Naomi Waltham-Smith
@auralflaneur.bsky.social
Professor at Oxford. Politics of listening, continental philosophy, music and sound studies, academic freedom. On the left. Views mine.
Signup sheet for the last seminar session I’m teaching this term: I might be taking this whole “case of Wagner” thing a bit seriously…
November 11, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Signup sheet for the last seminar session I’m teaching this term: I might be taking this whole “case of Wagner” thing a bit seriously…
I’m struck by the aural metaphors in Macron’s speech on the “degeneration of our democracies” to mark the Tag der Deutschen Einheit, especially in this passage. One cannot ignore that the distinction between noise and logos is both colonialist and reminiscent of Plato’s critique of democracy. 1/3
October 5, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I’m struck by the aural metaphors in Macron’s speech on the “degeneration of our democracies” to mark the Tag der Deutschen Einheit, especially in this passage. One cannot ignore that the distinction between noise and logos is both colonialist and reminiscent of Plato’s critique of democracy. 1/3
7am this morning in my little piece of heaven on earth before returning to the real world
October 2, 2025 at 3:31 PM
7am this morning in my little piece of heaven on earth before returning to the real world
In Thomas Guggeis’s debut with the Berlin Philharmoniker performing Also sprach Zarathustra, Tout un monde lointain… (with Maximilian Hornung), and Daphnis and Chloe Suite no. 2 the sound of the orchestra was utterly gorgeous and glorious, with a luster and voluptuousness as if from times past.
September 27, 2025 at 1:28 PM
In Thomas Guggeis’s debut with the Berlin Philharmoniker performing Also sprach Zarathustra, Tout un monde lointain… (with Maximilian Hornung), and Daphnis and Chloe Suite no. 2 the sound of the orchestra was utterly gorgeous and glorious, with a luster and voluptuousness as if from times past.
Misty watercolour memories… thinking a lot about my mum who was a huge fan and with whom I watched every film he was in many times over—laughing, swooning, crying, saluting, reciting all the lines, eating Galaxy Minstrels with tea. Who knows, maybe she gets a shot now at a romance (made) in heaven?!
September 16, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Misty watercolour memories… thinking a lot about my mum who was a huge fan and with whom I watched every film he was in many times over—laughing, swooning, crying, saluting, reciting all the lines, eating Galaxy Minstrels with tea. Who knows, maybe she gets a shot now at a romance (made) in heaven?!
The guidance also generously features reference to a thought piece I wrote for @advancehe.bsky.social in October 2023 and which had been cited in earlier guidance.
advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hu...
advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hu...
September 9, 2025 at 6:48 AM
The guidance also generously features reference to a thought piece I wrote for @advancehe.bsky.social in October 2023 and which had been cited in earlier guidance.
advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hu...
advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hu...
Grateful to @advancehe.bsky.social for the special thanks in their guidance on embedding freedom of speech and academic freedom in EDI, released last week to coincide with the UUK conference. It was, as always, a pleasure to offer my thoughts and exchange ideas with the ever-thoughtful David Bass.
September 9, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Grateful to @advancehe.bsky.social for the special thanks in their guidance on embedding freedom of speech and academic freedom in EDI, released last week to coincide with the UUK conference. It was, as always, a pleasure to offer my thoughts and exchange ideas with the ever-thoughtful David Bass.
Sometimes I wish I lived in the time of my mother’s youth. I love the popular music of the period and the fashion. And philosophers were much more outspoken and militant, unafraid to say things like this:
August 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Sometimes I wish I lived in the time of my mother’s youth. I love the popular music of the period and the fashion. And philosophers were much more outspoken and militant, unafraid to say things like this:
Lots of warm words about “listening” in the UK government’s Civil Society Covenant, but what exactly does listening require (if it isn’t only about “respecting “ but maybe also being “responsive”?)
August 19, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Lots of warm words about “listening” in the UK government’s Civil Society Covenant, but what exactly does listening require (if it isn’t only about “respecting “ but maybe also being “responsive”?)
UCLA Chair of Israel Studies now views the conditions of life inflicted as motivated by “instrumental intent”(@amnestyuk.bsky.social) or “predicate purpose” (@janinadill.bsky.social & @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social) i.e. group destruction as the means to an ultimate end—for him, forcible displacement.
August 4, 2025 at 5:51 AM
UCLA Chair of Israel Studies now views the conditions of life inflicted as motivated by “instrumental intent”(@amnestyuk.bsky.social) or “predicate purpose” (@janinadill.bsky.social & @tomdannenbaum.bsky.social) i.e. group destruction as the means to an ultimate end—for him, forcible displacement.
This is reasonably good advice in the Chronicle—a few simple things senior leaders in the UK could do well to remember.
1 Not take things personally.
2 Show up—a lot
3 Truly open your mind
4 Do “deep” work
5 Find moments of solitude & self-care
6 Expect adversity
1 Not take things personally.
2 Show up—a lot
3 Truly open your mind
4 Do “deep” work
5 Find moments of solitude & self-care
6 Expect adversity
June 9, 2025 at 7:09 AM
This is reasonably good advice in the Chronicle—a few simple things senior leaders in the UK could do well to remember.
