A key piece of research...

Very interesting and probably a sign of more to come elsewhere in the country... www.gre.ac.uk/articles/uni...

A real privilege to have been shortlisted for Outstanding Research Supervisor of the Year in the @timeshighered.bsky.social #THEAwards (as has my legendary biology colleague @larschittka.bsky.social). And wonderful to see @qmul.bsky.social shortlisted for University of the Year.

Record number of students took GCSE Geography this year over 302,000 (up from 180,000 15 years ago). Congratulations to Geography teachers and students celebrating!

This has been a great project to be a part of -- come explore the Bengali history of east London! www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2...

Enjoyed World Economic History Congress in Lund, Sweden, though at certain moments couldn’t help reflecting that economic history seems to have lost its way. I heard some great papers and a brilliant final session I went ‘Decolonising affluent societies’ (sadly sparsely attended) gave some hope!

We're taking part in Open House Festival 2025! 🏠 On Sunday 14th September we'll be running two social history tours of our Mile End campus, led by @alastairhackney.bsky.social and Nadia Valman. Booking will open on 20th August ⚡ programme.openhouse.org.uk/listings/1432

British Academy postdoctoral fellowships scheme is now open. The deadline is 1 October. Time to get talking with potential host institutions and mentors about planning an application for this year or instead waiting for a future round. (The scheme is annual).

Raunchy Handel’s Semele at Royal Opera House last night. Pretty Yende a fabulous diva Semele, Ben Bliss a virile Jupiter, and Alice Coote a persuasive Juno. Other roles just as good and nice taught choruses. Only cried twice. Go see - POWER30 gets 30% off

On the 17 June 1995 I moved to Hackney, probably the best thing I've ever done. Here's to the next 30 years!

Great to be at UWE for the South West Geography Conference organised by wonderful Geography South West - how many free conferences are there nowadays? What an opportunity! Jon from The GA is kicking things off with a look at green skills. @stevebracegeog.bsky.social @alastairhackney.bsky.social

Schubertiade! Come hear world-class musicians in Mile End at our 5th Ragged School Music Festival, 20-22 June 2025 Alina IBRAGIMOVA, violin Marie-Elisabeth HECKER, cello Elisabeth LEONSKAJA, piano Pavel KOLESNIKOV, piano Samson TSOY, piano Tickets: raggedschoolmuseum.org.uk/fifth-ragged...

Last call! New perspectives on nineteenth-century childhoods at the Ragged School Museum, London E3, 1pm-8pm, Wednesday 4 June. Free but please register by 4pm on Friday 30 May (so we can plan catering): buytickets.at/qmul19c/1704...

Queen Mary College’s (@qmul.ac.uk) new Crittall windows — a feature of its Engineering Building Stage 2 development (designed by Playne and Lacey Architects) advertised in East London Papers, July 1965

REMINDER: We offer bursaries of up to £500 per head to support UK-based postgraduate and early career researchers to arrange panels on London-related topics for academic conferences. See here for further details on how to apply (please repost to help spread the word!)

Hackney Half done (and a bit quicker this year at 1:48). Thank you to everyone who cheered me on and supported my fundraiser

Race day! #HackneyHalf www.justgiving.com/page/alastai...

Join us for 'New perspectives on nineteenth-century childhoods', 1pm-8pm on Wednesday 4 June 2025 at the Ragged School Museum, London E3. Panel discussions followed by keynote lecture by Prof Josephine McDonagh (Chicago). Free, but booking essential: www.tickettailor.com/events/qmul1...

Fascinating @suttontrust.bsky.social report on geography of social mobility in England. Using constituencies, highest ranked areas are in London (East Ham, top). Demonstrates critical importance of education at all levels and wider measures to tackle child poverty www.suttontrust.com/our-research...

Our @geographicalassoc.bsky.social statement on the crisis impacting UK Higher Education Geography. We urge universities to maintain their current capacity for geography and to capitalise on its growth in schools and relevance to the workplace and wider economy. geography.org.uk/ga-higher-ed...

Our @geographicalassoc.bsky.social statement on the crisis impacting UK Higher Education Geography. We urge universities to maintain their current capacity for geography and to capitalise on its growth in schools and relevance to the workplace and wider economy. geography.org.uk/ga-higher-ed...

