Samantha Brennan
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samanthabrennan.bsky.social
Samantha Brennan
@samanthabrennan.bsky.social

Philosopher, feminist, ethicist, cyclist.
Dean of Arts, University of Guelph.
My Erdős number is 3.
My pronouns are she/her.🌈

http://linktr.ee/sjbrennan

Samantha Jane Brennan is a British-born philosopher and scholar of women's studies who is currently dean of the College of Arts and faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She was previously a professor in the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research at Western University, Canada. Brennan was Department Chair of Philosophy at Western from 2002 to 2007, and 2008–2011. She is a past president of the Canadian Philosophical Association (2017–18). .. more

Political science 53%
Sociology 13%
Pinned
For new followers: My main bluesky themes are the College of Arts at Guelph where I'm Dean, philosophy (my home academic discipline), feminism and fitness (connected to my book and blog), and all things bike-related.
White supremacist talking points.

No dog whistles.
Breaking NYT:

The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter.

The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status.

That is a war crime called "perfidy."
U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Well, the markets failed to discipline the administration, which means things will continue to get much worse.

Why Donald Trump is telling such obvious lies on the ICE Minneapolis killing

Philosophers Tim Keyon and Jennifer Saul on authoritarian discourse

#philsky

theconversation.com/why-donald-t...
Why Donald Trump is telling such obvious lies on the ICE Minneapolis killing
Obvious lies aren’t necessarily failed lies. They can confuse, distract, excite and intimidate a range of audiences. They can also be believed, no matter how obviously false they seem.
theconversation.com
We need less research framing the problem facing our country as "polarization" and more research framing the problem as "anti-democratic radicalization".

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

I'm a fan of giving students more options for shorter degrees. But a recent proposal for three year-degrees from a former Ford govt staffer is unfortunately mostly handwaving nonsense.
Three | HESA
Just before Christmas, an interesting blog post appeared on the Canadian conservative website The Hub. It was by Mitch Davidson, late of the Ford Administration in Queen’s Park, and his subject was th...
higheredstrategy.com

Alison Bechdel: 8 Things You Need to Start Your Own Commune

#unlocked

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/o...
Opinion | Alison Bechdel: 8 Things You Need to Start Your Own Commune
www.nytimes.com

Heated Rivalry shows how queer joy can disrupt hockey’s culture of masculinity

theconversation.com/heated-rival...
‘Heated Rivalry’ shows how queer joy can disrupt hockey’s culture of masculinity
Queer joy in ‘Heated Rivalry’ unsettles hockey’s hypermasculine order and makes new ways of relating seem possible.
theconversation.com

Between the popular backlash to ICE brutality and Jerome Powell‘s statement, we are getting more and more signs that Trump is failing to consolidate an authoritarian regime
How it’s going
Canada isn't banning X and its ministers continue to use it. Ok. What are the consequences of creating child sex abuse material and deepfake porn? www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canada not considering a ban on X over deepfake controversy, AI minister says
The platform, which is owned by Elon Musk, has been embroiled in controversy over sexualized deepfakes of women and children created by X’s chatbot Grok.
www.thestar.com

Trump Eyes Greenland, and Europe Figures Its Best Bet Is a Negotiation
European officials were stunned that President Trump restated his desire for Greenland after a yearlong effort to dissuade him, according to diplomats and others.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/w...
Trump Eyes Greenland, and Europe Figures Its Best Bet Is a Negotiation
www.nytimes.com

In an announcement that shocks no one, Nobel committee says the prize isn't something you can just give away to someone else of your choosing.

www.ctvnews.ca/world/articl...
Nobel Institute says Venezuelan leader Machado can’t give Peace Prize to Trump
The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize is throwing cold water on talk of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado giving her recent award to U.S. President Donald Trump.
www.ctvnews.ca

I taught art in a high-security prison – Waiting for the Out took me straight back to my classroom

theconversation.com/i-taught-art...
I taught art in a high-security prison – Waiting for the Out took me straight back to my classroom
Teaching art at HMP Wakefield changed my life. This series includes the most accurate description of prison teaching I have seen.
theconversation.com
I can't believe I'm posting this video - but we actually have to have a conversation about the real world implications of America going to war over Greenland.

Let me walk you through it. It doesn't turn out well for us.

They're also launching a show, The Queer Print Project: Body Language, at the Art Gallery of Guelph opening January 22.

artgalleryofguelph.ca/exhibition/q...
Queer Print Project: Body Language - AGG
artgalleryofguelph.ca

In light of recent events, today seems like a good day for my Anxious Rabbits against Fascism t-shirt. Thanks to the Queer Print Club, artnotshame.org/queer-print-.... They're co-led by Anna Gaby-Trotz of our School of Fine Art and Music in the College of Arts at the University of Guelph.

Canadians have to be much more involved in our country's political future.

youtu.be/TqoNBsnV6pY?...
‘Canadians have to be much more engaged’ in country’s political future, former affairs minister says
YouTube video by CTV News
youtu.be

Renee Good’s Murder was Misogyny

We cannot ignore the distinctively gendered dynamics of this—and much other—fascist violence

katemanne.substack.com/p/renee-good...
Renee Good’s Murder was Misogyny
We cannot ignore the distinctively gendered dynamics of this—and much other—fascist violence
katemanne.substack.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Just think for a moment about how absurd this is. People fought remote school during a pandemic, but now it is necessary (and it is!) to cope with the actions of the federal government.

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

The anti-ICE backlash matches a broader decrease in support for Trump’s immigration agenda.
Support for abolishing ICE hits a a new high
Americans have turned sharply against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and say it too often resorts to violence
www.gelliottmorris.com
🚨 NEW VIDEO 👇🏽This puts an end to all the lies. Horrific.

They were having a calm exchange seconds before he murdered Renee Good, and she was barely moving and clearly avoiding him.

Stop the lies.
Yesterday Elon Musk retweeted "white solidarity is the only way to survive". In our numb overwhelmed media environment it barely made headlines that the world's richest man endorsed blood-curdling white nationalism. My brief writeup for @religiondispatches.org

religiondispatches.org/elon-musk-ju...
Elon Musk Just Endorsed Blatant White Nationalism And the Silence is Deafening
On Thursday morning Elon Musk retweeted (with a ‘100%’ endorsement) a post declaring that: If white men become a minority, we will be slaughtered. Remember, if non-Whites openly hate White men while...
religiondispatches.org
In the last month there have been increased signs of pushback, including a very important one in Trump v. Illinois. But between the Venezuela attack and its aftermath, and ICE now just murdering protestors, it seems to me that things are getting worse faster overall.