Margot Finn
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eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social
16K followers 4.2K following 8.3K posts

Historian of Britain and colonialism, material culture, the EIC. Also works on equalities, museums, open access & research policy. Download the EIC @ Home open access volume here: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/88277 (or individual chapters via JSTOR) .. more

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Margot C. Finn is a British historian and academic who specialises in Britain and the British colonial world during the long nineteenth century. She has been Professor of Modern British History at the University College, London (UCL) since 2012. Finn was previously the President of the Royal Historical Society and a trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum. .. more

Political science 31%
Economics 26%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Michael A. Clemens, Alan Richardson , and 2 more

wunc.org
WUNC News @wunc.org · 9h
UNC-Chapel Hill's chancellor says the university will not sign on to a higher education compact from the Trump administration.

www.wunc.org/education/20...
After faculty raise concerns, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor says university will not sign Trump's higher ed compact
Lee Roberts called the "preferential treatment" proposal a clear infringement on academic freedom.
www.wunc.org

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 13h
I just mute that post when it happens. Only takes a few secs.

Reposted by Judith Jesch

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 13h
'In 2024, 42,265 people were employed as researchers in Norway, down from 42,348 in 2023. The losses were more pronounced in universities and colleges'.

Et tu, Britain?

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

resprofnews.bsky.social
Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 13h
Norway’s shrinking research workforce causes alarm.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...
Norway’s shrinking research workforce causes alarm - Research Professional News
Budget cuts and changing priorities blamed for “startling” loss of researchers
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14h
no time to say sadly.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14h
Then you might be interested in this Politics & International Studies Impact Case Study from the Institute of Policy Studies at the University of Bath on the case for UBS nationally and internationally. @uniofbath.bsky.social

results2021.ref.ac.uk/impact/1f464...
Impact case study : Results and submissions : REF 2021
results2021.ref.ac.uk

Reposted by Alan Lester, Judith Jesch

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17h
Thought for the day:

On Bluesky, it's "nice" to "Like", but it's (more) effective to Repost. Be effective. (You can also be nice).
Bluesky logo: the 4 wings of a blue butterfly against a grey backgroound.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17h
Reformation of Science Publishing: The Stockholm Declaration can be accessed without a Royal Society login from PubMed. Vital reading for our times. 3/3
Reformation of science publishing: the Stockholm Declaration - PubMed
Science relies on integrity and trustworthiness. But scientists under career pressure are lured to purchase fake publications from 'paper mills' that use AI-generated data, text and image fabrication. The number of low-quality or fraudulent publications is rising to hundreds of thousands per year, w …
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17h
'These problems include the costs and inequalities of publishing with open access under the for-profit, author-pays model as well as the “flood” of low-quality papers that has been produced under the model, according to the Stockholm Declaration, published on 5 November.' 2/3

Reposted by Susan J. Smith, Malcolm MacLean

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 17h
'The global scientific community has been urged to adopt and support non-profit scholarly publishing models to help solve the problems caused by today’s predominant systems—described as “arguably the largest science crisis of all time”.' 1/3

Reposted by Charles West, Margot C. Finn

medartres.bsky.social
Medieval Art Research @medartres.bsky.social · 17h
The Courtauld is offering a a new fully funded Peter Fergusson PhD Scholarship in English Medieval Architecture for eligible projects focusing on England from the eleventh to the early sixteenth centuries. Statement of intents are due by 17 November 2025.
Peter Fergusson PhD Scholarship in English Medieval Architecture, Courtauld, statement of intent deadline 17 November 2025
The Courtauld is offering a a new fully funded Peter Fergusson PhD Scholarship in English Medieval Architecture for eligible projects focusing on England from the eleventh to the early sixteenth centuries. Statement of intents are due by 17 November 2025.
medievalartresearch.com

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18h
That's just the tip of this iceberg. Citizen research, enhanced archival practice, better-informed health care professionals and co-produced museum exhibitions all feature in this Impact Case Study.

We lose more than Humanities when we lose university Humanities research. Humanity & policy. 4/4
Swansea University Foundation stone, set in a grey/brown brick wall. Following a Royal Commission of 1916, the university opened in October 1920. Times were challenging after WWI, but the government believed in higher education.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18h
What's more "The coal industry and its workers, via Friendly Societies, Trade Unions and Mutual Aid societies, were innovative in responding to disability via sickness benefits, provision of medical care and assistive technologies." Food for thought for today's policy-makers? 3/4
Map of British coalfields in the 19th century, stretching from the Clyde to Bristol and including South Wales coalfields. Green and brown, surrounded by blue seas.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18h
Research by @profdavidturner.bsky.social et al "challenged the notion that disability inevitably led to the end of a person’s working life by showing that the occupationally diverse nature of the coal industry allowed opportunities for those left impaired by accidents to return to work". 2/4
Results and submissions : REF 2021
results2021.ref.ac.uk

Reposted by Martin Johnes

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 18h
If Britain is 'sliding "into economic crisis over £85bn sickness bill', what can UK Arts, Humanities & Social Science research tell us about alternative pathways?

