Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 1d

Great start to the term! Octavia Young talking about collaborative work & the weavers, dyers, and dye-makers who are obscured by the focus on Morris & Burne-Jones, opening questions around definitions of art/craft/vocation/amateur/professional /technical knowledge/book knowledge and design

oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social @oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social · 3d

This week - come to a new part of William Morris' old college to hear Octavia Young on "Art Workers: The Labourers and Artisans of Morris & Co" - our first seminar of the year on Wednesday 15/10, 11.10am, in the Ruskin Room at Exeter Cohen Quad on Walton St

Seminar programme for the term:
Week 1, 15 Oct Octavia Young (University of Cambridge) [note Ruskin Room, Exeter Cohen Quad]
Art Workers: The Labourers and Artisans of Morris & Co
Week 3, 29 Oct Tricia Zakreski (University of Exeter)
The Art of Fiction: Victorian Women Writers and the Decorative Arts
Week 4, 5 Nov David Hopkin (Hertford)
Christ in the Flemish Lace Schools: Craft, Gender and Religion
Week 5, 12 Nov Melissa Percival (University of Exeter)
Toile de Jouy – French Printed Textiles in Cultural Memory
Week 6, 19 Nov Eric Storm (University of Leiden) [note Ruskin Room, Exeter Cohen Quad]
Discussants: Faisal Devji (Balliol) and Abigail Green (Brasenose).
Book Talk: Nationalism: A World History
Week 7, 26 Nov Matilda Eriksson (Lady Margaret Hall)
Peasant, Painter, Patron: Anders Zorn and the Collecting of Vernacular Craft as Personal and National Heritage
Week 8, 3 Dec Luisa Levi d’Ancona Modena (Oxford)
Jews, Handicrafts and Ethnography in Liberal Italy

2 2

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 3d

Very much looking forward to the first seminar of term! join us.

oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social @oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social · 3d

This week - come to a new part of William Morris' old college to hear Octavia Young on "Art Workers: The Labourers and Artisans of Morris & Co" - our first seminar of the year on Wednesday 15/10, 11.10am, in the Ruskin Room at Exeter Cohen Quad on Walton St

3 5

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Leo Baeck Institute London @lbilondon.bsky.social · 10d

The Leo Baeck Institute London is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to explore intersections between German-Jewish and British history, including the history of the British Empire.

www.lbilondon.ac.uk/vacancies

15 17

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 7d

Looking forward to this term's Long 19thC seminars on Arts, Crafts and the People at Exeter Cohen Quad: first up, Octavia Young on @exeter.ox.ac.uk 's own William Morris, Weds 15th Oct at 11.10

oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social @oxfordlong19thc.bsky.social · 7d

Hello! Looking forward to an exciting term of the Oxford Long 19thC Seminar, on the theme of Arts, Crafts & the People: the Social and the Aesthetic in the Long Nineteenth Century. We meet on Wednesdays 11.10-12.30 at Exeter Cohen Quad on Walton St, all welcome.

Image of the seminar programme for the term:
Week 1, 15 Oct Octavia Young (University of Cambridge)
Art Workers: The Labourers and Artisans of Morris & Co
Week 3, 29 Oct Tricia Zakreski (University of Exeter)
The Art of Fiction: Victorian Women Writers and the Decorative Arts
Week 4, 5 Nov David Hopkin (Hertford)
Christ in the Flemish Lace Schools: Craft, Gender and Religion
Week 5, 12 Nov Melissa Percival (University of Exeter)
Toile de Jouy – French Printed Textiles in Cultural Memory
Week 6, 19 Nov Eric Storm (University of Leiden)
Discussants: Faisal Devji (Balliol) and Abigail Green (Brasenose).
Book Talk: Nationalism: A World History
Week 7, 26 Nov Matilda Eriksson (Lady Margaret Hall)
Peasant, Painter, Patron: Anders Zorn and the Collecting of Vernacular Craft as Personal and National Heritage
Week 8, 3 Dec Luisa Levi d’Ancona Modena (Oxford)
Jews, Handicrafts and Ethnography in Liberal Italy

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 7d

Very much looking forward to this term's seminars - can't wait to get started.

