The Georgian government follows the established authoritarian trajectory and now targets the independence of universities. Please sign and share the petition below in solidarity with ISU. docs.google.com/forms/d/1d4w...

I absolutely agree with this in that - if you're thinking about doing a PhD, you need to be okay with that even if it's just the PhD. The odds are, there will not be an academic job at the end. However, we also need to be very clear on the realities of the PhD. It is not a good early graduate job.

I’m looking forward to presenting my work (a book pitch??) this Saturday at the CEEShub 2026 conference in Tallinn. Reach out if you're around! In case you're attending, I’ll be part of Panel M-134 from 11:30–13:00. securityhub.ee/conference-p...

I'm presenting my paper on how queers in Georgia (Sakartvelo) navigate and survive the enforcement of cisheteronormativity at the panel 3A-9 (9 am). Stop by if you're around! #Aleksanteri2025

As thousands have gathered in central Tbilisi, the main pro-government TV channel, Imedi is downplaying the scale of the protests with drone footage showing empty streets. ⭕ Georgia Live Updates: oc-media.org/live-updates...

This is crazy news, and I hope it's not the end. Back in 2016, GIP was the only CEE think tank that replied to my cold call for an internship—this pretty much set me on the path of engaging with Georgia.

Join us next Sunday (28/9) for an afternoon of political co-learning, community building, and creative resistance, with a focus on counter-narratives from diverse communities in the face of growing far-right ideologies. Please RSVP to receive updates. actionnetwork.org/events/festi...

Due to oppressive legislative changes, LGBTQI+ and other activist groups in Georgia (Sakartvelo) are no longer able to receive institutional financial support. Support them directly: www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

17.

There are two wolves inside the person who decided that these two round tables would take place at the same time. #iccees2025

I'll be talking about the movement away from/towards regimes of belonging as an everyday security practice tomorrow at #iccees2025. Come say hi if you're around! www.myeventflo.com/event-lectur...

I've spent the past ten minutes staring at the picture trying to decide whether it's meant to be a (bad) joke or I'm just reading too much into it. I still don't know.

Bahruz Samadov, @unikarlova.cuni.cz PhD student, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his research. What action are the university, Czech MFA and @digitalnicesko.bsky.social taking?

I'm happy to share that I relaunched my ✨ personal website ✨ www.davidrypel.com (I may start blogging there too, if I ever find the confidence to share my hot takes outside my instagram)

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

Víc než 1 z 10 Čechů se často nebo skoro nikdy nedokáže dopravit za základními službami a činnostmi tak, jak potřebuje. Vyplývá to z výzkumu Institutu2050. Mezi nejohroženější patří nízkopříjmoví z odlehlých obcí do 5000 obyvatel. Jde hlavně o lidi mladší nebo ve středním věku. irozhl.as/vSd

Georgia’s Parliament has undertaken such a vast legislative agenda in recent years that it can be hard to keep track of what laws have been passed. ▶️ Here are 16 legislative changes that have shaped Georgia’s authoritarian slide: oc-media.org/explainer-th...

"Most of the areas overtaken by Molinia [...] would favour temperate rainforest: a vanishingly rare, rich + complex habitat." This single species of grass now artificially dominates probably many 1,000s of km2 in Ireland, creating vast deadzones. Yet here too, it's scarcely mentioned.

Might you or someone you know be interested in joining our team of volunteers, helping us with organizing the 🔥 RUTA conference in the Carpathian Mountains (June 26-29), check out our call. Proficiency in Ukrainian is key. Travel and accommodation covered ruta-association.org/news/call-fo...

ECR question: How do you decide which academic association(s) to join, within your discipline/field and across, if you do interdisciplinary work? Does it depend on the conferences you attend or something else too? Do you prioritise national or international associations? Etc. #academicsky

I don't know who needs to know this, but I found an *extremely easy* way to sync annotated Zotero pdf files across devices + what seems a secure cloud provider today. Didn't expect my post-PhD to be this exciting. koofr.eu/blog/posts/k...

Nice piece from @tamtagelashvili.bsky.social on Georgian Dream's use of political queerphobia. I'd just add that the (hetero)sexualisation of nation is not limited to the far-right; this is the cornerstone of nationalism (personification of nations as women etc.) feminism-boell.org/en/2025/04/1...

Spot on from Judith Butler. The threat to young people's wellbeing doesn't come from trans people - it comes from parents and politicians who won't accept LGBTQ children for who they are.

