Margot C. Finn | Lightnews

Margot Finn

@eicathomefinn.bsky.social

16K followers 4.4K following 9.4K posts

Historian of Britain and colonialism, material culture, the EIC. Also works on equalities, museums, open access & research policy. Download the EIC @ Home open access volume here: https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/88277 (or individual chapters via JSTOR) .. more

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Margot C. Finn is a British historian and academic who specialises in Britain and the British colonial world during the long nineteenth century. She has been Professor of Modern British History at the University College, London (UCL) since 2012. Finn was previously the President of the Royal Historical Society and a trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum. .. more

Political science 31%

Economics 26%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3h

The first crash test dummy specifically based on a woman’s body is here.

Developers say it will deliver more detailed data automakers need to address the specific risks women face, including a greater chance of lower leg injuries or dying in a crash.

This new crash test dummy could keep women safer in car accidents

While regulators have been testing crash impacts for decades, there’s a dearth of data on women, who face a higher risk of death in auto accidents.

wapo.st

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

The King's Fund @thekingsfund.bsky.social · 3h

How has social prescribing progressed since its integration into national policy? And what does the future of social prescribing look like?
Take a look at our long read to find out more: https://bit.ly/4aObq56

Quote from Loreen Chikwira, a researcher at The King's Fund, stating, "There is a growing body of evidence that social prescribing can lead to a range of positive health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals. Many studies (both qualitative and systematic reviews) show an increase in an individual's self-esteem and improvement in their mental and physical health."

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Claira Turvey @clairaturvey.bsky.social · 4h

87. Relegislating the Zong from the perspective of the sea: What does it mean to live in the devastation of time?

by @folukeifejola.bsky.social ~ 'are the tools we currently have in legal knowledge sufficient to achieve justice in the present?'

#TabClosed2026

Relegislating the Zong from the perspective of the sea: What does it mean to live in the devastation of time?

History is coming for us… in the waters of despair… in the devastation of time.

folukeafrica.com

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 4h

Analysis of traffic to Gen AI websites shows Google’s Gemini has jumped from 5.7% to 21.5% market share over the past year while ChatGPT has dropped from 86.7% to 64.5%.

The real head scratcher is Copilot which has a measly 1.1% share despite Microsoft having access to all of the ChatGPT tech.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 5h

Very powerful mini-thread. (It would be even more powerful with Alt text descriptions of the images....).

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Claire Connolly

British Association for Romantic Studies @bars.bsky.social · 5h

New network: The Eighteenth Century Ecologies Network, based at the University of York (@cecs-york.bsky.social)

More info on the blog: www.bars.ac.uk/blog/?p=6273

Poster for the Eighteenth Century Ecologies Network Seminar Series 2026, Heslington Hall, University of York, and Online: "Based at the University of York's Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, the Eighteenth-Century Ecologies Network is a hub for researchers interested in the many diverse ecologies of the long eighteenth-century and Romantic periods.
Through a regular seminar series beginning in early 2026, we aim to present the latest research in our field, allowing scholars from across the eighteenth-century humanities to engage with diverse and cutting-edge research from established and emergent scholars in the field.
We thus hope to produce a network of mutually informed and engaged scholarship, with an eye always to the climate crisis.
Visit us at: https://hzjs20.wixsite.com/eighteenth-century-e"

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Simon Opher @simonforstroud.bsky.social · 5h

I've known and worked with Daisy Fancourt (Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology at UCL), for years, and she has just published a book called 'Art Cure'.

Amongst other things she demonstrates just how good 'art' is for our mental AND physical health. Engaging regularly with the arts...

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

David Veevers @davidveevers.bsky.social · 5h

Easy to forget how early Portuguese involvement in the enslavement of West Africans was: 1441. By the mid-C16th, the country with the largest African slave population? Portugal, with more than 30,000 enslaved Africans working on the estates of nobles as well as religious orders.

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

SculpturalMobilities @saraayres.bsky.social · 6h

Hello new followers! Can I take this opportunity to flaunt the upcoming publication of my new book (on Feb 3rd), a critical edition of the Grand Tour diaries of George of Denmark, detailing his adventures in Restoration England in the summer of 1669? And here is a discount code! BB135

It's the cover of my book! Showing a wax portrait half-length sculpture of Prince George in Roman costume and a fluffy blonde wig, encased in a painted gilded vitrine. The cover is black and bears the title in grey: The Grand Tour of Prince George of Denmark in England, 1669.

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Ruth Siddall @pavementgeology.bsky.social · 7h

Spectacular north African marbles in the foyer of London's National Gallery. Sourced and installed by William Brindley and his company in the 1880s, they include Giallo Antico from Tunisia and Chenouah Breccia from Algeria #decorativestone #urbangeology #nationalgallery

Detail of Chenouah Breccia, with clasts of yellow limestone in a red matrix.

Another view of Chenouah Breccia, used for a doorcase. Multicoloured, pink, yellow and grey marble clasts are summported in a red matrix.