Work Awayday at QE Olympic Park — feels like I am on A Level Geography field trip

When you live on the flight path for Buck Palace

Five years on from the start of the pandemic, I am interviewing Eithne Nightingale and neighbours as part of the Hackney History Festival about her documentary photography project Life under Lockdown. Join us at Sutton House, E9 6JQ, 11-11.50am Sunday 11 May, £3 www.tickettailor.com/events/hackn...

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Deadline is just under 3 weeks! Do share!

Compelling paper from David Cowan (Manchester) — illustrated through example of mid-1970s efforts to introduce UK wealth tax — on need for cultural history of the very rich and value of ‘moral economy’ framework #QMCBS

Calling @qmul.ac.uk nineteenth century colleagues and our friends!

Fully funded Queen Mary University of London with the Museum of the Home (Soundscapes of Domesticity: Music and Lived Experience in Non-Elite English Homes, 1780-1870). Deadline 17:00pm BST, Friday 23 May 2025. Great topic, great team. Go for it!

I am running the 2025 Hackney Half Marathon on 18 May in aid of Hackney Night Shelter - a local charity I volunteer for which supports people out of homelessness. Check out my @justgiving.bsky.social page and please donate if you can. Thank you! justgiving.com/page/alastai...

University of Derby faces mass job cuts as management plans to make half of senior academics redundant. Please spread the word. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1398...

One of my favourite paintings by one of the East London Group: “Mile End Road” by Elwin Hawthorne, 1930

I have a fully-funded, 4 yr AHRC collaborative PhD studentship 'Soundscapes of domesticity: music and lived experiences in non-elite English homes, 1780–1870' supervised by myself and Matt Ingleby with colleagues at The Museum of the Home. Deadline 23 May See: www.qmul.ac.uk/geog/postgra...

Historians/geographers/archaeologists: I'm looking for books where the historian goes to the places they are writing about as an integral part of the work (think Gange, Frayed Atlantic Edge). Also looking for theory/method about going to places & imagining them in the past. Any suggestions?

A privilege to hold in my hands a hot-off-the-press copy of this beautiful and timely book by @lanre-bakare.bsky.social

Yes this was great — thanks @samwetherell.bsky.social Really enjoying the book!

Twenty minutes after starting…

They must be on annual leave

Very useful reflections from Margot Finn on what’s happening to History and wider SHAPE landscape in UK universities @eicathomefinn.bsky.social journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...

Lecturer in Digital History  UCL - History Department #skystorians 🗃️www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMI974/l...

Lecturer/Associate Professor in Art and Material Cultures of Britain, c.1650-1900: a permanent post in UCL's History of Art Department. Includes British art and material culture in its global and colonial contexts. Standard teaching & research contract. 22 April. www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

Love it when you are reading and find this kind of thing in the middle of the text: 'Editor asks that this sentence be made clearer. (It doesn’t seem unclear to copy‐editor, but maybe it is a little expansion that is needed.) I won't embarrass anyone with where I found this!

Look out for the book coming sometime soon!

This Saturday afternoon (15th) at Hackney Archives -- do come along!

And very many thanks to London Arts and Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC) for supporting this collaborative PhD and our partner London Museum (especially co-supervisors Dom Sergi and Alex Werner). Jack's work will feature in the new museum when it opens at Smithfield next year.

Congrats to my @qmul.ac.uk geography student Jack Hanlon who has passed his PhD viva (no corrections) for his thesis: The Place of Meat: Imperial Food Systems, Public Anxieties, and the Narration of London at Smithfield Market, 1868–1993’ And thanks to Profs Lynda Nead & Tim Cresswell for examining!

My @QMUL colleagues Liz Storer (Geog) and Rachel Humphris (Politics) have great funded collaborative PhD opportunity on migrant housing with London Citizens 'Housing Access and Digital Transitions: A Participatory Study with first-time home seekers in Tower Hamlets' www.qmul.ac.uk/politics/stu...

Further research (and a related exhibition in Tower Hamlets) demonstrating that, ‘slavery was routine and unremarkable in Britain during the first three-quarters of the 18th century’. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

A privilege to attend #LoveHackney awards this evening to celebrate talents of Joseph Roberts, Director of Hackney Empire Community Choir (and a fabulous human being), shortlisted for an award. He brings musical pleasure to so many of us! And what remarkable people live and work in the borough!

To misquote the late Larry Grayson, ‘What a grey day’