A different question which is a bit unclear is how international funding will play out and how it fits in ‘bucket theory’. Given geopolitics is looming so large right now, it seems very important that we fund a lot of insight into that (which is obviously very humanities & social science territory)

Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition. TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’ www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...

University is not a business, students are not customers, education is not a product, researchers are not salespeople.

‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery. On a quiz that covered concepts they’d used just a few minutes before, participants in the AI group scored 17% lower than those who coded by hand’ Blog on Anthropic’s site www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...

The latest book in our Critical Heritages of Europe series with Routledge is out! Do take a look at all 14 books in the series so far - we have more in the pipeline too for 2026 www.routledge.com/Critical-Her...

Pleasure to contribute to this report on local climate action in the UK for Climate Emergency UK CIC. Thanks to Liam Clegg for doing the number-crunching to underpin the analysis. The full report will be launched at this event in London on 18 March www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/accelerati...

From 2016... youtu.be/qmMUznSig3I?...

Asking AI to do it for you - deprives you of that learning opportunity. You’re reduced to someone pressing a button on a vending machine. So tell me - am I just a Luddite?

And that is: asking a student to do a literature review isn’t really about the output, the final product. It’s about learning the process - assessing the quality of the evidence as you read it, learning how your question may evolve as you engage with the literature, learning how to spot SALIENCE 1/2

Listening to a discussion about AI in university education with Amol Rajan & Prof Duncan Iveston on Radio 4 Today. Too short to get into the nuance of course, but an observation that copilot can do a literate review for you very quickly perfectly illustrates one of my main concerns with AI…1/1

'Roughly 13,300 people received severance pay from this sample of the sector alone – well above the 10,000 predicted by experts. This is in addition to 9,290 and 6,960 in the two previous years – almost 30,000 in total.' This number will rise: many universities have not yet posted their data. 2/2

'Of the 90 accounts made public thus far, the sector spent £303.3 million on compensation for loss of office. This was up from £177.9 million among the same institutions the year before, a 71 per cent increase and almost triple the £110.1 million in 2022-23.' 1/2

Me: Hmm, how bad can it be? Opens image: Oh.

Historians: discuss.

Nice job opening at Leuphana www.leuphana.de/en/universit...

I'm very happy to see this #openaccess paper out to start off 2026! It was mostly written almost two years ago, when I was reflecting on 20 years of research and teaching in Museum Studies in the UK, but also increasingly facing questions from academics... www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

DFG erlaubt Einsatz von KI in der Begutachtung. Wenn wir jetzt noch die AI dazu kriegen, die komplette Forschung zu machen, haben wir den Menschen komplett von der Last des Forschungsprozzeses befreit und er kann sich komplett auf wichtige Dinge wie Reisekostenerstattungsanträge konzentrieren.

⚠️ Update: Aufgrund des Anschlags auf das Berliner Stromnetz unterstützt die @BVG_Unternehmen betroffene Anwohnerinnen und Anwohner mit Hilfsangeboten vor Ort. An den Endstellen Zehlendorf, Düppel-Süd, Nikolassee und in Wannsee stehen täglich zw. 15 und 21 Uhr beheizte Busse…

Die Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz bietet allen Besuchenden, die vom aktuellen Stromausfall in Berlin betroffen sind, ab sofort bis einschließlich Donnerstag, den 8. Januar 2026, freien Eintritt in sämtliche Häuser der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin und in das Musikinstrumentenmuseum. Mehr:

Snow time!

Mensch-Werden, Mensch-Sein am IEG Mainz! Wir bieten ab Februar 26 eine Promotionsstelle zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Menschwerdung, mit @jpaulmann.bsky.social und @mwilckens.bsky.social im Rahmen von @sortingpeople.bsky.social Deadline 4. Januar 2026 www.ieg-mainz.de/job/wissensc...

Just like the waves at Whitley Bay this afternoon, the old year seeps slowly away while the new one tumbles towards us, all under the moon's watchful gaze.

Zwischen den Jahren

Mmm, oh ja es weihnachtet sehr!

We made a mistake by calling the output of AI ‘slop’. In academia it is now looking much more like toxic pollution, on the verge of laying waste to previously fertile plains. Suing for royalties is only a small part of the battle.

Im Rahmen der Ausstellung „Flucht“ initiiert das Museum Europäischer Kulturen das partizipative Vermittlungsprojekt „Wurzeln schlagen“. In kreativen Workshops beschäftigen sich Menschen mit und ohne Fluchterfahrung gemeinsam mit den Themen Ankommen, Verwurzelung und Neuanfang.

