John O'Keefe
@johnokeefe.bsky.social
Historian of migration and citizenship at Ohio University Chillicothe - author of Stranger Citizens: Migrant Influence and National Power in the Early American Republic
Speaking on Lord Dunmore's proclamation, here's a dramatic account of the battle of Kemp's Landing, where a newly free man ended up fighting in close quarters against his former master: #skystorians #freedomseekers #americanrevolution #ushistory #250yearsago
November 9, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Speaking on Lord Dunmore's proclamation, here's a dramatic account of the battle of Kemp's Landing, where a newly free man ended up fighting in close quarters against his former master: #skystorians #freedomseekers #americanrevolution #ushistory #250yearsago
Reposted by John O'Keefe
Learn/teach about the roots of SNAP with this explainer on the history of the Food Stamps program from the marvelous Digital Public Library of America dp.la/primary-sour... 🗃️
November 9, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Learn/teach about the roots of SNAP with this explainer on the history of the Food Stamps program from the marvelous Digital Public Library of America dp.la/primary-sour... 🗃️
Reposted by John O'Keefe
Historians, race and ethnicity, women & gender studies scholars, take a look. The idea that teaching *accurate* history and scholarship is "grievance studies" misdirects who is nursing the grievances. Gorgeously written. Read it now.
November 9, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Historians, race and ethnicity, women & gender studies scholars, take a look. The idea that teaching *accurate* history and scholarship is "grievance studies" misdirects who is nursing the grievances. Gorgeously written. Read it now.
Reposted by John O'Keefe
250 years ago today Virginia governor Lord Dunmore declared martial law and promised freedom to the enslaved who would join his ranks.
For enslavers like Mark Bird this was a nightmare. But for Cuff Dix this was an opportunity for freedom.
Read Cuff’s story: freedom-seekers.org/story/cuff-d...
For enslavers like Mark Bird this was a nightmare. But for Cuff Dix this was an opportunity for freedom.
Read Cuff’s story: freedom-seekers.org/story/cuff-d...
November 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
250 years ago today Virginia governor Lord Dunmore declared martial law and promised freedom to the enslaved who would join his ranks.
For enslavers like Mark Bird this was a nightmare. But for Cuff Dix this was an opportunity for freedom.
Read Cuff’s story: freedom-seekers.org/story/cuff-d...
For enslavers like Mark Bird this was a nightmare. But for Cuff Dix this was an opportunity for freedom.
Read Cuff’s story: freedom-seekers.org/story/cuff-d...
Reposted by John O'Keefe
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
Reposted by John O'Keefe
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:13 AM
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Reposted by John O'Keefe
If you haven't seen this incredible historical data project yet, make it a priority! Mapping Deportations: Unmasking the History of Racism in U.S. Immigration Enforcement.
mappingdeportations.com
mappingdeportations.com
Mapping Deportations – U.S. Immigration Control since 1790
Mapping deportations invites you to see the history of U.S. immigration enforcement not as a series of disconnected events, but as a pattern. For more than two centuries, U.S. immigration enforcement…
mappingdeportations.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:57 AM
If you haven't seen this incredible historical data project yet, make it a priority! Mapping Deportations: Unmasking the History of Racism in U.S. Immigration Enforcement.
mappingdeportations.com
mappingdeportations.com
Reposted by John O'Keefe
Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir. A cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on how Palantir helps ICE with investigations and on-the-ground enforcement.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir
For years, little was known about the multibillion-dollar company that handles data for the US immigration enforcement agency. Now, a cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on…
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir. A cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on how Palantir helps ICE with investigations and on-the-ground enforcement.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by John O'Keefe
perfect Election Day thread
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November 4, 2025 at 5:28 PM
perfect Election Day thread
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Reposted by John O'Keefe
In 2022, the AHA launched the most comprehensive study of the national US history teaching landscape undertaken in the 21st century. We wanted to know what is actually happening in public school classrooms across the country. Find out what we learned. 🗃️
What Are American Students Learning about US History? - AHA
Since 2020, a contentious debate over history education has generated outrage, wild claims, and a growing sense of alarm in homes and communities across the country. State legislators, school board me...