We are sorry to learn of the death of Elspeth Probyn, Professor of Gender & Cultural Studies at @sydney.edu.au and author of "Eating the Ocean" (2016). Our thoughts are with her family, friends, colleagues and students.

@timeshighered.bsky.social with a list of the most recent job cuts at UK universities. #UKHE #AcademicSky

I'm happy to share that I passed my PhD viva (with no corrections). I am grateful to my examiners, Dr Cai Wilkinson and Dr Irina Petrova, for their insightful questions and comments *and* kind words. I wish more academic conversations were held in this spirit; academia needs more care.

1/ Today, Georgian Dream’s illegitimate parliament passed two bills: the so-called FARA, which is a direct translation of the U.S. law, and a media restriction bill in its first hearing. What is the second bill about? A thread 🧵

In December, I submitted my PhD thesis on the everyday security and belonging of queer people in Georgia (Sakartvelo). Here are some key points as I wait for my viva. www.linkedin.com/pulse/everyd...

🇬🇪 For 63 days, the protest in Georgia hasn’t stopped. Just around an hour ago, demonstrators blocked the road near the Georgian Public Broadcaster, demanding the immediate release of Mzia Amaghlobeli, independent and impartial coverage, and

Just a kind reminder that Georgians took to the streets on November 28 to protest the regime’s decision to halt negotiations with the EU and have not stopped for 43 days, despite brutal crackdowns, mass arrests, repressions, and the much-loved Christmas holidays. #GeorgiaProtests 1/2

📢Applications are open: bit.ly/4iuMRM2 We invite current PhD students from eastern, central or southeastern Europe who wish to spend a term at SSEES to apply for the Bracewell Scholarship. The award will cover the tuition fee costs for one term, plus a living cost stipend. Deadline: 31 March 2025

You may well read this as the authorities saying "we're actually planning to kill people this week", and setting the narrative for that. (The same line had been put out by the SVR this July.) The responsibility for all of this is squarely with GD.

Georgia now, regime-affiliated thugs close to murdering people in the streets www.instagram.com/reel/DDSbJy-...

London, tomorrow at 12:00 www.instagram.com/p/DDOHzIgqSI...

This is end. Absolutely terrible if this is the plan. Whole new order

Still needed. Watching isn't enough.

About an hour ago, as some protesters were peacefully heading home from Rustaveli avenue, riot police stationed at First Republic Square suddenly began chasing them without warning, grabbing several individuals. There was no reason for this aggression. Video: @publikage.bsky.social

Hello academic friends, it's probably not going to save the day, but if you want to express your support to Georgians, here's an open letter you can sign: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Great news for fans of Czech cinema: The National Film Archive is now presenting classic films on YouTube, adding new titles every Tuesday and Friday. The most recent to go up is Kouř/Smoke (1990), by Tomáš Vorel. 🇨🇿📽️ youtube.com/@Filmovaklas...

#Tbilisi Now: For the 7th consecutive night, protesters have filled the streets over Georgia’s stalled EU accession and drift toward Russia.

Georgia's anti-LGBTQI law comes into force today, prohibiting (among others) legal and medical gender transition or information about queer people in education and broadcasting. oc-media.org/features/exp...

Tbilisi right now, after the most vicious assault of the regime in the morning. They need to go. And watching this amount of angry crowd, I’d start packing. #GeorgiaProtests 📷 Ezz Gaber

The number of UK universities now actively making redundancies has risen to 85. That number will be will over 100 by spring. I'm afraid this is happening faster, and will be worse, than even I thought. Solidarity and thoughts with and to all affected. qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...

DONATIONS NEEDED: Hello friends, keeping eyes on Georgia is essential now, as is material support. If you've benefited from Georgia's hospitality in any way - maybe as a tourist or a person seeking shelter - or hope to visit it as a free country, now is a great time to show your appreciation. 1/3

Tbilisi last night

The end is nigh. oc-media.org/live-updates...

🧵But why Mikheil Kavelashvili, someone who represents absolutely nothing, lacks higher education and a political career, and whose only social capital is his background as a football player? 1/

London, catch me here on Monday; rumour has it that I'll share my hot takes on the Q&A www.eventbrite.com/e/film-cross...

The majority of people that Israel kills are civilians, close to half of them children, but Lipavský insists this is self-defence. This is why he should not be platformed. There can be no meaningful discussion with someone who vocally supports this.