Oxford Centre for the History of Childhood @histchildoxford.bsky.social · 10d

We're delighted to share the programme for this term's History of Childhood seminar series. We can't wait to hear from all our fantastic speakers. Join us for our first session on Monday 20 October, at Magdalen College Oxford or online via Teams at 11am when we'll be thinking all about 'play'!

Programme for the History of Childhood seminar series Michaelmas 2025. Seminars are on Mondays 11:00-12:15 at Magdalen College Oxford (Sophia Sheppard Room) and online via Microsoft Teams. All welcome and to join us for lunch afterwards.
On Monday 20 October there is a welcome seminar and discussion of approaches to ‘play’ within histories of childhood and youth. Meet with other researchers working on histories of childhood and youth, with papers exploring ‘play’ from: Fiona Maxwell (University of Chicago) on drama and performativity; Holly Nielsen (historian and narrative designer) on board games; and Caitlin Hendrie (Macquarie University) on archaeological approaches. On Monday 3 November Joey Rauschenberger will speak on ‘Children on the streets. Conceptual thoughts on a history of modernity and empirical explorations on the example of the late German Empire.’ On Monday 17 November, Charlotte Canizo will give a paper on ‘Crossing Borders, Reshaping Lives: Jewish Orphan Migrations and Humanitarian Relief Before the Holocaust (late nineteenth - early twentieth century)’. Our final seminar is on Monday 1 December when Aisha Djelid will present on 'Enslaved Children, “Adultification,” and Resistance in the antebellum US South, 1812-1861'.
To find out more, join the email list web.maillist.ox.ac.uk/ox/info/history-of-childhood or follow us on Bluesky @histchildoxford.bsky.social or Instagram @histchildoxford. For online access, Microsoft Teams links will be sent to the email list in advance or email sian.pooley@magd.ox.ac.uk for a link.

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 16d

oh no!!!

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · 20d

Please consider a donation; Sawsan is a friend living in Oxford, trying to help her family in this desperate situation: gofund.me/7e53805d2

Donate to Help my family to survive and evacuate Gaza, organized by Sawsan Motaz

Stand with me to help my family survive and evacuate Gaza Hi, my name is … Sawsan Motaz needs your support for Help my family to survive and evacuate Gaza

gofund.me

1

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Helen Lovatt @helenlovatt.bsky.social · 29d

We are at risk of losing a generation of researchers. It’s worse than the 1980s. I’d say: only do a PhD for its own sake. The work you do s as an ECR is itself important work. But this period of contractions is going to be incredibly hard for all career stages, & impossible for ECRs.

will o’the wisp pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 29d

“Cataclysmically bad”

This new series of ECR blog posts on the French History Network makes for grim reading, perhaps grimmer even than some in UK #FrenchHistory might have realised.

1st post, anon ECRs in French History on what it’s like right now out there:

frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/6691/

🗃️

ECR in 2025: Part One- What is it like? – SSFH

frenchhistorysociety.co.uk

1 17 49

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Sep 9

Some of these made me cry laughing

The Author, Séamas O'Reilly @seamas.bsky.social · Oct 17

Seven years today since I got a personal favourite letter published in the Metro.

1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Sep 8

@drdaveobrien.bsky.social @evemworth.bsky.social

Philipp Heimberger @heimbergecon.bsky.social · Sep 8

This new study shows: in Germany, it has become much harder for children to earn more than their parents, now about as hard as in the US: "parental income has become much more important for educational outcomes of children"

1 4

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Sep 6

Don‘t think b sky saturation is at local Oxford intell level yet but just in case any of you are in cutteslowe and know - where and what is the party that’s been playing banging tunes since this afternoon? Has Water Eaton manor been taken over?

