Matt Charles
@mattcharles.bsky.social
Critical theorist, philosopher of education, lecturer in London
Pinned
Matt Charles
@mattcharles.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Hello. I'm an academic working at a London university (unnamed because of their social media policy). I research Walter Benjamin, critical theory & education: modernism, politics of the imagination, educative force, teaching-led research + new projects on techno-fascism & the educational grotesque.
Reposted by Matt Charles
the problem wasn’t pitching the value of the humanities. hard to see what other options there were? but fair credit to all those who said “there’s no point trying to prove value on these terms”
November 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
the problem wasn’t pitching the value of the humanities. hard to see what other options there were? but fair credit to all those who said “there’s no point trying to prove value on these terms”
Reposted by Matt Charles
all those years work pitching the value of the humanities and STILL when financial crunch comes and management consultants role in, they could not care less.
history doesn’t have enough commercial applications! humanities aren’t engaged enough with AI! why isn’t my house a helicopter!
history doesn’t have enough commercial applications! humanities aren’t engaged enough with AI! why isn’t my house a helicopter!
November 26, 2025 at 6:59 PM
all those years work pitching the value of the humanities and STILL when financial crunch comes and management consultants role in, they could not care less.
history doesn’t have enough commercial applications! humanities aren’t engaged enough with AI! why isn’t my house a helicopter!
history doesn’t have enough commercial applications! humanities aren’t engaged enough with AI! why isn’t my house a helicopter!
Planning on solving the culture wars by convincing everyone that sport is fiction
November 25, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Planning on solving the culture wars by convincing everyone that sport is fiction
Reposted by Matt Charles
Solidarity with @pcsunion.bsky.social workers at the British Library.
300 workers on strike. Some of them having to take second jobs or taking out loans just to be able to survive.
A Pay "award" below inflation is a pay cut. Unacceptable.
Solidarity - and keep organising! ✊🏼
300 workers on strike. Some of them having to take second jobs or taking out loans just to be able to survive.
A Pay "award" below inflation is a pay cut. Unacceptable.
Solidarity - and keep organising! ✊🏼
November 7, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Solidarity with @pcsunion.bsky.social workers at the British Library.
300 workers on strike. Some of them having to take second jobs or taking out loans just to be able to survive.
A Pay "award" below inflation is a pay cut. Unacceptable.
Solidarity - and keep organising! ✊🏼
300 workers on strike. Some of them having to take second jobs or taking out loans just to be able to survive.
A Pay "award" below inflation is a pay cut. Unacceptable.
Solidarity - and keep organising! ✊🏼
Gripped to the very marrow by a wonderful few days at KU Leuven for the workshops on Benjamin's theory of fascism. A wonderful bunch of participants keen to discuss Benjamin's politics and amazing organising by Vincent and everet. Hoping we can continue the arguments soon.
July 11, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Gripped to the very marrow by a wonderful few days at KU Leuven for the workshops on Benjamin's theory of fascism. A wonderful bunch of participants keen to discuss Benjamin's politics and amazing organising by Vincent and everet. Hoping we can continue the arguments soon.
Erica B. Riba's article (lnkd.in/eexu79An) is a really important read. Although focused on the US context, I know from my own recent experience of burnout and from the lack of recognition or support I received from my institution how the issues raised are also often lacking in UK higher education
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
June 27, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Erica B. Riba's article (lnkd.in/eexu79An) is a really important read. Although focused on the US context, I know from my own recent experience of burnout and from the lack of recognition or support I received from my institution how the issues raised are also often lacking in UK higher education
"this entrance was assigned only to you. I’m going now to close it."
June 18, 2025 at 4:29 PM
"this entrance was assigned only to you. I’m going now to close it."
Reading the late Nigel Dodd's compelling account of The Social Life of Money' for some research on Simmel (and Benjamin) and decided to take advantage of the heat wave and do so from the top of a hill rather than the bottom of my garden.
April 28, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reading the late Nigel Dodd's compelling account of The Social Life of Money' for some research on Simmel (and Benjamin) and decided to take advantage of the heat wave and do so from the top of a hill rather than the bottom of my garden.