www.historians.org
November 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
In 2022, the AHA launched the most comprehensive study of the national US history teaching landscape undertaken in the 21st century. We wanted to know what is actually happening in public school classrooms across the country. Find out what we learned. 🗃️
Fuelling Empire: The British Imperial Oil Complex, 1886-1945
by @kittmann.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/fuelling-emp... #skystorians #energyhistory #oilpolitics
by @kittmann.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/fuelling-emp... #skystorians #energyhistory #oilpolitics
Karl Ittmann, "Fuelling Empire: The British Imperial Oil Complex, 1886-1945" (Oxford UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Fuelling Empire: The British Imperial Oil Complex, 1886-1945
by @kittmann.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/fuelling-emp... #skystorians #energyhistory #oilpolitics
by @kittmann.bsky.social
newbooksnetwork.com/fuelling-emp... #skystorians #energyhistory #oilpolitics
At the Vanguard of Vinyl: A Cultural History of the Long-Playing Record in Jazz
Darren Mueller
newbooksnetwork.com/at-the-vangu... #musichistory #jazzhistory #jazzlps
Darren Mueller
newbooksnetwork.com/at-the-vangu... #musichistory #jazzhistory #jazzlps
Darren Mueller, "At the Vanguard of Vinyl: A Cultural History of the Long-Playing Record in Jazz" (Duke UP, 2024) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:19 PM
At the Vanguard of Vinyl: A Cultural History of the Long-Playing Record in Jazz
Darren Mueller
newbooksnetwork.com/at-the-vangu... #musichistory #jazzhistory #jazzlps
Darren Mueller
newbooksnetwork.com/at-the-vangu... #musichistory #jazzhistory #jazzlps
Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld
Matthias Egeler
newbooksnetwork.com/elves-and-fa...
#elves #fairies #tolkien #religioushistory #booksky
Matthias Egeler
newbooksnetwork.com/elves-and-fa...
#elves #fairies #tolkien #religioushistory #booksky
Matthias Egeler, "Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld" (Yale UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld
Matthias Egeler
newbooksnetwork.com/elves-and-fa...
#elves #fairies #tolkien #religioushistory #booksky
Matthias Egeler
newbooksnetwork.com/elves-and-fa...
#elves #fairies #tolkien #religioushistory #booksky
Reposted by John O'Keefe
How did elves and fairies become a firmly established part of Western popular culture?
Matthias Egeler, author of Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld, introduces and explores these mythical creatures.
yalebooks.co.uk/cute-cruelty...
#folklore #folklorethursday
Matthias Egeler, author of Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld, introduces and explores these mythical creatures.
yalebooks.co.uk/cute-cruelty...
#folklore #folklorethursday
Cute Cruelty: Approaching Fairy Lore - Yale University Press London
Originating in Norse and Celtic mythologies, elves and fairies are a firmly established part of Western popular culture, from J. R. R. Tolkien’s warlike Originating in Norse and Celtic mythologies, el...
yalebooks.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 2:10 PM
How did elves and fairies become a firmly established part of Western popular culture?
Matthias Egeler, author of Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld, introduces and explores these mythical creatures.
yalebooks.co.uk/cute-cruelty...
#folklore #folklorethursday
Matthias Egeler, author of Elves and Fairies: A Short History of the Otherworld, introduces and explores these mythical creatures.
yalebooks.co.uk/cute-cruelty...
#folklore #folklorethursday
Reposted by John O'Keefe
Combine this with the elimination of due process and see what you get. Restoring due process is the first priority, but we must as a society build a legal accountability structure for these tools.
New incredible detail here: ICE says a match in its facial recognition app Mobile Fortify is a "definitive" determination of a person's status, and that this overrides birth certificates. This is an app ICE is using in the field to scan people
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp-...
October 30, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Combine this with the elimination of due process and see what you get. Restoring due process is the first priority, but we must as a society build a legal accountability structure for these tools.
Reposted by John O'Keefe
One important and lesser-known issue: conditional scholarships. At www.lawhub.org/trends/schol..., students can search the schools they are considering and find out if they recruit by heavily scholarshipping the first year and then pulling back 1/4 or more of those packages once stus are 2Ls.
Law School Conditional Scholarships | LawHub
Compare the use of conditional scholarships over time by law schools, as well as the percentage of students who retain the full amount instead of having the scholarship reduced or eliminated. View the...
www.lawhub.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:36 AM
One important and lesser-known issue: conditional scholarships. At www.lawhub.org/trends/schol..., students can search the schools they are considering and find out if they recruit by heavily scholarshipping the first year and then pulling back 1/4 or more of those packages once stus are 2Ls.
Reposted by John O'Keefe
"The notices state that “Payment in full is due now” & list an array of potential consequences for failure to pay, including collection litigation & negative impacts on their immigration cases. Fines that aren’t paid in full will accrue interest."
Children in detention can't work. And are CHILDREN.
Children in detention can't work. And are CHILDREN.
