading post-war British historians. They point to the importance of history & the urgent need to defend the profession. historyandpolicy.org/opinion-arti...
@bho.bsky.social we are not alone!
Just went looking for something at the excellent Hagley Digital Archives, and was greeted by the message below.
They're being overrun by bots, as "AI systems increasingly target sites like ours to train machine learning models."
The web is being murdered. So aggravating.
digital.hagley.org
They're being overrun by bots, as "AI systems increasingly target sites like ours to train machine learning models."
The web is being murdered. So aggravating.
digital.hagley.org
June 27, 2025 at 11:48 AM
@bho.bsky.social we are not alone!
The end of a long digitisation project! It’s great to get these interviews out into the world once again
We’ve launched a new collection of openly accessible videos, Interviews with Historians, in which prominent 20th century historians reflect on their lives and professional practices. Access the collection here:
www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...
www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...
June 26, 2025 at 12:55 PM
The end of a long digitisation project! It’s great to get these interviews out into the world once again
Reposted by Neil Stewart
Even historians have a history. @lisapine.bsky.social launches her new @ihr.bsky.social podcast A Historian's Life, where historians talk about the histories they’ve explored and the lives they’ve lived. Listen to series 1 now.
www.history.ac.uk/podcasts/a-h...
www.history.ac.uk/podcasts/a-h...
June 25, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Even historians have a history. @lisapine.bsky.social launches her new @ihr.bsky.social podcast A Historian's Life, where historians talk about the histories they’ve explored and the lives they’ve lived. Listen to series 1 now.
www.history.ac.uk/podcasts/a-h...
www.history.ac.uk/podcasts/a-h...
Listening to Meat is Murder by The Smiths, and damn, that rhythm section! M0rr1sey and Marr get all the props but without Joyce and Rourke (RIP) the band would have been entirely different (worse)
June 18, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Listening to Meat is Murder by The Smiths, and damn, that rhythm section! M0rr1sey and Marr get all the props but without Joyce and Rourke (RIP) the band would have been entirely different (worse)
RIP Brian Wilson. “Genius” is an overused word but if any popular musician deserved to be called that, it would be him.
June 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
RIP Brian Wilson. “Genius” is an overused word but if any popular musician deserved to be called that, it would be him.
Five off the top of my head…
Television- Marquee Moon
Ramones - Ramones
Nas - Illmatic
Shellac - At Action Park
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Television- Marquee Moon
Ramones - Ramones
Nas - Illmatic
Shellac - At Action Park
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Top 5 debut albums:
Big Star - #1 Record
Portishead - Dummy
The Velvet Undergroun & Nico - The Velvet Undergroun & Nico
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
What's yours?
Big Star - #1 Record
Portishead - Dummy
The Velvet Undergroun & Nico - The Velvet Undergroun & Nico
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
What's yours?
Top 5 debut albums:
1. Pixies - Sufer Rosa
2. Bjork - Debut
3. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
4. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
5. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash - The Replacements
*Today
1. Pixies - Sufer Rosa
2. Bjork - Debut
3. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
4. A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
5. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash - The Replacements
*Today
June 9, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Five off the top of my head…
Television- Marquee Moon
Ramones - Ramones
Nas - Illmatic
Shellac - At Action Park
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
Television- Marquee Moon
Ramones - Ramones
Nas - Illmatic
Shellac - At Action Park
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children