A Prime Minister who studied law and knows exactly what the UN Charter is and why it exists, now speaking as if it were optional. This is nformed consent to illegality that chooses alignment over law, power over principle, and calling it the national interest. A sad statement for all British people.

It's an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president - failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home - decides to launch a war for regime change abroad. The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.

David Cornwell, aka John le Carré, from April 2001: “The new American realism, which is nothing other than gross corporate power cloaked in demagogy, means one thing only: that America will put America first in everything. . . I think the sooner Britain and Europe wake up to that fact, the better.”

In this in-depth interview Billie Jean Sweeney — a former editor at The New York Times — details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, why this was directed from the very top, how some staff pushed back and the immense damage done by the NYT legitimizing bigotry.

Global justice is under threat at an unprecedented pace. Poverty entrenches, wars expand, human dignity becomes more fragile, and democracy frays. May 2026 advance collective repair and summon the shared courage to build a better and more just world. #AcademicSky

Global justice is under threat at an unprecedented pace. Poverty entrenches, wars expand, human dignity becomes more fragile, and democracy frays. May 2026 advance collective repair and summon the shared courage to build a better and more just world. #AcademicSky

CALL: seminar funding for 2026 The Foundation is inviting submissions for its 2026 Undisciplining Seminar Series exploring who and what sociology is for. Submit your proposal by 31 January for public events focusing on the transformative potential of sociological thinking. ➡️

After more than a decade in archives, streets, kitchens, funerals. Years of listening, waiting, rewriting history from below. A Slow Revolution is now under contract with Cornell University Press. A book about #Sicily, the #mafia, betrayal, and the long, unfinished work of #justice. #AcademicSky

I disagree! Applying the same standard to everyone doesn't create #equality. It only preserves privilege. Fair judgment asks what people achieved given the resources and constraints they faced. That’s why targeted positive discrimination, especially for women, is sometimes necessary. #AcademicSky

Bending your institution to meet the prejudices of your dumbest, meanest students is a surefire way to destroy a university. Now any student can just scrawl “the Bible says this is wrong” on any test and skate to an A at the Oklahoma Football Outlet and Diploma Factory.

Growing transphobia and authoritarianism go hand in hand – they must be resisted www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ne...

CBS didn't run the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT, but over here at @propublica.org we've been working on the story since March, including finding out who each and every man sent to that maximum security prison was. You can see our reporting here: www.propublica.org/series/depor...

The small town of Castel di Lucio (pop. 1,200), in the Nebrodi Mountains in Sicily, has decided not to fund Christmas illuminations this year, instead donating the money (€4k) to the Italian charity "Emergency" for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Learned from New School friends this evening that the university is planning its own version of a “school for civic thought.” A university founded by Columbia faculty who rejected the call for “unqualified loyalty” to the US govt during WWI, is now embracing patriotism, + Isaacsonian hagiography?

After more than a decade in archives, streets, kitchens, funerals. Years of listening, waiting, rewriting history from below. A Slow Revolution is now under contract with Cornell University Press. A book about #Sicily, the #mafia, betrayal, and the long, unfinished work of #justice. #AcademicSky

The same rich, connected circle that sells the public “values” keeps turning up in the same rooms, same jets, same networks. But justice for survivors can’t come with VIP exemptions.

Reposting my op-ed "Arming Our Campuses Is Not the Answer," that appeared in the October 11, 2015 issue of INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION www.insidehighered.com/views/2015/1... #guns #gunviolence #gunsoncampus

#Iran: PEN International condemns the violent and arbitrary arrest of Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi on 12 December. We are gravely concerned for her health and safety and call for her immediate and unconditional release. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/iran-au...

Pleased to be interviewed for this much needed piece on the rising transphobia in higher education. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/trans-s... (Archive link: archive.is/oYqXS)

“Tolerance” is a weak ambition. It means I will tolerate you. Great countries don’t endure difference; they organise society around equality, justice, and equal protection for all. So, dignity doesn't become a favour, and greatness isn’t reduced to nostalgia because it is structural, legal & global.

All that glitters is not gold. Many of us have long thought this of Chomsky. Here is one more proof.

“Our deeply unequal world needs a critical and engaged sociology now more than ever.” Translating the Sociological Review Foundation’s mission into practical action has needed fresh thinking and a new approach, write @michaelacbenson.bsky.social and Maria Bellocci in the Magazine. buff.ly/Lpd67XQ

Strong quant analysis is valuable, no doubt. But if the writing is dry and the critique gets buried under layers of modelling, #sociology loses its edge. Scrolling through ASR today..impressive numbers, but the pulse was missing. A flagship journal can, and should, still challenge power #AcademicSky

My new book "Nationalism as a Way of Life" has been published and I have just received my copies.