Didn't realize this was such a unit until it arrived in the post; even more respect to Nathan for his patience editing. Happy to say, after a difficult few years, this is my first publication since pre-Covid and proud to be amongst such illustrious thinkers.
April 24, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Didn't realize this was such a unit until it arrived in the post; even more respect to Nathan for his patience editing. Happy to say, after a difficult few years, this is my first publication since pre-Covid and proud to be amongst such illustrious thinkers.
As soon as I get some time, I'll try to edit and upload some of the talks from the Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies conference last month.
March 28, 2025 at 10:52 AM
As soon as I get some time, I'll try to edit and upload some of the talks from the Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies conference last month.
Following on from a wonderful two-day conference we organized at the University of Westminster on 'Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies', the handbook with my contribution - a chapter on Walter Benjamin, Antifascism and Mimetic Education - is now available: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Walter Benjamin, Antifascism and Mimetic Education
There has a been a growing scholarly interest in Walter Benjamin’s writings on education over the last decade, much of which has sought to recover its renewed political relevance not only with t...
link.springer.com
March 28, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Following on from a wonderful two-day conference we organized at the University of Westminster on 'Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies', the handbook with my contribution - a chapter on Walter Benjamin, Antifascism and Mimetic Education - is now available: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by Matt Charles
Day ten of strikes at Newcastle University against proposals to cut 300 jobs
March 24, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Day ten of strikes at Newcastle University against proposals to cut 300 jobs
Reposted by Matt Charles
632 job cuts have been proposed by the executive team at the University of Dundee.
Today we launch our first full-length video that highlights the devastating impact this news is having on staff, and how this will affect Dundee.
Please share to amplify our voice. #WeAreThe632
youtu.be/oXkCu-bruiI
Today we launch our first full-length video that highlights the devastating impact this news is having on staff, and how this will affect Dundee.
Please share to amplify our voice. #WeAreThe632
youtu.be/oXkCu-bruiI
We Are The 632: University of Dundee staff speak out
YouTube video by Dundee UCU
youtu.be
March 24, 2025 at 8:58 AM
632 job cuts have been proposed by the executive team at the University of Dundee.
Today we launch our first full-length video that highlights the devastating impact this news is having on staff, and how this will affect Dundee.
Please share to amplify our voice. #WeAreThe632
youtu.be/oXkCu-bruiI
Today we launch our first full-length video that highlights the devastating impact this news is having on staff, and how this will affect Dundee.
Please share to amplify our voice. #WeAreThe632
youtu.be/oXkCu-bruiI
You can read Rene Girard or you can just listen to Don McLean's 'American Pie' (this is not an endorsement of either)
March 18, 2025 at 6:49 AM
You can read Rene Girard or you can just listen to Don McLean's 'American Pie' (this is not an endorsement of either)
Reposted by Matt Charles
This article is good on the long run effects of Covid re university sector. www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/did-pa...
It’s implicit in the screenshot, but I’m interested in the “student as customer [is always right]” limit being tested by demands for f2f teaching in early pandemic.
It’s implicit in the screenshot, but I’m interested in the “student as customer [is always right]” limit being tested by demands for f2f teaching in early pandemic.
March 3, 2025 at 7:56 AM
This article is good on the long run effects of Covid re university sector. www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/did-pa...
It’s implicit in the screenshot, but I’m interested in the “student as customer [is always right]” limit being tested by demands for f2f teaching in early pandemic.
It’s implicit in the screenshot, but I’m interested in the “student as customer [is always right]” limit being tested by demands for f2f teaching in early pandemic.