Swansea University historians have some excellent answers. 1/4

@torstenbell.bsky.social @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social
Britain sliding 'into economic crisis' over £85bn sickness bill, ex-John Lewis boss warns
The number of people who are out of work for health reasons has grown by 800,000 since 2019.
www.bbc.co.uk

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19h
My point is that we have to include ourselves in 'the problem' to be an effective part of 'the solution'.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19h
We have to ask, why are academics and other university stakeholders trained in these subjects (which focus on understanding and communication) not getting through. I don't like aspects of the climate & structural incentives either. But there they are: we're meant to be equipped to grapple with them.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19h
Given the urgency, I'd be minded to focus on rectifying the anomaly rather than starting from a position of 'blame'.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19h
'As pressure mounts globally on the humanities, Africa’s leading writers and scholars used this week’s Nobel Symposium in Literature, held in South Africa, to argue that the arts are still vital to the world’s intellectual and moral life.'
‘It’s what makes us human’: Top writers defend humanities
As pressure mounts globally on the humanities, Africa’s leading writers and scholars used this week’s Nobel Symposium in Literature to argue that ...
www.universityworldnews.com

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

resprofnews.bsky.social
Research Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 20h
‘Embrace non-profit publishing to tackle largest science crisis’.

Stockholm Declaration promotes shift to models encouraging high quality and restoration of trust.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...
‘Embrace non-profit publishing to tackle largest science crisis’ - Research Professional News
Stockholm Declaration promotes shift to models encouraging high quality and restoration of trust
www.researchprofessionalnews.com

Reposted by Katrina Navickas

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
How aware is/are your MP(s) of what your local universities deliver beyond taught programmes? Little in political debate or media suggests that their understanding is high. Perhaps it's time to add tutorials with worked examples to the mix, before it's too late. ICSs offer easy starting points. 8/8
Image of 2 people looking at an i-pad, a man on the left and a woman on the right, both seated and concentrating on the screen. More concentrating on the screen (with the data) would be a fine thing in this context!

Reposted by John Drury

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
There are hundreds and hundreds of similar examples in the REF Impact Case Studies and Environment statements from 2014 and 2021 of contributions such as this--to medicine, science, social policy, mental health & wellbeing, culture & more. They're local, regional, national & international. 7/8
Impact database : Results and submissions : REF 2021
results2021.ref.ac.uk

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
Then you're poised not just to understand the theological complexities of organ donation, but also to devise effective programmes to help medics, muftis, mums, dads, nurses & imams--from Cardiff to Birmingham, Bolton, & London--to navigate them. That's what Dr Ali's research demonstrably did. 6/8

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
This is where Humanities expertise comes in. What if (like Dr M.M. Ali) you're expert in Theology, read Arabic & Urdu, understand how Islamic law plays out in UK communities and have the skills to conduct research on UK organ donor fatwas? And can also think laterally & work collaboratively. 5/8

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
Organ donor matches work best if donors share recipients' ethnic background. There are shortages of many kinds, including acute shortages for Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic donors. UK opt-in organ donation policies (2015-21) were designed to address donor shortfalls. But as we know, it's tricky. 4/8
Operating theatre, 1967 showing reconstruction of 1st heart transplantation op, with 5 figures in green surgical scrubs.

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
Here's a case study from Cardiff University (UoA 28, History) from REF2021 that suggests why--beyond commitment to the intrinsic value of these subjects--we should care about their individual and collective presence in UK universities.

You can read the case study in full here. 3/8
Results and submissions : REF 2021
results2021.ref.ac.uk

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
Organ donation is a tricky business (see above, 1/8). It's a medical issue that encompasses ethics, ethnicity, economics, family, modern languages, nursing, organisational relations, religion, theology & more.

Most of those subjects are now devalued & under threat at UK HEIs. Should we care? 2/8

Reposted by Elizabeth Stokoe, Lesley A. Hall, Greg Walker , and 2 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 20h
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?

Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
The organ donation ‘opt-out’ has been a fatal failure | The Observer
observer.co.uk

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 21h
'The survey finds a growing disparity between pre- and post-92 institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. While just 16 per cent of pre-92 business schools say they have seen a decline in home undergraduate students, almost three in five (59 per cent) of post-92s have witnessed declines.'
Business schools told to up recruitment amid ‘uneven’ recovery
More than half of deans say parent universities want them to enrol more students, as leaders express concern over ‘growing disparities’
www.timeshighereducation.com

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 22h
'Members of the University and College Union...are unhappy about the threat of compulsory redundancies, as the university seeks to cut 400 full-time posts as part of efforts to save £30m, amid rising costs and a fall in international student numbers.'

"are unhappy about" an existential crisis?
Lancaster University staff to start industrial action over job cuts
The university is looking to save £30m amid rising costs and a fall in international student numbers.
www.bbc.co.uk