It's not out yet, but you can look forward to chapter 3 of my upcoming book 'Make Cheese Not War' for some background on tractor marches in the 1970s (including discovery that the government tried to bar them from the public highway near Orleans to prevent them entering Paris - they did it anyway!)

Chaos on the trains, I'm still stuck at Waterloo. Have decided to take the Shaun of the Dead approach: head to the pub, nice cold pint, wait for it all to blow over

Practical example of how a place being packed with sheep can make it difficult to do... anything! For similar ovine invasions (inc protesters disrupting a trial by packing a court with sheep), you can read my open access article in @frenchhistory.bsky.social! 🗃️ academic.oup.com/fh/article/3...

Check out Sophie Scott-Brown's fascinating new article (the 3rd in our article series on rethinking internationalism) on 'Internationalism as Encounter: Grassroots Diplomacy on the San Francisco-to-Moscow March, 1960–61' with @hisjournalha.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

If @netflix.com new adaptation of Agatha Christie's Seven Dials has you curious about Seven Dials & #20s30s Britain, you might like the @manchesterup.bsky.social Jan sale: 40% off Songs of Seven Dials: An intimate history of 1920s and 1930s London manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526181954/

'Despite all their difficulties, universities remain an enormous and irreplaceable national asset. As well as educating millions of people, they generate about £24bn in export earnings, which is about 1% of GDP – more than aircraft manufacturing and legal services combined'. 1/2

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Today’s episode in our occasional series with historian @robertsaunders.bsky.social on significant political anniversaries looks at the event that blew British politics apart at the start of 1886. The ‘Hawarden Kite’. Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Working on article proofs for the Journal of Tourism History. My article is called: "Building a French Florida: the Mission Racine and the ‘touristification’ of the Languedoc-Roussillon". This article may be a foundation for a future book project looking at the transformation of the southern coast

Join us next Monday at @institutfrancaisdk.bsky.social Prof Renaud Morieux (Cambridge) speaking on Dislocated Families in Âge of Revolutions! Book here frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/douglas-john... drinks & canapés @asmcf.bsky.social @smidbob.bsky.social @royalhistsoc.org @hfrancewebsite.bsky.social

If you've ever been keen to read my first book on the winegrowers of the Languedoc, Terror and Terroir, then it is currently available for £15 in paperback with the MUP sale (just add JAN40 at checkout) manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526131898/

Applications are also invited for a new RHS programme for 2026, co-hosted with @ihr.bsky.social and @chalkefestival.bsky.social. 'Pitch my Project' is for early career historians to present their research at the Chalke History Festival in June bit.ly/44kfUMM. Closing date: 6 February. #Skystorians

Looking for an intellectual treat? @petermandler.bsky.social 's Ford Lectures on 'The Language of Social Science in Everyday Life' begin Thursday 22 January and continue weekly through 26 February in Oxford. #Skystorians

Unexpected festive treat: article acceptance email arrived from the journal editor after 5pm last night!

Does the Bombsight map not work any more? Looking ropey for me for some reason bombsight.org

On this day in 1941 the personnel who carried out Operation Anthropoid took off from RAF Tangmere. Here's an article I wrote up for our Save Tangmere Tower campaign #skystorians 🗃 #OTD savetangmeretower.com/operation-an...

Looking for a New Year's resolution that is good for your mind and (relatively) easy to keep? Check out the Institute of Historical Research seminars for January 2026. Fourteen seminars in week 1 alone. Free, broad-ranging, open to the public and usually available both in person and online.

Hello and welcome to our last Francophone Friday of 2025! We will be taking a break from threads during the festive period and will be back on Monday, 12/01/2026 – but not before we share with you some exciting research and opportunities in or about the Francophone world! 1/11

Wonder what's in Sarkozy's book but in no way want to read it? Good news! I've got your back. I wrote up a blog post on the former French President's prison diaries and what they say about contemporary French politics: awmsmith.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/d...

Enjoyed visiting the Foreign Office tonight to participate in a roundtable on France. Really interesting discussion about Franco-British relations and developments in the National Assembly and European Union

On soggy baguettes, mysterious flower deliveries, and the temptations of the far right for the former President...

Wonder what's in Sarkozy's book but in no way want to read it? Good news! I've got your back. I wrote up a blog post on the former French President's prison diaries and what they say about contemporary French politics: awmsmith.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/d...

Been at Graduation this morning for @qmulhss.bsky.social students, supporting some of our first Liberal Arts students graduating! It's genuinely amazing to see how well they've done

'Our strengths in arts, humanities and social sciences are just as important as those in science and technology for the contributions they make to innovation, the economy, culture and society—as the Russell Group’s recent analysis of graduate skills in industrial strategy sectors showed.' 2/2

I really enjoyed this article, both for the interesting discussion of course creation and especially the methodological focus on evaluative frameworks and building that into design. I've already shared it with 2 sets of colleagues this morning!

