I’m now a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds for this year!

My PhD thesis ‘The satanic cult conspiracy: how online conspiracy theory discourses construct moral panic’ is now up on WREO: etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/36...

And first day on site setting up the new exhibition (and curating a cabinet of curiosities) for the museum of the history of science, technology & medicine at the uni

Phd corrections accepted!!

Big thank you to my examiners Aled Thomas @aledjllthomas.bsky.social & David Robertson @davidgrobertson.bsky.social ! And my amazing supervisors Caroline Starkey @carostarkey.bsky.social , Mike Finn & Mel Prideaux 🖤

I PASSED MY PHD VIVA!!! Introducing Dr Oake

Update the clinical trials rejected me

I submitted my PhD!!!

Officially reached the deleting all social media phase of the PhD write up. See you in a month once it’s submitted!

Great couple days at the OU Religion & Disinformation workshop. Thanks again to @paulftremlett.bsky.social & @preciouschatd.bsky.social !!

Last year highlight - searching for the demon wisht hounds of wistman’s wood, Dartmoor

Post-PhD job searching (There are no jobs and I’m signing up for paid clinical trials)

Now fighting against time and this growing crack in my laptop screen with 2 months to go for the thesis deadline. Who has hexed me

Presented a paper, found a haunted hotel & met some real life mermaids. Thank you #sblaar24 !

The pub psychic night project is at AAR!! Caroline Starkey ( @carostarkey.bsky.social ) & Josh Bullock. (So happy to have been able to be a research assistant on this exciting project!) #SBLAAR2024

Longest flight ever but made it to San Diego for AAR this weekend!! (Went to sleep at 6pm and about to nap again because what even is time right now)

Time for the highlight of every US conference - having to explain to American CBP that I’ve come here to talk about the Devil

VERY early stages of a NRM/minority religions (and various issues/typologies which can fall under this) starter pack while more of us join this platform. If you want to be included, message me! go.bsky.app/RgcuxhC

To celebrate 10k followers, I decided I would seize the opportunity to use my platform for something good. Women VS Disinfo! A huge selection of expert researchers, fact checkers, journalists, debunkers, science communicators, academics, vloggers, etc. of all things Disinfo go.bsky.app/FFCjgks

Had the opportunity to see one of the earliest editions of the Malleus Maleficarum (‘hammer of witches’). This copy is from 1494 (original 1486) & the annotations probably 16th century. Held in University of Leeds special collections archives at the moment!

Heading to San Diego this week for #SBLAAR2024! I’ll be presenting at the religion media & culture unit panel on Sunday talking about digital ethnography & (as always) Satan

Finally gave up on the other place and moving stuff over to here so hi! I’m Bethan, I’m a PhD researcher in satanic moral panic(s) - past and present but mostly contemporary stuff - in the last few months of finishing my thesis. Interested in all things folklore/myth/occult & history of moral panics