S.E.MacRae
@semacrae.bsky.social
Digital sociology ECR researching the interplay between education, politics and the digital. Own views, she/her.
Pinned
S.E.MacRae
@semacrae.bsky.social
· May 13
Introduction to special section: the political life of education online | Naomi Barnes
Just published online!
A special collection for Critical Studies in Education titled "The political life of education online" edited by myself, Keith Heggart and Dr Sheena MacRae. https://l...
www.linkedin.com
I have recently been one of the editors led by @drnomyn.bsky.social with Keith Heggart of a special collection for Critical Studies in Education titled "The political life of education online". Naomi has written a great post here about the project and the other papers 1/7
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
This piece was greenlit and then killed by a British newspaper, so I’ve decided to publish myself instead.
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:36 AM
This piece was greenlit and then killed by a British newspaper, so I’ve decided to publish myself instead.
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Trans People Deserve Better.
"Gender critical" feminism doesn't help women but it does help the far right
open.substack.com/pub/wellread...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Countering the trend towards fascism can take many shapes and forms but it cannot take the form of a blind faith support in the status quo and mainstream elite as has been argued for too long
Some thoughts @reacpolrn.bsky.social on the latest developments in the UK
reacpol.net/fascism-no-o...
Some thoughts @reacpolrn.bsky.social on the latest developments in the UK
reacpol.net/fascism-no-o...
Article: In the fight against fascism, the middle ground is not an option (Aurelien Mondon) - Reactionary Politics Research Network
This article by Aurelien Mondon discusses the rise of fascism in the UK in the wake of yet another extreme right protest.
reacpol.net
November 17, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Countering the trend towards fascism can take many shapes and forms but it cannot take the form of a blind faith support in the status quo and mainstream elite as has been argued for too long
Some thoughts @reacpolrn.bsky.social on the latest developments in the UK
reacpol.net/fascism-no-o...
Some thoughts @reacpolrn.bsky.social on the latest developments in the UK
reacpol.net/fascism-no-o...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Thought the plan was to smash the smuggling gangs not emulate them.
The Sun has been told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will on Monday propose confiscating jewellery, watches, necklaces from asylum seekers to meet asylum costs
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
November 17, 2025 at 7:43 AM
Thought the plan was to smash the smuggling gangs not emulate them.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Schools in England have become testing sites for AI. I know it's common to say education is now an experimental lab for AI, but in England it's more methodologically true. 3 examples of escalating seriousness and an explanation coming up 🧵
November 14, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Schools in England have become testing sites for AI. I know it's common to say education is now an experimental lab for AI, but in England it's more methodologically true. 3 examples of escalating seriousness and an explanation coming up 🧵
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
From @sianushka.bsky.social.
www.opendemocracy.net/en/british-a...
Everyone alright with these sponsoring Sky Sports's coverage of live football in order to reach more young people?
www.opendemocracy.net/en/british-a...
Everyone alright with these sponsoring Sky Sports's coverage of live football in order to reach more young people?
Exposed: British Army’s child recruits suffer violent abuse
An 11-month investigation reveals culture of violence, criminality and sexual abuse at army training centre for teens
www.opendemocracy.net
November 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
From @sianushka.bsky.social.
www.opendemocracy.net/en/british-a...
Everyone alright with these sponsoring Sky Sports's coverage of live football in order to reach more young people?
www.opendemocracy.net/en/british-a...
Everyone alright with these sponsoring Sky Sports's coverage of live football in order to reach more young people?
Well there you go.
November 14, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Well there you go.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
New report: The far Right in Britain has become an industry, with its influencers increasingly earning big money.
"A cottage industry of digital vigilantes and migrant hunters
now acts as viral content creators" and supposed "citizen journalists"
irr.org.uk/wp-content/u...
"A cottage industry of digital vigilantes and migrant hunters
now acts as viral content creators" and supposed "citizen journalists"
irr.org.uk/wp-content/u...
November 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
New report: The far Right in Britain has become an industry, with its influencers increasingly earning big money.
"A cottage industry of digital vigilantes and migrant hunters
now acts as viral content creators" and supposed "citizen journalists"
irr.org.uk/wp-content/u...
"A cottage industry of digital vigilantes and migrant hunters
now acts as viral content creators" and supposed "citizen journalists"
irr.org.uk/wp-content/u...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Authoritarianism in the digital age by @kylzjarrett.bsky.social, @robkitchin.bsky.social, Jing Hiah and @steelecat717.bsky.social in @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social. Intro to special issue with 48 papers on the topic. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Authoritarianism in the digital age - Kylie Jarrett, Rob Kitchin, Jing Hiah, Catherine Knight Steele, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Authoritarianism in the digital age by @kylzjarrett.bsky.social, @robkitchin.bsky.social, Jing Hiah and @steelecat717.bsky.social in @dialoguesdigsoc.bsky.social. Intro to special issue with 48 papers on the topic. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
1/ The “looking to Denmark” stuff re migration shouldn't ignore the social cleansing features in “parallel societies” (parallelsamfund) approaches. This labels neighbourhoods partly by the share of “non-Western” residents and then permits demolitions, forced tenure changes and criminal sanctions...