1 Not take things personally.
2 Show up—a lot
3 Truly open your mind
4 Do “deep” work
5 Find moments of solitude & self-care
6 Expect adversity
1 Not take things personally.
2 Show up—a lot
3 Truly open your mind
4 Do “deep” work
5 Find moments of solitude & self-care
6 Expect adversity
Great work from @britishacademy.bsky.social. Delighted to see them underscore what I’d call “listening” with a spot-on shoutout to the @demosorg.bsky.social @involveuk.bsky.social Citizens’ White Paper. @miriamlevin.bsky.social @oxpolicyengaged.bsky.social
June 5, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Great work from @britishacademy.bsky.social. Delighted to see them underscore what I’d call “listening” with a spot-on shoutout to the @demosorg.bsky.social @involveuk.bsky.social Citizens’ White Paper. @miriamlevin.bsky.social @oxpolicyengaged.bsky.social
Thrilled to be part of this fantastic special issue of boundary 2 online, ed. Erin Graff Zivin, in which an interdisciplinary group of scholars leap off Michael J. Love’s concept to think about rhythm: www.boundary2.org/rhypistemolo.... @oxmusicfaculty.bsky.social @oxhumanities.bsky.social
May 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Thrilled to be part of this fantastic special issue of boundary 2 online, ed. Erin Graff Zivin, in which an interdisciplinary group of scholars leap off Michael J. Love’s concept to think about rhythm: www.boundary2.org/rhypistemolo.... @oxmusicfaculty.bsky.social @oxhumanities.bsky.social
A good letter in response to Gaby Hinsliff’s piece in the Guardian, though I’m not sure many VCs will want to adopt exactly this framing when speaking of the broader citizenship benefits of a university education, even if the last sentence resonates.
May 18, 2025 at 12:33 PM
A good letter in response to Gaby Hinsliff’s piece in the Guardian, though I’m not sure many VCs will want to adopt exactly this framing when speaking of the broader citizenship benefits of a university education, even if the last sentence resonates.
This is similar to what Alberto Toscano is getting at with the idea of the asynchronicity of late fascism
May 15, 2025 at 9:15 PM
This is similar to what Alberto Toscano is getting at with the idea of the asynchronicity of late fascism
Happy Labour Day! Big up to workers everywhere. May they be united in global solidarity against the ravages of an increasingly authoritarian capitalism.
May 1, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Happy Labour Day! Big up to workers everywhere. May they be united in global solidarity against the ravages of an increasingly authoritarian capitalism.
Got around to watching this. I recall vividly the loathing, then the jubilation when she resigned, but only vaguely this interview. Its emphasis on her failure to “listen” is striking given how she first set out her stall by insisting, using the word 8 times, it was time for the party to “listen.”
April 20, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Got around to watching this. I recall vividly the loathing, then the jubilation when she resigned, but only vaguely this interview. Its emphasis on her failure to “listen” is striking given how she first set out her stall by insisting, using the word 8 times, it was time for the party to “listen.”
These woolly fellas, with whom I exchanged some bleats today, are capable of more rigorous independent thinking than our political class.
April 19, 2025 at 4:39 PM
These woolly fellas, with whom I exchanged some bleats today, are capable of more rigorous independent thinking than our political class.
In half an hour, I will be giving my talk for Yale on Zoom. This is because the US is no longer a safe place for those who exercise their academic freedom to speak critically about imperialism and racial capitalism. I’m wearing my new Comme des Garçons jacket replete with “Not My President” signs.
April 16, 2025 at 7:01 PM
In half an hour, I will be giving my talk for Yale on Zoom. This is because the US is no longer a safe place for those who exercise their academic freedom to speak critically about imperialism and racial capitalism. I’m wearing my new Comme des Garçons jacket replete with “Not My President” signs.
This is a bit daft from Vivienne Stern. Any lawyer will already have told her that restrictions on speech that is per se lawful in English law require a proportionality analysis when introducing and applying policies. 1/2
April 11, 2025 at 7:10 AM
This is a bit daft from Vivienne Stern. Any lawyer will already have told her that restrictions on speech that is per se lawful in English law require a proportionality analysis when introducing and applying policies. 1/2
The University of Sussex wants the power to stop academics delivering all their lectures in Sprechstimme or coloratura. Utterly unacceptable infringement of academic freedom! Authoritarianism! We’d be “powerless” to wake our students up! 😡🤣
April 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
The University of Sussex wants the power to stop academics delivering all their lectures in Sprechstimme or coloratura. Utterly unacceptable infringement of academic freedom! Authoritarianism! We’d be “powerless” to wake our students up! 😡🤣
It looks like the OfS will be forced to clarify its position on proportionate interference “prescribed by law” under Article 10(2). See 3.2(iii) in Sussex’s pre-action protocol letter.
This is the point @jamesandrewmurray.bsky.social and I underscored in our consultation response.
This is the point @jamesandrewmurray.bsky.social and I underscored in our consultation response.
April 9, 2025 at 7:17 AM
It looks like the OfS will be forced to clarify its position on proportionate interference “prescribed by law” under Article 10(2). See 3.2(iii) in Sussex’s pre-action protocol letter.
This is the point @jamesandrewmurray.bsky.social and I underscored in our consultation response.
This is the point @jamesandrewmurray.bsky.social and I underscored in our consultation response.
Tonight I’m watching Bertolucci’s Il conformista—what else does one do in these times besides watch those great depictions of how people deluded themselves in a quest for a normal life? I recently watched Conspiracy for its brilliant exposure of the false comfort of clinging to the rule of law.
April 6, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Tonight I’m watching Bertolucci’s Il conformista—what else does one do in these times besides watch those great depictions of how people deluded themselves in a quest for a normal life? I recently watched Conspiracy for its brilliant exposure of the false comfort of clinging to the rule of law.
Re. Sussex’s JR, this is what the ECtHR has said about determining whether stereotyping has reached the level of seriousness for Art 8 rights to outweigh Art 10. Note it requires a fact-sensitive proportionality analysis.
March 28, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Re. Sussex’s JR, this is what the ECtHR has said about determining whether stereotyping has reached the level of seriousness for Art 8 rights to outweigh Art 10. Note it requires a fact-sensitive proportionality analysis.