Melanie Torrent
meltorrent.bsky.social
Melanie Torrent
@meltorrent.bsky.social
British & Commonwealth history, Franco-British relations and connected ends of empire, foreign policy & diplomatic cultures Université Picardie Jules Verne & Institute of Commonwealth studies
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
If you are a historian with policy-facing interests who has recently submitted their PhD (or will do so imminently), this fantastic new London-based postdoc fellowship in Applied History could be for you. www.history.ac.uk/fellowships/...
Robert Mcintosh Applied History & Policy Fellowship
Robert Mcintosh Applied History & Policy Fellowship
www.history.ac.uk
December 4, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Un colloque aura lieu à Lisbonne en mai prochain sur les liens entre musique et exil.
Propositions à envoyer jusqu’au 15 janvier.
Plus d’infos sur ce lien 👇

www.inetmd.pt/difusao/cfp-...
December 2, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
In the nineteenth century, British officials became obsessed with collecting and codifying 'secret languages' across northern India.

In our latest article, Vipin Krishna explores how linguistics became a tool for classification, surveillance, and control.
Policing Language in Colonial India
Vipin Krishna explores how colonial officials in nineteenth-century India turned linguistics into a tool for classification, surveillance, and control.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
December 2, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"Brexit has only cemented a dangerously misguided sense that international engagement is not essential to the UK’s future.
If we want young people to study languages, the government needs to show that doing so can lead to real and exciting careers."
'More than ever before, we need British diplomats, spies and soldiers to speak the language of our adversaries. We need universities like Nottingham to be pumping out Russian and Mandarin graduates each year, to work across Whitehall.' 1/2
The procession of university language closures will trip up UK diplomacy
The government needs to signal its demand for elite foreign language skills before more universities leave provision to inferior alternatives, says Ian Proud
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:50 AM
What difference can the Commonwealth and its institutions make in an "increasingly disordered world where might not right is ascendant", asks Dr James Chiriyankandath
We're delighted to be co-hosting the 2-day event on Cultures of Democracy'

Day 1 has begun with opening remarks from Prof Sue Onslow and #ICwS Director Prof Kingsley Abbott who asked "Is there room for quiet diplomacy?"

#Cultures #Democracy #Commonwealth #Activism #CommonwealthDiplomacy
November 20, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
We're delighted to be co-hosting the 2-day event on Cultures of Democracy'

Day 1 has begun with opening remarks from Prof Sue Onslow and #ICwS Director Prof Kingsley Abbott who asked "Is there room for quiet diplomacy?"

#Cultures #Democracy #Commonwealth #Activism #CommonwealthDiplomacy
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Our Cultures of Democracy conference is off to a wonderful start, thanks to Sue Onslow & Kingsley Abbott at @icws-sas.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
My friend Henry Dee's new book "Militant Migrants: Clements Kadalie, the ICU and the Mass Movement of Black Workers in Southern Africa, 1896-1951" has just been published by @livunipress.bsky.social . Check it out here: www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....
Militant Migrants | Home
Clements Kadalie, the ICU and the Mass Movement of Black Workers in Southern Africa, 1896-1951
www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk
November 13, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Vital piece of investigative reporting from Sky. They've uncovered the X algorithm which feeds users extremist right wing material from the moment they join the site. It is a far-right radicalisation engine, by design.

news.sky.com/story/the-x-...
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Black Cultural Archives have created a timeline, “Medicine, Race, and Activism,” in partnership with Royal Holloway, celebrating Black contributions to British healthcare, spotlighting the health workers, patients, & campaigners who challenged medical racism.
#histmed
Medicine, Race and Activism - Black Cultural Archives.
This timeline focuses on the contribution of Black people to the British healthcare ecosystem over centuries. It underscores the experiences of these workers and Black service users and recognises the...
bcatimelines.org
November 6, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
New article out today! Published on the eve of Ghanaian independence, A Wreath for Udomo fictionalises Kwame Nkrumah's struggle against imperialism and imagines a future after British rule.