CURIA - Documents
curia.europa.eu
November 9, 2025 at 11:58 AM
1/ The “looking to Denmark” stuff re migration shouldn't ignore the social cleansing features in “parallel societies” (parallelsamfund) approaches. This labels neighbourhoods partly by the share of “non-Western” residents and then permits demolitions, forced tenure changes and criminal sanctions...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
It's hard to convey my disgust & moral outrage at Trump & Rubio for killing hundreds of thousands
My team at Duke has spent almost a decade studying the pros & cons of health aid, which has undoubtedly saved millions of live but has down sides. We have a policy paper out soon on the topic.
1/n
My team at Duke has spent almost a decade studying the pros & cons of health aid, which has undoubtedly saved millions of live but has down sides. We have a policy paper out soon on the topic.
1/n
November 7, 2025 at 4:24 PM
It's hard to convey my disgust & moral outrage at Trump & Rubio for killing hundreds of thousands
My team at Duke has spent almost a decade studying the pros & cons of health aid, which has undoubtedly saved millions of live but has down sides. We have a policy paper out soon on the topic.
1/n
My team at Duke has spent almost a decade studying the pros & cons of health aid, which has undoubtedly saved millions of live but has down sides. We have a policy paper out soon on the topic.
1/n
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
1. Proves what I argue in book Media Distortions about how Facebook creates its own definitions about what is spam/fraud and what is a legitimate ad to filter out ads that threaten its business model. ->
November 7, 2025 at 1:08 PM
1. Proves what I argue in book Media Distortions about how Facebook creates its own definitions about what is spam/fraud and what is a legitimate ad to filter out ads that threaten its business model. ->
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.
November 7, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
"If we do not act, we risk seeing the development of a fully automated loop in which assignments are generated by AI with the support of a LMS, AI-generated content is submitted...on behalf of the student, and AI-driven metrics evaluate the work" www.mla.org/Resources/Ad...
November 6, 2025 at 11:14 PM
"If we do not act, we risk seeing the development of a fully automated loop in which assignments are generated by AI with the support of a LMS, AI-generated content is submitted...on behalf of the student, and AI-driven metrics evaluate the work" www.mla.org/Resources/Ad...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
We're really staring at the abyss with how our employers in our sector are treating us.
'A post-92 university will freeze staff pay if they choose to remain in a more expensive pension scheme as institutions continue to find new ways to grapple with rising cost.' 1/3
Northumbria to freeze pay if staff refuse TPS-USS pension switch
University says moving employees from more expensive scheme will save it up to £11 million a year
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:54 AM
We're really staring at the abyss with how our employers in our sector are treating us.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
GPs are asking for funding so that patients can have greater access to GPs
You will hear something different from Wes Streeting & Government
They will say that there is more funding & GPs but there isn’t anywhere near enough of either
They aren’t telling you the truth
You will hear something different from Wes Streeting & Government
They will say that there is more funding & GPs but there isn’t anywhere near enough of either
They aren’t telling you the truth
November 6, 2025 at 10:38 PM
GPs are asking for funding so that patients can have greater access to GPs
You will hear something different from Wes Streeting & Government
They will say that there is more funding & GPs but there isn’t anywhere near enough of either
They aren’t telling you the truth
You will hear something different from Wes Streeting & Government
They will say that there is more funding & GPs but there isn’t anywhere near enough of either
They aren’t telling you the truth
I will now forever think of orcas as undersea Hannibal Lecters desperate for a nice drop of chianti to wash down their spoils.
“Now, we have an example of another unique feeding strategy that probably isn’t shared by any other group of [#orcas] in the world,” said Andrew Trites @ubcmarinemammal www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/o... @smithsonianmag.bsky.social
Orcas in Mexico Have Learned to Attack Young Great White Sharks—by Flipping Them Upside Down and Eating Their Livers
Researchers captured the novel behavior on video in the Gulf of California, recording three separate takedowns across two hunts carried out by members of the Moctezuma pod
www.smithsonianmag.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I will now forever think of orcas as undersea Hannibal Lecters desperate for a nice drop of chianti to wash down their spoils.
My languages loving teenager sits their GCSEs this year and is looking at their options. When we have met Universities at careers fairs I have been asking them what is the long term stability of their programmes for this very reason. Soon studying abroad might be their best, or only, choice.
