Author | Lightnews

Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · 5d

Julian of Norwich spotted on the new Florence and the Machine album:

A screenshot of lyrics:
Downloading "Revelations of Divine Love" on my phone
Trying to read, but getting distracted
Trying to live, but feeling so damaged

[Chorus]
And all shall be well
All shall be well
Miracles are often inconvenient
And a prayer is a spell

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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 7d

I completely understand the ennui experienced by the average person in our modern age but it's very funny to be like "This sucks I wish I was a farmer in the 1400s"

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · 10d

You would think!

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · 10d

I remember a fairly senior Education policy guy once telling me that this kind of standardisation of universities would be good because people would then respect non-RG degrees (such as the one I have) more. Just gives you a sense of the perspective they're coming from.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10d

'Proposals to reform assessment and the way teaching quality is measured risk standardising university curricula and treating institutions like big schools, critics have warned.'

'Big schools' does rather appear to sum up DfS's conception of universities, sadly. 1/3

Risk of ‘standardisation’ as ministers mull progression measures

Universities would look to ‘game’ new metric for testing learning gain, critics warn, with external examination defended as ‘best we’ve got’

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 13d

My blog post with the ADAM network has now been published. It's about precarity, the future of small subjects, and communal approaches to academic work. I hope it will resonate with some. #IchBinHanna #KleineFaecher #SkandiRetten
difficultmedieval.com/2025/10/23/h...

Hard Times and Trial Approaches: Old Norse-Icelandic Studies Between Precarity and the Future

Dr Rebecca Merkelbach reflects on her keynote speech at the most recent Saga Conference. Held every three years, Saga Con is the most important meeting of Old Norse scholars, bringing together acad…

difficultmedieval.com

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · 17d

Genuinely would love to see something from the Greens on how they would bring about a sustainable funding model for universities. Students are paying evermore, yes, but university staff are constantly being asked to do more with less.

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NorseInCork @norseincork.bsky.social · Sep 25

4-year funded PhD in Old Norse-Viking Studies at UCC, working on the Literature & Art strand of the NorseMap Project. www.ucc.ie/en/hr/vacanc...

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Sep 25

I don't think it completely accounts for it, but it might explain why it's the highest percentage there

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Sep 25

Not to take away from the overall point, but I wonder how much of the Armed Forces stat can be explained by the fact that the military helps pay to send AF's children to boarding school (to reduce the amount of education disruption) and being in the military is often something that runs in families

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Sep 14

Many, many congratulations!

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Rebecca Tyson @tyguson.bsky.social · Sep 12

Call for Papers @imc-leeds.bsky.social

Following my recent fieldwork sailing down the Seine in a reconstructed tenth-century ship, @stevedehailes.bsky.social and I are organising a panel on practice-based/experiential research in medieval studies. We welcome abstracts from any field. #Medievalsky

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Reposted by Hannah Armstrong

Baby octopus War Christmas @mancalledhorse.bsky.social · Sep 9

This is also the point that Labour have failed to grasp. They can promise as many deportations and draconian visa rules as they like but all that does is maintain the far right narrative that there's some kind of problem with migrants, the far right don't want anything less than ethnic cleansing

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · Sep 6

There is no indication that republican leaders or voters even know what current immigration policy looks like. Their views are driven by Breitbart blowups about caravans, Haitians eating cats and MS-13. Change the policy all you want, they'll never give you an ounce of credit for it.

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Sep 8

Finally caught up with the BBC's King and Conqueror series 👑🗡️. If you were interested in why shows and films set in the Middle Ages are so often filmed in Iceland, you might consider reading my chapter which touches on this in International Medievalisms (2023): www.cambridge.org/core/books/a...

‘The Northland of Old’: The Use and ‘Misuse’ of (Medieval) Iceland (Chapter 6) - International Medievalisms

International Medievalisms - February 2023

www.cambridge.org

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Scottish Society for Northern Studies @northernstudies.bsky.social · Sep 5

SSNS has now reopened its funding schemes, offering grants to eligible students and scholars at any stage in their career.

Our grants support fieldwork and publications, events, and travel costs. Deadlines in Dec and Jan.

For more details, see www.ssns.org.uk/funding/

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Reposted by Hannah Armstrong

Being Human Festival @beinghumanfest.bsky.social · Sep 5

Call for applications for the British Academy SHAPE Involve and Engage funding scheme to support ambitious projects to engage the public with the humanities and social sciences.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/shap...
Deadline 15 October

@britishacademy.bsky.social

SHAPE Involve and Engage

A funding programme for innovative public engagement from the British Academy.

www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Sep 4

This betrays their very middle class approach to university studies - that is, that everyone would be willing and able to move to wherever in the country offers the specialism that they want to do. They claim to want more equitable access to HE but are merrily creating education deserts.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Sep 4

'Urging vice-chancellors to sharpen their institutions’ focus, he said: “I would encourage you to think about what is your specialism, what are you really deeply good at, and invest heavily in that".' Hmm. If based on evidence not ideology, doing this would map out differently in SHAPE & STEM. 2/2

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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · Aug 29

First time I've sobbed at the end of a video essay

The Unforgivable Sin of Ms Rachel

YouTube video by Lindsay Ellis

www.youtube.com

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Francesca Brooks @francescabrooks.bsky.social · Sep 4

I've been talking about this network a lot recently! If you're a UK ECR (you have your PhD in hand), sign up for it!
You don't need an affiliation. You get access to their brilliant events (they fund your travel so you can attend), offer biannual conference funding, + access to larger funding opps.

The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · Sep 4

The British Academy's Early Career Researcher Network is now UK-wide with its final expansion to the South East, East of England and Yorkshire and Humber announced today. Read more: https://bit.ly/3HSpAWP

Early Career Researcher Network now UK-wide after expanding to South East, East of England and Yorkshire & Humber

The British Academy’s Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) is now UK-wide with the South East, East of England and Yorkshire & Humber regions added in September 2025.

bit.ly

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 28

For those following this story, there has now been some movement with the UK government saying they will assist 40 students to reach a third country for visa processing. A glimmer of hope, but pressure needs to be kept up.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Natalie Hopwood @nrhopwood.bsky.social · Aug 28

@necron-network.bsky.social is coming to @imc-leeds.bsky.social 2026!

This in-person roundtable is open to all current NECRON members. To get involved, email Natalie Hopwood ([email protected]) with a short bio and a brief overview of what you want to say by 15th Sept.

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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · Aug 26

A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls.

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 20

Not a problem at all! And thanks again, I really appreciate you taking the time to do it!

Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 19

That would be amazing, thank you so much!

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Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 19

Gently giving this a bump #medievalsky

Hannah Armstrong @hjparmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 18

📄 Hello! Would anyone happen to have access to Geraldine Barnes's 'Travel and translatio studii in the Icelandic Riddarasögur'? 🙏

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