Dr. Rachel Schine
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rachelschine.bsky.social
Dr. Rachel Schine
@rachelschine.bsky.social
Studying Ge’ez for fun. Feed me and I'll go away.

Maked this: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo236340054.html

Professes Arabic and History @ UMD
Now haunting @ IAS at Princeton

https://www.ias.edu/scholars/rachel-schine
Pinned
My article shows how we can use postcolonial lenses to navigate something we as yet don't know how to acknowledge or talk about well: premodern, non-European people doing things that look a lot like what we now call blackface.
read.dukeupress.edu/jmems/articl...
Performing Blackness in the Medieval Muslim Metropolis: Arabic Literature and Tropicalization
This essay aims to chart a path between premodern blackface performance and postcolonial theory that escapes colonial teleologies. It analyzes moments from the Abbasid through Mamluk era (ca. 750–1517...
read.dukeupress.edu
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
I just phoned Alan Garber, the president of Harvard University and left a message with his staff requesting that he address the allegations from the Crimson concerning Larry Summers. I provided my name, year of law school graduation, and expressed concern for the students in his classes.
a group of soldiers are standing in a row wearing helmets and armor .
ALT: a group of soldiers are standing in a row wearing helmets and armor .
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Something lovely to start the week! 🐙🏺❤️

Ancient clay pots with octopus decoration, made by artisans from Bronze Age Crete some 3,500 years ago!

Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology
November 17, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Out now, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World by @rickbell.bsky.social A wide angle view of a global event that never loses focus on the Revolution itself. Check it out!
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/752265...
November 16, 2025 at 7:52 PM
One of my friends baked me the most insane birthday cake. The frosting is orange and ginger. Literally none of you are as important to me as this frosting.
November 17, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
“Faces in the Crowds: The So-Called Fayyum Portraits and the Aftereffects of Photography” From @emuehlbe.bsky.social’s new book, Things Unseen, on UC Press’ website for free!
www.luminosoa.org/chapters/m/1... A few of my own pics of Fayyum portraits below from Yale University Art Gallery.
November 16, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
The historic architecture of Ethiopia and Eritrea: a complete overview

www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/the-histor...
The historic architecture of Ethiopia and Eritrea: a complete overview
The modern countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea are home to some of the best-known historic architectural monuments in Africa.
www.africanhistoryextra.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
indeed, for every academic abuser and enabler: i promise there’s an amazing grad student out there who is doing work that’s as good or better.

we’ve let the myth of the lone genius guy carry on too long. it’s caused so much harm, in so many ways.
I refuse to believe that Larry Summers' expertise and skills are indispensable in any way. Please find another economist and policy expert, @americanprogress.bsky.social. There are loads out there.
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
November 15, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Contemporary artist Tokuhiro Kawai depicts cats as furry saints!
Current show "Altarpiece of Cat Adoration" in Tokyo now: tinyurl.com/2ew694rh
#caturday
November 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
This new LOTM Starter Pack is slowly starting to grow. It takes some time and searching, but today, the latest additions are people who have been interviewed for the @languageonthemove.bsky.social podcast.
Key takeaways: there are quite a few episodes and only some are on Bluesky, but they include:
November 12, 2025 at 2:56 AM
I really get not liking my work, but criticizing me for using familiar language to introduce concepts that i then extensively clarify as culturally/linguistically/temporally particular is stupid. There’s so much better stuff to get mad at me about!
November 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Nice one, Zadie Smith.
With alt text.
November 12, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social!
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social for winning the Best Book Award from the Middle East Medievalists association for her book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race! Brava!!! 🍾🍾🍾

Here's the link, if you haven't already read it: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Black Knights
A new account of racial logics in premodern Islamic literature.   In Black Knights, Rachel Schine reveals how the Arabic-speaking world developed a different form of racial knowledge than their Europe...
press.uchicago.edu
November 15, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Let me add my congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social!
🎉
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social for winning the Best Book Award from the Middle East Medievalists association for her book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race! Brava!!! 🍾🍾🍾

Here's the link, if you haven't already read it: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Black Knights
A new account of racial logics in premodern Islamic literature.   In Black Knights, Rachel Schine reveals how the Arabic-speaking world developed a different form of racial knowledge than their Europe...
press.uchicago.edu
November 15, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Rhiannon is being too nice, as usual, which is why we like her… 🥹
Delighted to see this book get the @mideastmedieval.bsky.social Best Book Award - it is *excellent* and made me have frankly far, far too many interesting thoughts (dangerous).

See for yourself, if you haven't already!
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social for winning the Best Book Award from the Middle East Medievalists association for her book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race! Brava!!! 🍾🍾🍾

Here's the link, if you haven't already read it: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
November 14, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Congratulations, @rachelschine.bsky.social! So well deserved!
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social for winning the Best Book Award from the Middle East Medievalists association for her book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race! Brava!!! 🍾🍾🍾

Here's the link, if you haven't already read it: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Black Knights
A new account of racial logics in premodern Islamic literature.   In Black Knights, Rachel Schine reveals how the Arabic-speaking world developed a different form of racial knowledge than their Europe...
press.uchicago.edu
November 14, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
N American English kvell (to burst with pride) is a Yiddish cognate with a very common German word: Quelle /ˈkvɛlə/, meaning "source" (pl. die Quellen), including academic sources. The root verb is watery: to well up, gush.

Rachel's book has many Quellen and won a prize so now she's kvellin!🎉
Guys I can only kvell so much before I pass out so I’m gonna go get a pastry but thaaaaaank yooooooou 🧿❤️
November 14, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Guys I can only kvell so much before I pass out so I’m gonna go get a pastry but thaaaaaank yooooooou 🧿❤️
November 14, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
So well deserved! I loved reading “Black Knights!”
November 14, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Congratulations to @rachelschine.bsky.social for winning the Best Book Award from the Middle East Medievalists association for her book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race! Brava!!! 🍾🍾🍾

Here's the link, if you haven't already read it: press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Black Knights
A new account of racial logics in premodern Islamic literature.   In Black Knights, Rachel Schine reveals how the Arabic-speaking world developed a different form of racial knowledge than their Europe...
press.uchicago.edu
November 14, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
The MEM business is currently underway! We'll let you know the highlights as they come in.
November 14, 2025 at 5:22 PM
sweeeeeeet 😅😉
MEM book prize goes to @rachelschine.bsky.social for her 'Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race'!
November 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Reposted by Dr. Rachel Schine
Give a man a fish and someone with a thousand fishes is going to bitch about people getting free handouts. Teach a man to fish? Yeah, that person with a thousand fishes is going to bitch about that too.
November 14, 2025 at 1:28 AM
I've had a very weird and messy couple of days and would just like to put this out there and let it stand:

The biggest villain in Gilmore Girls besides Rory is Jackson.

Truly an accursed man.
November 14, 2025 at 3:11 AM