DHS Is Billing Unaccompanied Immigrant Kids $5,000
The Trump administration is slapping teenagers in federal custody with fees for crossing the border under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
theintercept.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:47 PM
"The notices state that “Payment in full is due now” & list an array of potential consequences for failure to pay, including collection litigation & negative impacts on their immigration cases. Fines that aren’t paid in full will accrue interest."
Children in detention can't work. And are CHILDREN.
Children in detention can't work. And are CHILDREN.
Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories
Miranda Spieler
newbooksnetwork.com/slaves-in-pa...
among other things: letters of cachet were used by the well connected to override freedom papers
#legalhistory #ancienregime #frenchhistory #booksky #freedomseekers #paris
Miranda Spieler
newbooksnetwork.com/slaves-in-pa...
among other things: letters of cachet were used by the well connected to override freedom papers
#legalhistory #ancienregime #frenchhistory #booksky #freedomseekers #paris
Miranda Spieler, "Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories" (Harvard UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Slaves in Paris: Hidden Lives and Fugitive Histories
Miranda Spieler
newbooksnetwork.com/slaves-in-pa...
among other things: letters of cachet were used by the well connected to override freedom papers
#legalhistory #ancienregime #frenchhistory #booksky #freedomseekers #paris
Miranda Spieler
newbooksnetwork.com/slaves-in-pa...
among other things: letters of cachet were used by the well connected to override freedom papers
#legalhistory #ancienregime #frenchhistory #booksky #freedomseekers #paris
Orthodoxy on the Line: Russian Orthodox Christians and Labor Migration in the Progressive Era
Aram G. Sarkisian
newbooksnetwork.com/orthodoxy-on...
Aram G. Sarkisian
newbooksnetwork.com/orthodoxy-on...
Aram G. Sarkisian, "Orthodoxy on the Line: Russian Orthodox Christians and Labor Migration in the Progressive Era" (NYU Press, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Orthodoxy on the Line: Russian Orthodox Christians and Labor Migration in the Progressive Era
Aram G. Sarkisian
newbooksnetwork.com/orthodoxy-on...
Aram G. Sarkisian
newbooksnetwork.com/orthodoxy-on...
No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One
Andrew Lambert
newbooksnetwork.com/andrew-lambe... #diplomatichistory #britishistory
Andrew Lambert
newbooksnetwork.com/andrew-lambe... #diplomatichistory #britishistory
Andrew Lambert, "No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One" (Yale UP, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:27 PM
No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One
Andrew Lambert
newbooksnetwork.com/andrew-lambe... #diplomatichistory #britishistory
Andrew Lambert
newbooksnetwork.com/andrew-lambe... #diplomatichistory #britishistory
The Abortion Market: Buying and Selling Access in the Era Before Roe
Katherine J. Parkin
newbooksnetwork.com/the-abortion... Mostly focuses on the decade or two before Roe - and also addresses the interactions between eugenics, environmentalism, and abortion #abortion #womenshistory #histbookchat
Katherine J. Parkin
newbooksnetwork.com/the-abortion... Mostly focuses on the decade or two before Roe - and also addresses the interactions between eugenics, environmentalism, and abortion #abortion #womenshistory #histbookchat
Katherine J. Parkin, "The Abortion Market: Buying and Selling Access in the Era Before Roe" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:26 PM
The Abortion Market: Buying and Selling Access in the Era Before Roe
Katherine J. Parkin
newbooksnetwork.com/the-abortion... Mostly focuses on the decade or two before Roe - and also addresses the interactions between eugenics, environmentalism, and abortion #abortion #womenshistory #histbookchat
Katherine J. Parkin
newbooksnetwork.com/the-abortion... Mostly focuses on the decade or two before Roe - and also addresses the interactions between eugenics, environmentalism, and abortion #abortion #womenshistory #histbookchat
okay so time for a few more podcast episodes
November 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
okay so time for a few more podcast episodes
Reposted by John O'Keefe
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Lost grave of daughter of Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano found by A-level student www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Lost grave of daughter of Black abolitionist Olaudah Equiano found by A-level student
Fitzwilliam Museum has uncovered student’s work from 1977 that revealed Cambridgeshire location of child’s burial place
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 4:51 PM
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There's so much concerning going on the world, but yesterday was a really good teaching day. It's really nice to have a class with free-flowing discussion where students are feeling natural and comfortable, and thinking carefully and critically.
October 31, 2025 at 2:05 PM
There's so much concerning going on the world, but yesterday was a really good teaching day. It's really nice to have a class with free-flowing discussion where students are feeling natural and comfortable, and thinking carefully and critically.