Final reminder this takes place tomorrow. Register and see updated schedule here: www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
February 27, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Final reminder this takes place tomorrow. Register and see updated schedule here: www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
Reposted by Matt Charles
Grimmer and grimmer. Voluntary Leavers Scheme opens at Liverpool with July departure date for an unspecified number of staff. 'Academics have also been told there is no money to attend conferences'. 1/2
Liverpool and Edge Hill universities both plan staff cuts
Academics at Liverpool say ‘unexpected’ announcement has left people ‘shocked’
www.timeshighereducation.com
February 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Grimmer and grimmer. Voluntary Leavers Scheme opens at Liverpool with July departure date for an unspecified number of staff. 'Academics have also been told there is no money to attend conferences'. 1/2
Reposted by Matt Charles
"Breaking: Joseph Wheeler sacked by the University of Greater Manchester"
Breaking: Joseph Wheeler sacked by the University of Greater Manchester
He’s gone “with immediate effect” following our reporting last week
bit.ly
February 11, 2025 at 6:20 AM
"Breaking: Joseph Wheeler sacked by the University of Greater Manchester"
Reposted by Matt Charles
Cuts to the Arts and Humanities have been going on for years in the UK. Several great departments were closed down. But in most places, the erosion was more gradual. /1
February 8, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Cuts to the Arts and Humanities have been going on for years in the UK. Several great departments were closed down. But in most places, the erosion was more gradual. /1
Very pleased to announce the schedule for this upcoming conference on some Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies: Education, Technology, Politics, which coincides with the book launch for the Palsgrave Walter Benjamin Handbook coming out next month:
www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
Current Directions in Walter Benjamin studies
Current Directions in Walter Benjamin studies: Education, Technology, Politics (Book Launch for The Palgrave Walter Benjamin Handbook)
www.eventbrite.com
February 4, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Very pleased to announce the schedule for this upcoming conference on some Current Directions in Walter Benjamin Studies: Education, Technology, Politics, which coincides with the book launch for the Palsgrave Walter Benjamin Handbook coming out next month:
www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
www.eventbrite.com/e/current-di...
Reposted by Matt Charles
While many of you are attending worldwide conferences, I decided to share a handy tip for using conferences to help you write. Listen to the audio version while you're traveling or waiting for the next session to start!
Conferences as motivation to write
Committing to a conference presentation is a common way to help motivate you to make progress on a larger writing project. It can work really well but you also risk feeling worse about your project an
buff.ly
January 23, 2025 at 6:08 PM
While many of you are attending worldwide conferences, I decided to share a handy tip for using conferences to help you write. Listen to the audio version while you're traveling or waiting for the next session to start!
Reposted by Matt Charles
Manchester colleagues: a diplomatic but critical view on UoM institutional change projects from @unabridgedopinions.com, Siobhan Cartwright and @profstevenjones.bsky.social. Definitely worth a read. blogs.manchester.ac.uk/viewpoint/20...
Becoming one university – a staff perspective: Jennie Blake, Siobhan Cartwright and Steve Jones
Few colleagues would claim that we’ve all been on the same journey together over the last few years, so the goal of becoming one university is self-evidently an important and justifiable one. However,...
blogs.manchester.ac.uk
January 23, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Manchester colleagues: a diplomatic but critical view on UoM institutional change projects from @unabridgedopinions.com, Siobhan Cartwright and @profstevenjones.bsky.social. Definitely worth a read. blogs.manchester.ac.uk/viewpoint/20...
Alt Text: MA students reacting to the essential reading list on their module
January 23, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Alt Text: MA students reacting to the essential reading list on their module
And connected to the political economy of time in HE, with its pay spine & workload allocation modellers, where such innovations get managers, given the time expected to develop them, promoted only by exploiting the time of frontline staff who aren't allocated the time and don't get promoted
I know its always implicit, but an underindexed problem with UK universities is a lot of frontline staff have - totally rationally (I agree!) - also figured out that since turnover in even low level management is so regular (jobs still available here) there's no point supporting most new initiatives
January 22, 2025 at 2:41 PM
And connected to the political economy of time in HE, with its pay spine & workload allocation modellers, where such innovations get managers, given the time expected to develop them, promoted only by exploiting the time of frontline staff who aren't allocated the time and don't get promoted
Schedule & confirmed speakers tbc soon but advance notification of an upcoming one-day conference on 'Current Directions in Walter Benjamin studies: Education, Technology, Politics' in London on Friday 28th February (details in replies below)
January 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Schedule & confirmed speakers tbc soon but advance notification of an upcoming one-day conference on 'Current Directions in Walter Benjamin studies: Education, Technology, Politics' in London on Friday 28th February (details in replies below)