Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · 13d

Thanks José!

Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · 16d

This is incredibly sad.

I met Tim for the first and only time over the summer whilst doing research at the Canadian War Museum.

For someone so senior (and busy) he was incredibly generous with his time: took me for a coffee, discussed his research, and enquired about mine.

A real loss.

International Society for First World War Studies @fwwsoc.bsky.social · 16d

Everyone at the International Society for First World War Studies is greatly saddened to hear about the passing of Dr Tim Cook.

www.warmuseum.ca/news-release...

War Museum announces passing of Chief Historian, Dr. Tim Cook | Canadian War Museum

www.warmuseum.ca

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 22d

Here's the first sighting of Songs of Seven Dials in a real life actual bookshop - Foyles in Charing Cross Road.

My anxiety levels just went up a notch. At this rate I'll be a complete wreck by tomorrow.

#London #history #20s30s

A row of books on the shelves at Foyles bookshop in Charing Cross Road, London. there are six copies of Matt Houlbrook's latest book Songs of Seven Dials: An intimate history of 1920s and 1930s London on the top shelf.

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LSE Library @lselibrary.bsky.social · 28d

New online: The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) collection is now available on LSE Digital Library! We’ve digitised and published the GLF Diaries and the GLF newspaper Come Together. Further series from the archives will be added as digitisation continues.
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digital.library.lse.ac.uk/collections/...

Cover image of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) Diary, December 21-30, 1972. A purple and green poster-style image featuring text and a leafy plant design.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Sep 26

Nathan Gill, Reform's leader in Wales at the last Welsh parliament election, has pled guilty to 8 bribery charges, taking Russian cash while he was one of Nigel Farage’s MEPs to speak in favour of Putin's Russia in that parliament
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges

Gill admits to eight counts of bribery relating to pro-Russia statements made in the European parliament and articles

www.theguardian.com

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LSE Department of International History @lsehy.bsky.social · Sep 19

Join us on Tuesday 14 October for Dr Jake Subryan Richards' book release event, "The Bonds of Freedom: Liberated Africans & the End of The Slave Trade".

See here for full event details and registration: www.lse.ac.uk/Internationa...

#event #slavery #slavetrade #africa #history #LSE

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · Sep 16

The launch of my new @manchesterup.bsky.social book Songs of Seven Dials will be at 6pm, Tues 21 Oct, at Waterstones Covent Garden. I'll be in conversation with the wonderful @julialaite.bsky.social.

Please do come along. Free tickets, but register in advance

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/songs-of-s...

An advertising banner for Matt Houlbrook's book Songs of Seven Dials: An Intimate History of 1920s and 1930s London. The banner includes an image of the front cover of the book (a blue map on a pink background) and a blurb from the historian Julia Laite, which describes Songs of Seven Dials as 'a poetic exploration of London's most iconic neighbourhoods'.

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Sep 11

That is a shame. It’s never a very high % of the overall grade but I think it is good for students to know that choices have consequences across the academic year.

Equally, we are being steered back towards in person assessment and this is one way to ensure this doesn’t simply mean in person exams.

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Sep 11

Whilst I don’t like it, it has been a class participation mark - there is a consequence for non-completion of work.

This combined with specific questions or tasks that require a close engagement with the readings.

I am also introducing a (very small) penalty for failing to submit formative work.

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David Morgan-Owen @dmorganowen.bsky.social · Aug 13

Tickets available via the link to sign up, great range of speakers on everything from slavery to remembrance and pageantry to stokers - full programme here: www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/nat...

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Aug 20

Thank you @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social for publishing this detailed review of my book.

Have a read and remember that you can purchase globally from Cambridge University Press (bit.ly/4l1M5Gu), Amazon (amzn.to/4mZKaEm), and other vendors.

I recently saw it in the wild!

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · Jul 29

My new book Songs of Seven Dials: An intimate history of 1920s and 1930s London is part of @waterstones.bsky.social summer promotion this week - 25% off pre-orders by entering SUMMER25 at the checkout.

www.waterstones.com/book/songs-o...