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Corinne Fowler @corinnefowler.bsky.social · Sep 5

Apart from the BBC & Independent media coverage of our Rural Racsm report findings has been predictably abysmal, attempting to dismiss & discredit it rather than to engage with its serious, robust findings. You can read our reports here: le.ac.uk/hate-studies...

The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside | The Centre for Hate Studies | University of Leicester

The Centre for Hate Studies at the University of Leicester was awarded funding from the Leverhulme Trust to lead a major new study entitled The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside (2023–2025). This large-scale research project, led by Professor Neil Chakraborti, Professor Corinne Fowler and Dr Amy Clarke, challenges dominant depictions of rural England as peaceful, neutral and apolitical by investigating the realities of racism experienced by minoritised ethnic individuals and communities in rural spaces, in order to understand how racism is expressed in rural contexts.

le.ac.uk

22 46

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 4

'underpinning all of this is an inescapable truth. Government policy, particularly on international students, risks destroying economic activity in the places that desperately benefit from university.'

Universities can't solve every problem with the economy

Universities make places richer but not in the same way everywhere

wonkhe.com

8 18

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · Sep 3

🎉📣 Announcing the IHR Research Training Courses for October - December 2025.

Visit the IHR website to register and find detailed information on each course: www.history.ac.uk/study-traini...

2 40 56

Reposted by Christina de Bellaigue

Rachel Moss @menysnoweballes.bsky.social · Sep 3

My online short course Wars of the Roses runs 3x per year and is always popular. It's flexible and asynchronous so you can study when suits you: lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/the-...

The Wars of The Roses: Power, Politics and Personalities

The recent discovery of Richard III's remains in Leicester highlights the dynamic new research being conducted into the period known as the Wars of the Roses. This course asks students to engage with ...

lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk

1 2 5

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

8. Grants to fund devp of AI tools to support I) effective energy use reduction II) public healthcare iii) social care iii) conflict resolution Iv) democratic governance
9. Any AI programmes in educ settings only to be introduced on a non-profit basis & fully ethically assessed b4 implementation

2

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

7. Any AI company offering medical or psychiatric advice must be reviewed and licensed by NICE or equivalent and visibly marked as AI originated and verified by qualified human practitioners

1 1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

5. Strong international copyright protections for creative work to prevent use by AI unless authorised by creator
6. National & international licensing system for AI production & use that requires the following before license is granted: i) ethical audit; II) EDI audit; iii) energy use audit;

1 2

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

3. use of AI developed in / fiscally resident in countries where energy sources are less than 80% renewable to be criminalised
4. International Agreement that creative content produced using AI must be visibly watermarked as such

1 1 2

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

1. International agreement that no country can licence energy use for AI development or use until their energy production is 80% renewable
2. Intl ruling that energy sources for AI use must be exclusively renewable

1 3

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 28

Random thoughts from someone who accepts there could be positives to come from adoption and use of AI but hates the current situation. At minimum there should be:

1 1 1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 20

Now hang on there, « white room » is one of the greatest scent experiences I have had the honour of sniffing and not binning

1 1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 19

@brepols.net and / or historian colleagues, I'm just getting a blank page when I ask to see selected items on BBIH as in attached. Any suggestions? And any way to get an export of selected results that looks the way it did in the old days - not requiring referencing software to read? (eg below)

1 1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 17

Tuyaux de remerciement pour ceux/celles qui voyagent en GB avec des questions pareilles - chez wagamama (nouilles, plats asiatiques), ils veulent bien vous servir des nouilles nature avec les accompagnements en petits bols a rajouter soi même

1

Christina de Bellaigue @cadebellaigue.bsky.social · Aug 17

Merci tout le monde - j’ai dit qu’elle avait des intolerances sans préciser et ça a plus ou moins marché - il a juste fallu enlever discrètement les olives et les capres de la sauce tomate!🙄😀

1 2