🔔🔔🔔 CfP: Für die Rubrik "ipb beobachtet" im Forschungsjournal suchen wir immer nach aktuellen, pointierten und kritischen Beiträgen zu Protesten, Bewegungsdynamiken und Zivilgesellschaft! Alle Texte open access bei @protestinstitut.bsky.social protestinstitut.eu/publikatione... Idee? ✉️ an mich!

The Open Access is now available for "Historical Authenticity" Many thanks to the @leibniz-gemeinschaft.de for the support!👏👇 doi.org/10.5040/9781350474857

Job: 0,75 Wiss. Kurator:in "DFG/AHRC Projekt: Toxic Heritage" (DMT-LB mbH, Bochum) https://www.hsozkult.de/job/id/job-159539 Bochum, 01.06.2026-31.05.2028, DMT-LB mbH, Bewerbungsschluss: 15.02.2026 0,75 Wissenschaftliche/r Kurator/in (m/w/d) im DFG/AHRC Projekt "Toxic Heritage"

📖Out now: "Historical Authenticity. A transdisciplinary compendium", ed. by Martin Sabrow & Achim Saupe (@zzfpotsdam.bsky.social), published by @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social. The book was published in German first in 2022 by @wallsteinverlag.bsky.social and now has been revised and translated 🎉

Nigel Farage told to apologise by 26 of his school contemporaries

This is in addition to a planned youth mobility scheme for 18-30 years old (which would be a very good thing too).

Tenure track juniorprofessorship in education and communication of material culture, Oldenburg University uol.de/job/juniorpr...

How rethinking departmental structure can strengthen #interdisciplinary teaching and research in the #humanities: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/weave-interdisciplinarity-identity-your-humanities-department#interdisciplinary#humanities#HigherEd #AcademicSky #EduSky

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme

Now that antifreeze has been applied to REF2029, we know that research environments (now called SPRE) will be assessed 60% at institutional level (by an Institutional Level Statement) and 40% at Unit of Assessment level (by a Unit Level Statement). Will we see a STEM SPRE triumph? 1/5 #Skystorians

'What seven months of Reform UK in charge actually looks like' www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

For avoidance of confusion, that’s just about all academic staff, excluding Heads of Dept and- of course - Senior Management Team.

New Vacancy at the European University Viadrina @viadrina.eu Full Professorship (W3) in Ukrainian Studies 📍 Faculty of Cultural Sciences 📅 Starting: 1 October 2026 ⏳ Permanent position 🔗More details: www.europa-uni.de/de/universit...

Call for Papers "Polarized Democracies: New Lines of Division in Europe" für einen Workshop des "Mercator Forum Migration und Demokratie" vom 11.-12.06.2026 in Dresden. Die Deadline für Abstracts ist der 20.01.2026. Zum Call: forum-midem.de/wp-content/u...

Just got an early Christmas present @bloomsburyacad.bsky.social - my author copy of the Transdisciplinary Compendium of Historical Authenticity! Its lovely to see my chapter on Belonging in such company. Thanks to @valuepast.bsky.social for the invitation to write in both English & German versions!

This is wonderful and also true. The analogies you draw, the thoughts you suddely have, the roads you pursue, the structures you comprehend, simply because a piece of art or theatre shakes you up and makes you think differently.

So kid, in your heart you want to study humanities but you worry about your job prospects? Let’s play a game. On the latest data, who is more likely to be unemployed after 15 months after graduation. The English Lit grad or the Maths grad? WRONG!

You can explore the data in this great report. My point is not to set one subject against another but that the stereotypes about humanities employability need a bit of probing, and shouldn’t be the thing that put someone off what they want to study graduatemarkettrends.cdn.prismic.io/graduatemark...

This is the most alarming story I’ve read today. Giving up the fight before it’s started

Beautiful early morning walk to Cullercoats, to remember a friend.

I highly recommend happening upon a murmuration over the coast as a very relaxing way to end a long and busy week! #Aberystwyth @wigsblog.bsky.social

Lovely 2days at the #W+IGS conference in Aberystwyth. I really enjoyed all the presentations and the friendly, supportive atmosphere - Women+ in #GermanStudies is the group to join if that sounds like your cup of tea!

We are seeing multiple university course closures across a range of arts, humanities & social sciences. I'll be in the East Midlands at De Montfort University on Thurs 27 Nov talking about why these disciplines are essential to the future of the UK. All welcome www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-a-...

Wo gräbt WELT nur immer diese Leute aus: Ein Peter Hoeres, Professor für Neueste Geschichte an der Uni Würzburg, schreibt irres Zeug über den scheidenden Chef der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Thomas Krüger. Den Nachfolger Sönke Rix (SPD) hält er auch für einen "linken Chefideologen".