New today in Transactions: 'Teaching History Inclusively: A Pedagogical Case Study from an Institution Shaped by Empire' bit.ly/4pHzECD Eleanor Newbigin and Sarah Tucker on the value of developing critical pedagogies in history for HE education @soashistory.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2

🇬🇧 Du pape au Grinch, des centaines de teckels en costumes se sont rassemblés à Hyde Park pour une promenade de Noël. Ana Rodriguez organise depuis huit ans ces rendez-vous pour teckels à Londres avec cette année environ 1.000 chiens saucisses participant à la ballade ⤵️

The machine spins, the chimneys belch, lights across the globe flicker, and a whole civilisation waits with bated breath for the grand pronouncement. At last a screen flashes, clears, and upon it appear two fateful words: MONKEY TENNIS

This essay contained some really striking reflections, what a fantastic read

Finally! The solution for AI-proofing our assessments! (All essay mills soon to double as blood banks)

My weekend has been un peu trop sportif. Played rugby for the first time in a while yesterday, then took my daughter ice skating this morning. Holy moley, I am stiff as a board. Revelling in my wife's comment that I was "weirdly graceful" out on the ice

Momentarily thrown when an email reads: "Considering your expertise in modern French history and alcohol" ... until I realise they're talking about my first book and not my weekend plans

Dr @charlottefaucher.bsky.social (@frenchatbristol.bsky.social) has published a new report which examines three decades of UK cultural diplomacy and offers insights for shaping future strategies Read more about Charlotte's key recommendations on UK soft power 👇 www.bristol.ac.uk/sml/news/202...

It's an early Christmas miracle, an online meeting scheduled for an hour only took 15 mins!

When will this crisis get any attention whatsoever!? A THOUSAND ACADEMIC STAFF AT ONE INSTITUTION SERVED REDUNDANCY RISK NOTICES! And that's not counting what's surely being visited on professional services staff too. This is an economic catastrophe, to say nothing of the intellectual catastrophe!

We are pleased to launch today a new programme for early career researchers with @ihr.bsky.social & @chalkefestival.bsky.social 'Pitch my Project' is an opportunity for early career historians to present their research at the Chalke History Festival in 2026 bit.ly/44kfUMM Applications now invited.

This morning Research England announced the end of its pause to REF2029 bit.ly/4oHh9wJ. The announcement includes changes to earlier plans and resumption of criteria setting by subject panels. There's much to digest and we'll review and update with reference to the discipline of history 1/3

And we're off! UUK's Research & Innovation conference with panels on REF2029 are now underway, as pause transitions into the forward march toward November 2028, and beyond. 1/n

Thrilled to see this introduction by me and Charlotte Ann Legg to our special issue on "Connected Histories of Empire: France, Britain & the Pacific" is now out and in open access. The rest of our special issue – with a fantastic array of articles – will be out soon! @journalpacifichist.bsky.social

REF2029 pause ends today, with UUK conference talks starting at 10:00 and embargo lifted at 11:00. Register to listen online. (There is also a Q&A session).

I genuinely thought this was Barry Chuckle (RIP) at first glance

History UK has today released its 'History UK Disability and History Report' (2025): bit.ly/44PH51Z The report aims to raise the profile of issues relating to disability and history in UK Higher Education. Its research and writing were co-funded by the Royal Historical Society. #Skystorians

Good news from the production folk - final files for my book have been handed over to @manchesterup.bsky.social to go to print! Look out for 'Make cheese not war: Transnational resistance and the Larzac in modern France' in Feb 2026 🗃️ #skystorians manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526175878/

As a disabled historian I am so pleased that History UK (co-funded with @royalhistsoc.org) have published their report on disabled student & staff experiences of #highereducation & history. It makes for a difficult reading at times, but none of it is surprising. www.history-uk.ac.uk/projects/his...

My daughter has to dress up for "Anglo Saxon" day at school on Tuesday, so after some quick planning, I'm taking @emile-chabal.bsky.social's cue, interpreting it as a "mirror to Frenchness", and sending her in an Asterix costume aeon.co/essays/the-a...

Hello and welcome to our Francophone Friday thread, where we come together to highlight research being conducted in or about the Francophone world! These threads are created with help of our members, so if you want to advertise events, publications, etc about Francophone research, do reach out! 1/9

Tonight!

Send us your feedback on The National Archives’ digital capacity building strategy, Our Digital Century, that ends in 2026! Your responses to this survey will help us evaluate the programme and ensure future initiatives meet the sector’s needs: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/OISX44/ ⏰31 January 2026 (1/2)

📢CfP: DIFFICULT COLLECTIONS📢 What can practitioners & researchers do with difficult heritage preserved in galleries, libraries, archives and museums? - Paper Trails (a Book as Online Open Content) Special Issue - Proposal deadline: 31/01/2026 - Details: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/special-coll... 🗃️ #GLAM

Excitingly, my book now has a cover. You can see it here, where you can also now pre-order! www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/no-sec...

Please do have a look at our CFP on 'Difficult Collections' and consider submitting a proposal to Paper Trails. We have flexible formats, exciting content, and a commitment to open access publishing! (details at the link - any Qs get in touch!) #skystorians 🗃️