#REF2029: -Long-form research, such as books, has 5-year portability. - SPRE pushes institutions to show strategy, not just good intentions. Risks: – “Culture” fades as a named commitment that may risk managerial gloss. – Strategy-heavy framing may favour well-resourced universities. #AcademicSky

My DNA results. I have apparently got Inuit ancestry. 😊 Didn't see that coming. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic in one chromosome set. Kind of amazing how far histories can take you. We all share far more roots and similarities than we admit. Humanity really is one long migration.

The New School has long protected dissenting thought and critical scholarship. It is painful to watch an institution with such an intellectual lineage treated as a budgetary problem. At a moment defined by democratic erosion, we need the New School’s founding vision more than ever! #AcademicSky

I’ve just signed with University of California Press for The Moral Trap: How Autocrats Criminalize and Divide Societies. This book grew from years of research, hard lessons, persistence, and great support from many many people. Grateful and energised to bring it into the world. #AcademicSky

I’ve just signed with University of California Press for The Moral Trap: How Autocrats Criminalize and Divide Societies. This book grew from years of research, hard lessons, persistence, and great support from many many people. Grateful and energised to bring it into the world. #AcademicSky

Congratulations @ralphhubbell.bsky.social Oğuz Atay’s work has always been daring! His social insight is razor-sharp and his storytelling is magnetic. He pulls the reader straight into the current of the narrative. Thrilled to see this masterful translation bring his voice to a wider world. #BookSky

If you have expertise in #sociology, come and join us! You can be based in any part of the world and read our manifesto before applying please! #AcademicSky

Launching on #givingtuesday is the LGBT Fund’s first ever individual giving campaign with the focus on building a funding pot over the festive period that will go back out to grassroots organisations in 2026. Keep an eye on our socials tomorrow morning 🤩 #lgbt #donate #fundraising #lgbtfund

On #GivingTuesday UC Press reaffirms its commitment to stand strong as an independent publisher amid federal attacks on academic institutions. If our work has supported your teaching or research, please consider donating to the UC Press Foundation: form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/univers...

Wikimedia LGBT+ commemorates World AIDS Day and celebrates 30 years of the protease inhibitor revolution. Join us if you are interested in improving and expanding the history of HIV/AIDS on Wikimedia! #wikipedia #collectiveknowledgecares #worldaidsday #wikimedialgbt

Cruel and oppressive!

Takes a few seconds and this is definitely needed so please do your bit. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

One of the rare organisations that keeps my faith in humanity on track. More of us should sit with Palestinians, listen without flinching, and let their stories settle into us. When we carry their pain, we gain sharper tools for peace to rebuild what fear and senseless violence keep breaking.

West is ‘missing obscure sanctions that could set back Russia’s war machine’

Against Settler Colonialism: A Reading List

1/5 It was entirely predictable that The Telegraph would jump on @DavidOlusoga’s Empire series to fight its right wing culture war for control of our public history. Let’s see what they’ve done:

“11/25/25👺ICE abducts two Americans; eight hospitalized after chemical munitions & police beatings in St. Paul, MN. This is not public safety-it’s state violence” Hart ‘28 Dem 🇺🇸🙏

Increasing number of National Guard in DC will not lead to lasting decreases in crime unless community engagement, targeted policing strategies, & social-service interventions are present. Thus current response is mostly symbolic & PR #crime #crimerate #DC #lawenforcement #patrol #policing

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It’s a day to raise awareness around all forms of violence against women and girls and to call for an end to gender-based violence. #InternationalDayForTheEliminationOfViolenceAgainstWomen #EndGenderBasedViolence

Finally, something to celebtate in these dark times. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

This sounds fascinating, organised by @thesociologicalreview.org so if you are in Glasgow, please consider attending. It is free.

If you’re a journalist who’s still on Twitter, from now on in your writing you have to replace “the American people want” with “troll bots in Eastern Europe demand” Being there makes your judgment suspect. I don’t care how savvy you think you are, you’re marinating in a disinformation campaign.

On #TransDayOfRemembrance, we honor our trans siblings lost to fatal violence and their impact. We will not stop fighting until trans people are not just able to survive, but thrive and live safe, full, and joyful lives. May our collective grief, reflection, and action lead to a better future.