Sophie Cooper
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sophcocooper.bsky.social
Sophie Cooper
@sophcocooper.bsky.social
Social historian of gender, migration & public space | Nuns | Ireland & its diaspora | Senior Lecturer @QUBLiberalArts | Forging Identities in the Irish World @EdinburghUP 2022 | She/her.
Pinned
Very happy that 'Blue Sunglasses and New Habits: Female Correspondence Networks and the Irish Religious Diaspora' is now out as part of a great double issue
@iehs.bsky.social Journal of American Ethnic History ed. by Cian McMahon & Darragh Gannon
scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jaeh/iss...
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Very pleased to share details of a new permanent academic job opportunity in Creative & Cultural Industries at University College Dublin. We are seeking candidates with a PhD whose work engages with the commercial creative industries. Deadline: 6 March 2026 universityvacancies.com/university-c....
February 5, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
“The combined tuition fees of the entire Question Time panel would not cover my cost for 1 year of uni. Is that fair?”
Oli Dugmore

It’s absolutely NOT fair. This outrageous scandal must end
February 6, 2026 at 7:34 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
so a month ago I was reading @markpackuk.bsky.social’s speech on Twitter in the lords and there were obviously fake stats the government used to justify Twitter’s UK reach and its continued importance to British audiences

Rob has now found the source of the data was… Twitter
UPDATE: I've had a response from the Cabinet Office!
"the statistics cited ‘19.2 million British citizens registered with X and 10.8 million families using the platform’ were provided by OmniGov, the government's media buying agency, who received this data directly from X itself."
February 6, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
If we understand that without massive public pushback, fascism will try to eat all of us alive, then yeah, it makes a difference that people in *all* kinds of communities and interest groups are yelling it from the rooftops. We've seen a ton of creative resistance in the streets. It is connected.
February 6, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Really nuts how many men were like "Me Too went too far, and I need to email Jeffrey Epstein about it."
February 5, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Just been made aware of Haiti's winter Olympics get-up.

That skirt looks warm, has good pockets, and has a massive horse on it. DING DING DING.
February 5, 2026 at 8:44 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Take the time to do this folks. The proposed changes to ILR are shocking and cruel, which is made abundantly clear in the text of the public consultation linked below. Please lend your voice to try to mitigate the cruelty.
PS. Not too late to tell the government what you think about their proposed changes to Indefinite Leave to Remain - the public consultation is open until 12th Feb.

www.gov.uk/government/c...
February 5, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
ICE tear gassed a bunch of children on Saturday. This was a massive escalation of force. They were shooting tear gas at the back of the crowd, it took these unmasked people maybe 3-5 minutes in the cloud of tear gas to escape in without trampling. www.theverge.com/policy/87278...
ICE is afraid of children protesting
“Next time, I’ll be back with a gas mask.”
www.theverge.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
“I was so impressed and kind of honored to be in that crowd…Because nobody panicked. Nobody ran. Nobody was trampling each other. Everybody got out together. We made room for the pregnant, we made room for the elderly, we made room for children.”
ICE tear gassed a bunch of children on Saturday. This was a massive escalation of force. They were shooting tear gas at the back of the crowd, it took these unmasked people maybe 3-5 minutes in the cloud of tear gas to escape in without trampling. www.theverge.com/policy/87278...
ICE is afraid of children protesting
“Next time, I’ll be back with a gas mask.”
www.theverge.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
No, I don't think this is true. I mean, we haven't uninvented the bomb but also don't, you know, use it.
You can't switch it off though. You can't uninvent AI anymore then you can uninvent the bomb. To achieve what you suggest you're essentially talking autarky.
February 3, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
I am very happy this article is out [OA to come]. It builds on work by scholars like @matthewjkelly.bsky.social, Paul Townend, Michael de Nie, @alanlester.bsky.social (and others) to suggest that Irish nationalism had something important to say about the British Empire in the 1830s and 1840s. 🗃️
February 2, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Time for another postcards from 1920s and 1930s Seven Dials I think

Before there was the Guinness Open Gate Brewery, there was the Cave of Harmony - cooler clientele, and far better food by the sound of it.

#London #SevenDials #CoventGarden #History #20s30s #guinness
February 2, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Additionally, the men choosing the word "irrational", repeatedly, to criticise the findings of the Commissooner for Standards is pretty telling. Why yes, she was a woman, now you mention it.
The vote to suspend this nasty wee man carried, despite 3 parties opposing it. In each of the cases the 3 parties put up a male representative to make their case to press (see article).
These parties might reflect on why they have just 31%, 11%, and 0% female MLAs, and 1 female MP between them.
TUV’s Timothy Gaston excluded from Assembly for two days after code breach
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has been excluded from the Stormont Assembly for two days after he was found to have breached the Assembly Members Code of Conduct during stormy exchanges at a committee.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
February 3, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
TikTok is censoring the words “Epstein” and “ICE” — and that alone should tell you how fast political censorship just arrived in America.
February 1, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Looking forward to this week’s @qubhistory.bsky.social seminar with @emilybaughan.bsky.social (chaired by @kieranconnell.bsky.social). Snacks and drinks provided as usual. All welcome!
www.eventbrite.com/e/qub-histor...
February 3, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Our next seminar is on Mon. 9 Feb. - Niall Whelehan will speak about ‘Radicalism, colonialism and the life of an Irish doctor in Argentina at the fin de siècle’. All welcome www.qub.ac.uk/schools/Iris...
February 3, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
In a historic joint action, the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the Jewish Council of Australia, and the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), have lodged a formal legal complaint to have Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrested or barred from entering Australia.
January 30, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
“Jaywalking is permitted in London. In 1966, the police tried to crack down on it, but gave up after three months.”

People walk and cycle on roads by right, people drive under licence.

Jaywalking is not a thing in English law and Waymo must not change that.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe
Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
No notes 🤌🏻
February 2, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Happy Black History Month! Today, let's celebrate the important work our authors have done to further Black scholarship, fiction, poetry, etc. May we all keep writing and #readingUP

#booksky #blackhistorymonth
February 2, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
*drum roll*

Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026!

I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
The values of our trade union movement are justice, equality, and fairness, which we expect to be upheld by our university and those who publicly represent it. It is evident that Senator George J. Mitchell fails to meet these standards, and so all links must be removed." 5/5
February 2, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
In response to the news that @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social has cut ties with Senator George J. Mitchell, following new information that suggests he remained in contact with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, we have released the following statement. 1/5
February 2, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
“You are good to go.” Good to go?!?!

This is what ICE tells a young woman they tossed out into dangerously freezing temperatures after four agonizing days in detention at Whipple.

Today’s front page Strib report: www.startribune.com/no-humanity-...
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
Most of Epstein’s victims were either too frightened to come forward, or silenced through legal threats. Oh, and here’s a senior British politician giving Epstein tips on how to silence them
February 1, 2026 at 11:25 AM