Sophie Cooper
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sophcocooper.bsky.social
Sophie Cooper
@sophcocooper.bsky.social
2.3K followers 1.4K following 470 posts
Social historian of gender, migration & public space | Nuns | Ireland & its diaspora | Senior Lecturer @QUBLiberalArts | Forging Identities in the Irish World @EdinburghUP 2022 | She/her.
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sophcocooper.bsky.social
Sophie Cooper @sophcocooper.bsky.social · Oct 24
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...
Abstract. During the nineteenth century female Irish religious orders established missions across the Irish diaspora which were designed with flexibility and adaptation in mind. The Sisters of Mercy’s personal letter networks allowed these women, who were often very young, to continue their religious and technical “apprenticeship” while abroad. These letters enabled women in the diaspora to maintain a sense of consistency and belonging across the oceans: with their sisters in Ireland and elsewhere in the world on an ethnic and institutional level. Engaging with these letters as both intimate conversations and professional reflections presents opportunities for investigating how long-distance institutional memory was developed and a continuing connection to Ireland and Irishness maintained. This article moves the focus of ethnic culture brokers from the priest and bishop to the formal and informal networks of women religious who worked within a system designed for men. In doing so, it demonstrates that these letters provided an important extra layer to public global Irish networks, a layer which acted as both a whisper network and an opportunity for reflection on efficient methods for varied work in large, fluctuating, and cross-class ethnic communities
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
emilymfg.bsky.social
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
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
“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
jim.londoncentric.media
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
robminto.bsky.social Rob Minto @robminto.bsky.social · 4d
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."
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
andreazanin.bsky.social
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
moiradonegan.bsky.social
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
oog.bsky.social
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
julialaite.bsky.social
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.
carladenyer.bsky.social Carla Denyer @carladenyer.bsky.social · 7d
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
sarahjeong.bsky.social
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
ladyofsardines.bsky.social
“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.”
sarahjeong.bsky.social sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 7d
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
stephenkb.bsky.social
No, I don't think this is true. I mean, we haven't uninvented the bomb but also don't, you know, use it.
thinkfoo.uk Dave H @thinkfoo.uk · 7d
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
jayroszman.bsky.social
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
tricksterprince.bsky.social
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
A postcard with a black and white photograph showing the basement of the Cave of Harmony Club, Seven Dials, in 1928. Elsa Lanchester and Harold Scott pose for the camera leaning against the walls of the stone vaults. They look cool af. The text reads: When fashionable Londoners travel to Great Earl Street, they arrive at the cutting edge of avant-garde culture and a media sensation. In its new environs the Cave seems irresistible. ‘The newest and most amusing nightclub I’ve visited reopened this last week,’ notes the Sunday Pictorial’s women’s columnist.
February 2, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
elainecrory.bsky.social
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.
dup-online.bsky.social alt-DUP @dup-online.bsky.social · 8d
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
drpauldorfman.bsky.social
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
conorbrockbank.bsky.social
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
irishstudiesqub.bsky.social
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
hindrajabfoundation.be
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
carolinerussell.bsky.social
“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
fizzix.bsky.social
No notes 🤌🏻
February 2, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
upcolorado.bsky.social
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
A grid of various book covers
February 2, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
tomhulme.bsky.social
*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...
A book cover, showing the title 'Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation' by Tom Hulme. It is lavender coloured with yellow text, and shows two men sat on a bench, c. 1935.
February 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
ucuatqub.bsky.social
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
ucuatqub.bsky.social
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
wentrogue.bsky.social
“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-...
The young Muslim woman detained in a locked Whipple bathroom with three men said she never thought this could happen to her. She saw America as a land of opportunity after a childhood in a refugee camp. She hopes to become a nurse or a flight attendant. Her criminal record, she said, consists of one speeding ticket. With Whipple's holding facilities filled, the woman said, agents eventually moved her to another locked bathroom by herself. There was an air vent at the door's bottom. When she saw federal agents' footsteps, she banged for help. On her third night of detention, agents took in two new detainees: an African immigrant and her 7-month-old baby girl. She said the immigrant told her they had been detained as the mother took her baby to a doctor to be treated for influenza. "When the woman arrived, she was screaming and crying and yelling, 'My baby is already sick!' " she recalled. " 'I don't want my baby to die!' " The next morning, she said, the woman and baby were moved from the bathroom. It wasn't until her fourth day of detention when the young woman was allowed to use a phone at the facility. When she heard her mother's voice, she burst into tears. On the fifth day, agents drove her and two other recently released detainees to a light-rail station near Whipple. They took off her handcuffs and told her to call an Uber, even though she didn't have a phone. She borrowed one from another detainee. As they released her into the cold, she recalls their simple words: "You are good to go."
February 1, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Sophie Cooper
peterjukes.bsky.social
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