“Every empire, however, tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires, that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate.” Edward Said’s words are as relevant today as they were a few decades ago.

We’re doing a photography conference! Please circulate!

Spent yesterday doing some object photography for a forthcoming exhibition on contemporary Benin bronze casting work by artist Phil Omodamwen (on Instagram as @Omobronze).

Applications are now open for The New Curators Project 2026! Deadline: 8pm 22 February. This annual project – offers 10 paid places for east Londoners aged 18-24 who do not have a degree but are interested in working in the cultural heritage sector. Apply now: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/special-coll...

And reminder that among the amazing things about Paper Trails, the variety of formats the BOOC invites is very expansive 🗃️

What makes historic collections difficult? And how do researchers work with “difficult” collections? New CFP from Paper Trails here: blogs.ucl.ac.uk/special-coll... Deadline for proposals 31/1/2026 🗃️

This might be of interest to a few people The Boring Fund: Small (£200) grants to UK non-profits, charities and voluntary groups who just need a bit of help to pay for boring running costs like web hosting, admin, insurance etc Apply by 30 November www.christinapoultoncreative.co.uk/boring-fund

And with ongoing evidence suggesting the moral vacuum of the government-supported British arms industry is facilitating this

Aid workers in the region fear the situation will deteriorate as food and medical supplies dwindle.

The Sudan Solidarity Collective is doing a big fundraising push to support our partners in El Fashir to support food distribution, evacuation and medications. Please help us boost our support. Please share and donate 👇🏾 . sudansolidarity.com

🚨THIS WEEK: Endangered Urban Heritage in Egypt, Sudan and Palestine hybrid conference co-organized w Noha Abou-Khatwa, @archaeologuest.bsky.social + @gmandreou.bsky.social everydayorientalism.wordpress.com/2025/09/15/c...

We're delighted to announce the CFP for our #PHRC26 annual conference on "Photography's Tacit Knowledge". As in the past few years, it'll be a hybrid conference, online and in Leicester, o 15-16 June. Send your abstracts by 9 January! photographichistory.wordpress.com/annual-confe... #photohist

Do I know anyone (who knows anyone) who writes for a big press outlet on LBGTQIA human rights issues, especially worldwide? I'm trying to draw attention to the plight of a group of people in South Sudan who are facing grave danger and additional barriers to aid because of their identity.

Call for Papers: “Civilizing” the World: Classicism, Neo-Classical Sculpture, and Plaster Casts in the Service of Imperial Powers and Post-Colonial Elites (1780-1945) Papers deadline: 1 December 2025 Conference dates: 22 - 23 October 2026 Full details here: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

6 hours left. My expectations are low, since we didn't meet last week's goal for the first time in 23 weeks of this giving circle supporting the SURVIVAL of six families & a camp, and we haven't met our daily goals in days. My hope is high. That's our duty. 652/1000 chuffed.org/project/hope...

Join us for the launch of Mara Gold's debut book 'Ancient Myths and Legends Without Men' and discover the women and gender non-conforming characters who shaped and subverted womanhood from the very beginning and whose stories still resonate today! Thurs 23 Oct, 17.30-19.30. £5. bit.ly/3KtDJdU

🚨The call for papers for the History and Archives in Practice 2026 conference #HAP26 is now live! 🚨 Along with @ihr.bsky.social @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy @royalhistsoc.org we invite you to explore 'Shaping Societies, Improving Lives: The Impact of Archives and Historical Research' ⬇️

Because paying tens of thousands of pounds for visas and the "NHS surcharge", being ineligible for ANY benefits for 10 years, and therefore working tax-paying jobs constantly, and daring to want a better life is not enough.

Home Darkrooms in Britian 📸🏠🏳️‍🌈 Oral History Project I wish to speak to LGBTQIA people who have experience of having a home darkroom or used a darkroom that felt like home. If you are interested in learning more, please get in touch:   📧 [email protected] 📞 +447902489831

In addition to cancelling your Disney accounts, now is also a great time to delete academia.edu

Folks we are SO close to meeting this short goal to evacuate several families in Gaza - please donate if you can! ⬇️

We are happy to present the conference which will take place in Naples, 6 and 7 March 2026, on "Violence and Empire" Here is attached the CFP including a list of themes we are interested into Deadline for proposals November 16, authors will be notified by January 9

Maybe ask any non-white person how free their speech was in London yesterday idk.

