Grad students: want to publish your work and grow your voice as a historian? The AHA is selecting three grad students to write two columns each for online publication in #AHAPerspectives. It’s a chance to sharpen your writing and reach a wide audience. 🗓 Apply by April 27

Exciting opportunity from my employer to spend an hour and a half in the middle of the semester in a workshop on burnout

Predicting market is just tech bro for gambling

The Kazakh Spring by Cambridge University Press is the winner of the BASEEES Alexander Nove Prize ❤️ Thank you so much!!! basees.org/nove-prize

Join us this Thursday-Saturday for the Seventh Annual Virtual Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Studies Conference at Indiana University events.iu.edu/reei/event/2...

Join us this Thursday-Saturday for the Seventh Annual Virtual Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Studies Conference at Indiana University events.iu.edu/reei/event/2...

What's #Kazakhstan's new constitution all about? Read about it in my piece from last week for @eurasianet.bsky.social, now that referendum results are in showing a whopping 87% of voters approved it. eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-p...

How the hell did we come up with “knowledge” as any kind of way to spell a thing

Look what arrived today! Replaying the Second World War, my newest book, is now available through ibidem Press, and distributed by Columbia University Press. #russia #ukraine #russiaswarinukraine #newbook

In this book, I cover a variety of topics from the instrumentalization of denazification and "Desatanization" to sexual violence, targeting civilians, population transfers and weaeponization of food all to try to explain why war crimes have been so extensive in Russia's War against Ukraine.

The behavior of sporting orgs is significant because they lose money over canceling and so do so as a last resort. Formula 1 canceling races nearly a month out (although equipment would be shipped ahead of that) shows a distinct lack of confidence in the Iran war ending any time soon

An incredible cover has landed for an incredible book - Philippa Hetherington's "Circulating Subjects: Sex Work and Migration in Russia, 1885–1935." More on how to pre-order a copy of her "riveting" and "radical" @cornellupress.bsky.social book here: www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Taking migraine meds out of the packet whilst on a work call kind of day

By which I mean - 13th-14th March

Work thing three: I am going to try and explain my approach to historical and present-day war wounds to the fine people at the Injury Studies Network this weekend injurystudies.org/upcoming-inj...

Work thing two: I am happy to announce that I have received a College of Arts and Humanities Institute Research Fellowship for Spring 2027 to help me finish my current book project on wounded soldiers in the 17th and 21st centuries

Works things! Work thing one: come listen to me virtually talk about how unicorns are science actually and tangentially how IU’s ChatGPT account temporarily locked me out for making too many images of unicorns elbowresearch.com/programme/

If friendship is measured in volume of texts then I am besties with CVS

In the usual round of stupid where we no longer want online classes but we do want high-registering classes but also we don’t have enough big classrooms to accommodate that

In memory of Pete, we have launched the Pete Duncan Memorial Fund, which will support PhD students at the School. Donations can be made via peter-duncan-2026.muchloved.com

💭 Iran at War: The Russian Angle A major war against #Iran raises urgent questions about Russia’s role in the Middle East. @hannanotte.bsky.social and @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social assess the broader implications. Register: zoom.us/webinar/regi...

How exactly does a cat unscrew a ballpoint pen

Q from one of my students: did Putin directly comment on various countries removing their Lenin statues and if so can you point us towards a quote?

Today is the four year anniversary of Putin’s plan to take Kyiv in 3 days

Me, a Brit, living in the US

I have however decided to make my day much worse by watching a 30 minute Russian propaganda film from 2023 about how Russian civilians should donate or volunteer to help wounded soldiers

It’s actually my birthday today and guys, thank you, what a thoughtful gift

Oh SHIT

Russia declares George Washington University an undesirable organization, making it illegal to participate in its activities. Previously Russia banned Yale in a similar way as well as few other U.S. and European higher ed organizations www.rbc.ru/politics/29/...

Russian prosecutors have declared The George Washington University “undesirable.” The reason is “a special analytical center” on Russia providing a platform for “anti-Russian statements, reports aimed at discrediting Russia” (not naming the center) 1/3

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our dear colleague and friend, Dr Peter Duncan. Professor Simon Dixon pays tribute to him here: www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

I remember Pete Duncan from the very first day I walked into SSEEES as an undergrad. Just an incredibly sad day

Watching with interest the changing language politics in Kazakhstan. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 - in part justified by a claim of protecting Russophone Ukrainians - many Kazakhstanis who had previously spoken Russian as their everyday language switched to Kazakh

Ghost of Emily Brontë: am I remembered? Me: yes, a new Wuthering Heights is coming out now Brontë: and does it look good? Me: no, it looks like it will be an almost unbearable saga of confusingly sexy suffering for everyone involved Brontë: I love it.

Deciding to give myself a relaxing Friday by reading about the relationship between poor military medical preparedness and Russia’s failed 2022 Blitzkrieg

Storm watching from Indiana. The fact we’re in the red bit means we will be nice and toasty warm this weekend as I understand it

It’s January so it’s time for internet articles on how to be your best on a budget. Why spend your hard earned money on Starbucks when foraging for acorns in the woods is delicious AND a good workout

Ending a busy first week of the semester being haunted around the building by myself

Absolute animals emailing me on 1st January to schedule meetings for the Spring semester

The thing I am writing would benefit from reproducing some of the graphics from recent Russian military medical publications but given that I would then need permission from the copyright holder that’s probably a no

Primary sources on famous military losses are like “we did great, everything went well and we were winning and then just decided to leave for … reasons… maybe we just just winning too much yes that’s what it was anyway we left the battle we were winning congratulations to us”

GP cancelled an appointment and offered a replacement slot… three months later

Pharmacy tech: you’re one day older than my dad! Me: 💀

Happy turning on your out-of-office email season to all those who celebrate

Me answering emails this week

We’re also swapping out working class people for billionaires which is probably a metaphor for something

Some nerd spam from someone masquerading as the @historians.org - pay a fee to get a copy of the AHA program

SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going— SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti— SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE

Having to use two-factor authentication to log in to my work phone in my work office before people I work with can call me and I grew up in a house with a rotary phone