hwiccanreview.substack.com/p/accra-noir...
Accra Noir: ‘A Wreath for Udomo’ (Peter Abrahams, 1956)
A political thriller for a nation about to exist
hwiccanreview.substack.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Il est sorti! Co-édité avec Bastien Goursaud, ce n° sur la survivance des 80s contient un entretien avec @fionasampson.bsky.social qui balise 40 ans de poésie et 8 articles sur le concept de dérégulation mis en avant par Sean O'Brien en 95. Merci aux contributeurices!
revueties.org?lang=en
October 31, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgb_...
Dialogue avec @guillaumblanc.bsky.social autour de nos recherches sur les sources et l'histoire africaine
@cnrseditions.bsky.social
Elara Bertho et Guillaume Blanc - "Conakry, une utopie panafricaine" et "Empires"
YouTube video by librairie mollat
www.youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
My book UP IN THE AIR: A HISTORY OF HIGH-RISE BRITAIN is out today!
October 28, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
We are excited to announce our new lecture series starting tomorrow. Corey Ross (Basel) will be presenting on "Liquid Empire." Zoom Link: recentglobe.uni-leipzig.de/veranstaltun...
October 28, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Créé par des résistants des PTT, un réseau téléphonique parallèle a survécu après la Libération. Espace de communication et de rencontre dans les années 1970, il constitue le chaînon manquant entre les agences matrimoniales du XIX e siècle et nos applis contemporaines.
Le Réseau, ou lorsque nous étions intraçables
Créé par des résistants des PTT, un réseau téléphonique parallèle a survécu après la Libération. Espace de communication et de rencontre dans les années 1970, il constitue le chaînon manquant entre les agences matrimoniales du XIX e siècle et nos applis contemporaines.
laviedesidees.fr
October 24, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Avec beaucoup trop de retard, un livre remarquable et tellement stimulant à signaler, "Ondes de choc: histoire médiatique et politique de la radio conservatrice aux Etats-Unis" de
@sebastienmort.bsky.social
(et tant d'écho avec le paysage médiatique français actuel...)
#àlire
October 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
For centuries, Western powers have sought to ‘fix’ African economies. Shortlisted for the 2025 British Academy Book Prize, Bronwen Everill's Africonomics traces how these interventions have repeatedly failed to deliver, and highlights Africa’s own approaches to economic life: https://bit.ly/47aBrcJ
October 20, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Thank you, Dan, for your review! And thanks again to our wonderful contributors, @byrnealice.bsky.social Lori Maguire, Adrien Rodd, Bent Boel, Christian Turner, @ameliahadfield1.bsky.social @thibaudharrois.bsky.social
Edited by @meltorrent.bsky.social & Lauriane Simony, this collection of articles is key reading for anyone interested in British foreign policy in the second half of the Twentieth Century: www.tandfonline.com/toc/fcbh20/3...
Latest articles from Contemporary British History
Browse the latest articles and research from Contemporary British History
www.tandfonline.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
The intro to our Itinerario special issue on the entwined histories of tourism and imperialism has just passed 1,000 views! 🥳 Many thanks to all readers, keep spreading the word and remember to check out the great contributions that make up the issue, too. doi.org/10.1017/S016...
October 20, 2025 at 8:32 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
It's tomorrow! If you cannot attend in person, you will find the Zoom link on the programme below or you may ask for it via DM.
The workshop “Mutations in discourse: digital discourses” will take place on October 17th at the UPJV (Amiens Citadelle) and online (see poster for link).

With much anticipated contributions from @christianilbury.bsky.social, Catherine Ruchon and @jessaiston.bsky.social.

#linguistics
October 16, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
A date for your diaries: On 4 November, @ria.ie will host a witness seminar, where former and current diplomats, along with Michael Kennedy (executive editor) will reflect the latest edition of @difp-ria.bsky.social and the role of historical reflection in policy-making. 🗃️
www.ria.ie/events/the-t...
The Troubles and the European Community: Exploring DIFP XIV (1969-73) - Royal Irish Academy
Witness seminar on the latest volume of Documents in Irish Foreign Policy, covering the years 1969-73. In this event co-hosted by The Standing Committee for International Affairs and Documents in Iris...
www.ria.ie
October 3, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Melanie Torrent
Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month

www.jstor.org/action/showL...
September 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
In Search of Britain @upjv-univ.bsky.social reçoit Dominique Connan @uparisnanterre.bsky.social, le 24/09 à 17h, pour Faire partie du club. Élites et pouvoir au Kenya (CNRS Éditions, 2024). Rejoignez-nous ! u-picardie-fr.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Le programme ac M. Ruiz: searchofbritain.wordpress.com
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: In Search of Britain. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: In Search of Britain. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
u-picardie-fr.zoom.us
September 18, 2025 at 5:14 AM