Social media flood this, with the same wording!! ✊🏳️‍⚧️

Just a reminder that this FREE workshop is next week. Hope to see you there!

What are the relationships between local communities and major heritage sites in Syria, and why do they matter? Adnan Almohamad and I attempt to begin to answer -- out now, open access. www.brepolsonline.net/doi/abs/10.1...

This is genuinely what a Labour government thinks terrorism looks like in the UK right now and I'm losing my god damn mind

Worth noting the EHRC guidance goes further than the Supreme Court ruling. If implemented in its fullest it will ensure trans and non-binary individuals are excluded from socialising, work, school, basically being allowed to be in public for any periods of time. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Late night library find: a pamphlet written by the archaeologist John Evans with a note on the front cover that appears to be in his hand, dedicating it to his son, Arthur Evans (of Knossos fame). Any experts on Evan's handwriting out there?

This BTC statement includes actions YOU can take (adapted for character count): * Cancel your membership & boycott the conference * Attend the conference & speak up in sessions * Go to the AMBM on Friday & be a loud voice against the genocide * If you are not a member, pls circulate this widely

Looking for something fun to do at lunchtime tomorrow? Why not tune in to my EES Spotlight Lecture on archaeological ephemera at the Petrie Museum? Stories of Victorian archaeologists shopping, grumpy museum curators & more... 1pm (UK) / 3pm (Egypt) @uclpetriemuseum.bsky.social @theees.bsky.social

Keir Starmer has appointed as his new Comms Director Tim Allan who was a board member of the hate group Sex Matters. It's no longer even pretending to adhere to its Manifesto promise to "remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance."

We're hosting a FREE workshop @pittriversmuseum.bsky.social this September on the topic of 'Form'. Join artists, makers and researchers in a series of public conversations about what 'Form' means in their practice. Full programme here 👇 No need to book! prm.web.ox.ac.uk/sites/defaul...

BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.

Come along to a gathering around contemporary art and archaeology on Arran at 4pm- 6pm on the 8th August!

Two weeks to go before the deadline for papers celebrating women photographers. Building on our March 24 hour conference-athon, a FREE online conference will be held on International Women’s Day 2026. We invite proposals for talks or panel discussions - details at: womenofphoto.com

Please keep donating and sharing this fundraiser - unfortunately my friend who has been the main driving force behind this has been put on some popular blocklists, making it even harder for this to get reach. Feel free to share outside of BlueSky as well! ⬇️

Morning sunshines: Here is a great way for historians, archaeologists, classicists and Egyptologists to do something tangible to help Gazan students in our fields. Only c.2,000£ are missing: We can do this! gogetfunding.com/help-gazan-s...

So pleased that we have MA funding available this year for our MA Archaeology & Heritage Programme. Please spread the word (or get in touch if you have questions)! www.bbk.ac.uk/student-serv...

With 38 hrs to go to the EHRC consultation deadline I'm seeing posts from people feeling bad they're too stressed to engage. The GLP⬇️has removed all but the last step, a general comment box. This is a far easier task. I hope it helps those who want to, to get their voice heard without too much pain.

The #AHR is seeking proposals for a special issue on methodological approaches to archival silences in early history. Visit our website to read the full call for proposals and learn more about the guidelines for submission. Proposals are due September 16. 🗃️

Disappointed in joint CBA @archaeologyuk.bsky.social, CIfA & UAUK (...am I really surprised FAME didn't even bother?) statement in response to open letter asking for support for trans & gender diverse archs. #Archaeology needs vocal allies, not shuffling generalities released on the quiet...

This evening UK Parliament voted to reform abortion law. It is the most substantial reform in almost 50 years. This is an historic moment.

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$5 helps numerous families survive famine 🚨Our giving circle supports 6 families & a mutual aid team serving a dozen more to secure food, water, and more. So your boldest 5 has real impact, and none of us is helpless: tinyurl.com/HopeGivingCi...

Here (open letter you can sign): docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Another template here too: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

It's a friend's wedding this weekend, so please enjoy this card I made for them featuring bad drawings of their cat.