I am hearing that @uniofnottingham.bsky.social is suspending (i.e shutting down) *all modern language courses* in 2026-27. One of the largest departments in the UK. A shocking short sighted move that damages regional and national prospects @britishacademy.bsky.social @hetanshah.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 2:29 PM
My languages loving teenager sits their GCSEs this year and is looking at their options. When we have met Universities at careers fairs I have been asking them what is the long term stability of their programmes for this very reason. Soon studying abroad might be their best, or only, choice.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
England today - people having their ongoing medical treatment unilaterally withdrawn, without appeal, because that treatment, agreed with their doctors, makes some bigots uncomfortable.
the minutes of the October meeting between WellBN and SussexICB are chilling. Andrew Dodson from the Sussex side just openly saying patients will be “deprescribed,” that they’ll have no choice and won’t be allowed to talk to the team taking their healthcare away
November 6, 2025 at 11:12 AM
England today - people having their ongoing medical treatment unilaterally withdrawn, without appeal, because that treatment, agreed with their doctors, makes some bigots uncomfortable.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
New paper just out on how changing sociotechnical systems of knowledge production and access - platforms, the cloud, AI - pose profound challenges to educational practice and research doi.org/10.1080/0305...
Knowledge infrastructure crisis: digital democratic deficits and alternative designs for education
The production and circulation of knowledge in education increasingly depends on large-scale digital infrastructures. In this article we provide a critical review of the transformation of the conte...
doi.org
November 5, 2025 at 12:50 PM
New paper just out on how changing sociotechnical systems of knowledge production and access - platforms, the cloud, AI - pose profound challenges to educational practice and research doi.org/10.1080/0305...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
After an investigation which took >2 years, the journal Cross Cultural Research has retracted a paper which used Lynn's "national IQ" database, on the grounds that "Post-publication review raised serious concerns about the validity of the data & the article findings"
Retraction: Likely Electromagnetic Foundations of Gender Inequality, 2025
journals.sagepub.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:59 AM
After an investigation which took >2 years, the journal Cross Cultural Research has retracted a paper which used Lynn's "national IQ" database, on the grounds that "Post-publication review raised serious concerns about the validity of the data & the article findings"
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Yes. There’s no reason for all these tax-free allowances. Low starting rates of tax to affirm the social responsibility of contributing. And a thoroughly progressive system on top of them, of course.
The principle that we all contribute to high quality public services and a welfare safety net is a good one. Solidarity is a virtue. It’s not progressive nor left-wing to attack it as a principle. We all contribute, but those with the broadest shoulders contribute the most.
November 5, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Yes. There’s no reason for all these tax-free allowances. Low starting rates of tax to affirm the social responsibility of contributing. And a thoroughly progressive system on top of them, of course.
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
Almost immediately he's with those with “palms calloused from delivery-bike handlebars”.
This is the way.
Labour botched it. I hope the Greens are taking notes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/n...
This is the way.
Labour botched it. I hope the Greens are taking notes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/n...
In a Speech Full of Hope, Mamdani Celebrates a New Political Order
www.nytimes.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Almost immediately he's with those with “palms calloused from delivery-bike handlebars”.
This is the way.
Labour botched it. I hope the Greens are taking notes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/n...
This is the way.
Labour botched it. I hope the Greens are taking notes.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/n...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
He did a whole two minute ad highlighting the life of Sylvia Rivera! That was backed by a banger of a track from Sophie, noting the murder of Martha P Johnson. Never mind not running away he embraced NYC trans folks. AND WON! youtu.be/bEvVSpN0BXg?...
November 5, 2025 at 9:27 AM
He did a whole two minute ad highlighting the life of Sylvia Rivera! That was backed by a banger of a track from Sophie, noting the murder of Martha P Johnson. Never mind not running away he embraced NYC trans folks. AND WON! youtu.be/bEvVSpN0BXg?...
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
The gall of putting mortgages on there
How depressing. Education also needs to be about the joy of learning and questioning, not just about how to be a good consumer drone, or how to protect yourself from tech bros with bad intentions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mortgages and AI to be added to the curriculum in English schools
Ministers are making the changes for children in England after a review of what is taught in schools.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 5, 2025 at 8:56 AM
The gall of putting mortgages on there
Reposted by S.E.MacRae
So, what we have here is:
1. Cautious academic recommendations to de-Gove the curriculum;
2. Govt signalling it might do half of it;
3. While announcing MORE tests & benchmarks, and NO more funding...
And nobody answers the question, what are GCSEs even for, when education to 18 is compulsory?
1. Cautious academic recommendations to de-Gove the curriculum;
2. Govt signalling it might do half of it;
3. While announcing MORE tests & benchmarks, and NO more funding...
And nobody answers the question, what are GCSEs even for, when education to 18 is compulsory?
England curriculum should focus less on exams and more on life skills, finds review
Experts say pupils should spend less time in exam halls and more time on activities like life skills, sport and work experience
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:42 AM
So, what we have here is:
1. Cautious academic recommendations to de-Gove the curriculum;
2. Govt signalling it might do half of it;
3. While announcing MORE tests & benchmarks, and NO more funding...
And nobody answers the question, what are GCSEs even for, when education to 18 is compulsory?
1. Cautious academic recommendations to de-Gove the curriculum;
2. Govt signalling it might do half of it;
3. While announcing MORE tests & benchmarks, and NO more funding...
And nobody answers the question, what are GCSEs even for, when education to 18 is compulsory?