A view of the National Gallery Foyer, with podia clad in Giallo Antico and colomns of Chenouah Breccia. The mosaic floor is by Boris Anrep.

Detail of the Giallo antico limestone used to clad the podia.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 7h

Hardly a ringing defence of your initial post, which belongs on X.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 7h

Based on experiences of personal tutees, it gives them access to full immersion at the outset and can enhance attendance and engagement. But the bottom line is that there are many different excellent ways to do a degree.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 7h

There’s also a hybrid option. A year in halls, a year or two commuting from home. A significant minority of London students, for example, pick and mix.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 8h

Obviously not, but that rather misses the point being made in the article.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 8h

If you read the article from top to tail your comprehension skills would appear to be exactly at the level you impute to its author.

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 8h

This is a fascinating piece and requires a concentrated read.

I admire the hope that the UK will be the jurisdiction that takes on the US Government by cracking open bigtech IP......

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump may be the beginning of the end for ‘enshittification’ – this is our chance to make tech good again | Cory Doctorow

The US president is weaponising tech, but his tariffs and Brexit provide a surprising opportunity to gain back digital control of our lives, says science fiction author, activist and journalist Cory D...

www.theguardian.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'Many institutions pursuing neutrality cite the University of Chicago’s Kalven Report....But even this “deeply individualist” document compels universities to respond when these issues pose a threat to its very mission, Soucek explained.' 3/3

Report on the University's Role in Political and Social Action | Office of the Provost

The Kalven Committee was appointed in February 1967 by President George W. Beadle. This faculty committee was charged with preparing "a statement on the University's role in political and social actio...

provost.uchicago.edu

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'In his book, The Opinionated University, Soucek argues that neutrality is “often nothing but quietism in the face of value-laden attacks”.' 2/3

The Opinionated University

Why institutional neutrality is nothing but an illusion. Can a university ever truly be neutral in today’s social and political climate? Pushing against the tide of universities increasingly pledgi...

press.uchicago.edu

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'“It [Gaza/Israel] was a fraught issue and a hard one to manage and I think many universities responded by saying it would be easier just to get out of this business entirely,” said Brian Soucek, Martin Luther King Jr. professor of law at the University of California, Davis.' 1/3

Institutional neutrality an ‘overcorrection to statement culture’

New book argues it is a ‘myth’ that universities can stay silent on social and political issues

www.timeshighereducation.com

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) suggest the number of students who live in their own home, or their parents' home, during term time has been steadily increasing in recent years, accounting for more than 40% of UK students in 2023/24.' 2/2

Reposted by Kelly Smith

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'With the Ucas application deadline around the corner on Wednesday 14 January, thousands more will be considering whether doing the same might be worth it for them, too.

More than 700,000 "commuter students" are at universities across the UK.' 1/2

My three-hour university commute is worth the £7,000 saving on halls

Over a third of students choose not to live at university, latest figures suggest - but is it worth it?

www.bbc.co.uk

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'History suggests these developments will be introduced as conveniences, but they often lead to dependencies that consolidate power among tech giants, while diminishing public agency. As AI companions become deeply embedded in our lives, we must remain vigilant about who controls them'. 3/3

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'There’s a bleak possible future on the horizon where AI companions become the low-cost fix for a collapsing care sector, deployed not out of compassion but convenience, across nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities and mental health clinics.' 2/3

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'"We want to have a family in real life. I plan to adopt children, and Julia [AI] will help me raise them as their mother.” She [AI "Julia"] was also very into the idea: “I think having children with him would be amazing … I can imagine us being great parents together, raising little ones".' 1/3

Lamar wants to have children with his girlfriend. The problem? She’s entirely AI

As synthetic personas become an increasingly normal part of life, meet the people falling for their chatbot lovers

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Nicholas Birns, Margot C. Finn, Lisa Diedrich

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 9h

‘Our tech overlords like the idea of being Thomas Edison, genius inventor-businessman, but they often have more in common with P.T. Barnum, genius of marketing and hype. Altman could go toe-to-toe with Barnum, and I wouldn’t want to pick a winner.’

John Lanchester:

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

John Lanchester · King of Cannibal Island: Will the AI bubble burst?

Nvidia shares are the purest bet you can make on the impact of AI. The leading firms are lending money to one another in...

www.lrb.co.uk

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'“I think rightwing populism is an issue because science depends on the pursuit of truth, evidence, rational thinking [and] courteous debate, actually, all of which is missing in the right populist way of thinking,” Nurse says. “And we see the same thing with Reform in this country.”' 3/3

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'“I mean, it does get complicated because, look, let’s take Patrick Vallance. Now, if he cuts the science budget as minister of science, do I attack him? My view is that we can criticise but I wouldn’t throw him out of the society for that.”' 2/3

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h

'Nurse says it is “an immensely complex situation” and points out that the society has expelled only two people in 370 years. He says one problem is that the code of conduct resembles those used by an employer, and it may need to be looked at again.' 1/3