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Prof. Ben Pohl

@benpohl.bsky.social

3K followers 420 following 580 posts

Professor of Medieval History, University of Bristol | Books with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Boydell & Brewer (×2), Schnell & Steiner, ARC Humanities Press | Manuscript Detective™ 🕵️‍♂️ 📜 📖

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · Sep 5

Have had quite a few notifications saying people (no idea who) have been sending me DMs on here. I can’t/won’t read them because of the UK’s age-verification process, so please email me instead. Thanks!

Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Gwen Seabourne @gwenseabourne.bsky.social · 1h

A #Bristol Libraries event of #LegalHistory and #History interest tomorrow: bristol.events.mylibrary.digital/event?id=235...

Special Collections Sunday : Fugitives in the Archive

During the 18th century, British newspapers published advertisements for runaway enslaved people with rewards for their capture; for the hundreds of Black and Asian people brought to Britain through t...

bristol.events.mylibrary.digital

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 20h

This is as funny as it is accurate!

Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 23h

Fascinating: Germans love to complain about their trains never being on time. Deutsche Bahn plays for humor and sympathy by commissioning a YouTube sitcom (an Office on wheels).
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Boah, Bahn! - YouTube

BOAH, BAHN! Wir sitzen alle im selben Zug – eine Serie der Deutschen Bahn mit Anke Engelke.

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 1d

‘Arm’s-length bodies such as the Office for Students (OfS) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are particularly “vulnerable to political interference”, a new report has warned.’ www.timeshighereducation.com/news/learn-l... @timeshighered.bsky.social

‘Learn lessons from US’ and stop political interference, UK told

OfS and UKRI seen as particularly vulnerable to meddling from government, with report authors calling for more safeguards to ensure independence

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 3d

Truly excellent move by @manchesterup.bsky.social, as a result of which two of my own articles in BJRL are now Open Access, effective immediately: doi.org/10.7227/BJRL... and doi.org/10.7227/BJRL...

Manchester University Press @manchesterup.bsky.social · 3d

MUP and @thejohnrylands.bsky.social are thrilled to announce that Bulletin of the John Rylands Library is now fully #OpenAccess🔓

Throughout October, the Bulletin's Editorial Board are highlighting journal issues or articles of particular importance on the MUP blog.

Image of a cover from an issue of The Bulletin of the John Rylands Library. Blue banner sits across the centre of the image reading: Now Open Access.

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 3d

Amazing! Thank you!

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 3d

This is excellent news. Will OA be applied retroactively to past issues and articles therein? (Asking for a friend… 😉)

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 3d

Including one of the latest titles from our Bristol Studies in Medieval Culture series with @boydellandbrewer.bsky.social @bristolcms.bsky.social

Institute of Historical Research Wohl Library @ihrlibrary.bsky.social · 3d

We've updated our new books displays on the 1st and 2nd floors. There's a wide range of subjects spanning from the medieval to the 21st century.

If this interests you and you're not a member, membership to the library is open and free to everyone - www.history.ac.uk/library-digi...

Image showing some new acquisitions to the Institute of Historical Research Library - October 2025

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 3d

That’s a massive relief!

Richard Ovenden @richove.bsky.social · 4d

MLGB is back!! Delighted that Medieval Libraries of Great Britain @bodleian.ox.ac.uk is now back online. We are also working had on plans for the next phase of the resource, enhancing & adding data & functionality. HUGE thanks to my colleagues for their hard & clever work mlgb.bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 4d

It is, and I don’t think I implied the opposite?

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 4d

Exactly. Very worrying indeed.

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 4d

I’m aware of several recent examples in which well-established journals have left these presses or are in the process of doing so. I’m less interested in commercial publishers… 😉

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 4d

The latest but by no means the only example of an alarming trend in which the UK’s foremost academic publishers are haemorrhaging highly prestigious journals at a rate of knots…

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 5d

It’s what we do best at @bristolcms.bsky.social: celebrating community and world-class research!

Bristol Centre for Medieval Studies @bristolcms.bsky.social · 5d

What an amazing CMS event! We were so excited to celebrate not only Kathleen and Melek’s wonderful new book, but a bumper crop of new books from CMS members Matt Lampitt, Leah Tether, Rachael Harkes, Marianne Ailes, Adrian Ailes, Ad Putter, and Ben Pohl! 🎉🥳 Congratulations once again to all!

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Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 6d

Here’s the image by itself:

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 6d

Here’s the image by itself:

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 6d

A depressingly well observed cartoon by Becky Barnicoat on the growth of fascism in Britain www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Becky Barnicoat on the growth of fascism in Britain – cartoon

The far right never seizes power. It’s always politely invited in by nice people

www.theguardian.com

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 6d

Took me a second or two to realise that KLM’s napkins show a pair of windmills, rather than a crudely sketched crucifixion scene!

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 7d

Wait, are you saying this ISN’T your office??

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 7d

Home is where a LIDL is!

Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 8d

One happy @bristolcms.bsky.social family!

Bristol Centre for Medieval Studies @bristolcms.bsky.social · 8d

Start of term = time for a new CMS photo! We love getting the CMS family back together! #medievalsky #skystorians

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Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Bristol Centre for Medieval Studies @bristolcms.bsky.social · 8d

Hwæt?! The amazing Old English Reading Group is BACK and with a new friend?!?

Join Hattie and Co for Old English Reading Group at 3pm Friday in Hattie’s office, followed by the brand new Old Norse Reading Group at 4pm! No prior knowledge or experience needed, and everybody welcome!

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Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Rose Schmits @roseschmits.bsky.social · 12d

It really is just relentless the constant dehumanisation in this country. Prove you deserve to be here. Prove you deserve to be cared for. Prove your gender. Prove you deserve to have human rights. Prove you deserve to stay after a whole decade. It just chisels away at your humanity

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 12d

Just fuck off with this. How about start the conversation by highlighting how much immigrants contribute to the UK - not least by propping up the NHS and social care system!

Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.

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Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Bristol Centre for Medieval Studies @bristolcms.bsky.social · 10d

We're so excited for the first Centre for Medieval Studies Research Seminar of the year!

Join us on Thursday at 4pm, with our CMS Welcome Party to follow straight after!

All welcome! We hope to see you there! #medievalsky #skystorians

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Prof. Ben Pohl @benpohl.bsky.social · 12d

I’m sick to the back teeth of this so-called progressive govt spouting utter xenophobic nonsense & throwing migrants under the bus to curry favour with the lowest of the low. We’re not your scapegoat. We’re not the enemy. We’re what’s holding this community together. With all due respect: F*CK YOU!

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Reposted by Prof. Ben Pohl

Mike Slaven @mcslaven.bsky.social · 14d

Joey and Phoebe meme. Phoebe instructing Joey to say "Fix the economy and public services" with him at the end instead saying "Digital national ID cards!"

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