#WPreorder #history #London #20s30s #sevendials

Waterstones' promotional flyer for Matt Houlbrook's book Songs of Seven Dials: An intimate history of 1920s and 1930s London. The flyer includes an image of the book and the discount code you can use to preorder it on the Waterstones website: SUMMER25

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Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · Jul 29

On advance access: "Energy Policy and Climate Change in Europe during the Era of Neoliberalism"

by Stephen G. Gross (@nyu.edu)

doi.org/10.1093/past...

Energy Policy and Climate Change in Europe during the Era of Neoliberalism*

Abstract. This article shows how the European Community sought to become a global climate leader during the 1980s and 1990s, only to fail to make progress

doi.org

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jul 16

Very kind of you to say!

Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jul 15

Well worth a read!

Thomas P. Stephens @tpstephens.bsky.social · Jul 9

My first peer-reviewed article is in print! "Not Soldiers from a Soldier’s Point of View: The British Army Service Corps and the Boundaries of Martial Masculinities, 1914–1918." www.tandfonline.com/eprint/UDQRH...

Give it a read if you like #fww history, British history, or gender history.

Not Soldiers from a Soldier’s Point of View: The British Army Service Corps and the Boundaries of Martial Masculinities, 1914–1918

Historians of Britain and its empire have explored how the First World War’s violence and scale of mobilisation could transform cultural hierarchies. They have debated the impact of many white wome...

www.tandfonline.com

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jul 15

After several weeks in Canada, I have got my hands on my author copies of Making Sense of the Great War.

Mark Jones (@mark18681918.bsky.social) was chosen at random to receive one for free!

You can buy it for £23.99 using the code HIST2425: bit.ly/4mYM08h.

#History #HistoryBooks #FirstWorldWar

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Dónal Hassett @donalh.bsky.social · Jun 25

What a wonderful day of discussion and collaboration at 'The Colonial Veteran in the Archive' workshops we had contributors from four continents and different disciplines talking about a wide and varied range of archives +contexts. Learned so much and I can see so much scope for future collaboration

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 21

Afterwards, I walked up to Mont Royal Cemetery to see Currie's memorial and to look at the CWGC graves that are so carefully cared for.

(Obviously, the views of the city are also fantastic)

Interestingly, there is a space for the graves of veterans of the Crimean and South African Wars.

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 21

I also discovered that British helmets during the Great War contained asbestos!

The centre holds a wealth of material culture - and personal documents - for historians to consult.

Additionally, their (new) research space is wonderful to work in and the building is beautiful - well worth a visit.

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 21

I had a wonderful time in the archive room of the Canadian Great War Centre in Montreal yesterday.

Most of my time was spent looking through their postcard collection.

However, I also saw their (no longer) radioactive wrist watch collection and a painting of Arthur Currie by John Singer Sargent.

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Clios Fan Boy🗽🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇹🇼 🇨🇦 @cliosfanboy.bsky.social · Jun 20

I really want to read this!!! Since I am teaching a class on the World Wars this autumn, it's high up on my reading list!!!! 🗃️📌 #firstworldwar ‪@alexmayhew.bsky.social

Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 17

If you are interested, CUP have released a 20% discount code for Making Sense of the Great War.

You can get it for £23.99 through their website using the code HIST2425.

Find more information - and purchase it - here: bit.ly/4mYM08h

#History #Military #NewBook #FirstWorldWar #MilitaryMorale

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 21

Thanks, @cliosfanboy.bsky.social

I would be really keen to know what you think - and how students engage with it - so please reach out!

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Bradley Busch @bradleybusch.bsky.social · Jun 18

New research from MIT found that those who used ChatGPT can’t remember any of the content of their essays.

Key takeaway: the product doesn’t suffer, but the process does. And when it comes to essays, the process *is* how they learn.

arxiv.org/pdf/2506.088...

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The Historical Journal @historicaljnl.bsky.social · Jun 18

📣Out now on #firstview!

Andrew Halladay (‪@lsehy.bsky.social) on 'Internationalism, Empire, and the Early Esperanto Movement in India'

#Language #Community #Transnational 🗣️ 🗃️ 20thc

👉Read open access: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

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Alex Mayhew @alexmayhew.bsky.social · Jun 17

Certainly much better than the hardback!

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