Chris Slaby
@cjslaby.bsky.social
Scholar, teacher, writer, earth human person (he/him/his). Art + history: Native American and Indigenous Studies; the environmental humanities; media, culture, and representation. Food and music, too, though those are more passions than subjects of study.
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Native to the Americas, the Portuguese brought a “turkey” to India; in Ottoman Turkish, they were called “chicken from the land of India.”
An Englishman later described them as fowl from “Turkey,” and that’s where the English name appears to come from…
An Englishman later described them as fowl from “Turkey,” and that’s where the English name appears to come from…
My annual traveling turkeys post! What do you do when a New World bird visits the Mughal court? Paint it in miniature, of course! This essay by Neha Vermani follows the Muslim reception of our feathered friends.
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
The turkey's journey from the Atlantic to the early modern Islamic world | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
www.folger.edu
November 27, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Native to the Americas, the Portuguese brought a “turkey” to India; in Ottoman Turkish, they were called “chicken from the land of India.”
An Englishman later described them as fowl from “Turkey,” and that’s where the English name appears to come from…
An Englishman later described them as fowl from “Turkey,” and that’s where the English name appears to come from…
Reposted by Chris Slaby
My annual traveling turkeys post! What do you do when a New World bird visits the Mughal court? Paint it in miniature, of course! This essay by Neha Vermani follows the Muslim reception of our feathered friends.
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
The turkey's journey from the Atlantic to the early modern Islamic world | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
www.folger.edu
November 27, 2025 at 2:23 PM
My annual traveling turkeys post! What do you do when a New World bird visits the Mughal court? Paint it in miniature, of course! This essay by Neha Vermani follows the Muslim reception of our feathered friends.
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Reposted by Chris Slaby
I wrote an essay for @bostonreview.bsky.social about what I learned about close reading when I taught at West Virginia University
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
The Claims of Close Reading - Boston Review
Literary studies have been starved by austerity, but their core methodology remains radical.
www.bostonreview.net
November 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I wrote an essay for @bostonreview.bsky.social about what I learned about close reading when I taught at West Virginia University
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
Reposted by Chris Slaby
This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
To bear out this rosy projection, HSBC assumes that OpenAI will become "as ubiquitous [...] as Microsoft 365" (345mm users worldwide) while bringing in 10x the number of users (3bn).
November 25, 2025 at 11:11 PM
This is why OpenAI is selling so aggressively to education at all levels—they want to create entire generations of users incapable of reading, writing and thinking without ChatGPT to hold their hands
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
And teachers and professors should call this out for what it actually is
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Reposted by Chris Slaby
It was such a joy to talk with Kate about history writing, teaching, publishing, and so much more. As a long-time listener and first-time talker, it was a dream come true! Thank you @draftingthepast.bsky.social! 🗃️
@uncpress.bsky.social
@uncpress.bsky.social
Ep 75! I talked with @jlepler.bsky.social about her new book, CANAL DREAMERS, from (@uncpress.bsky.social). I loved hearing how she first started researching this book alongside her dissertation, and how she has supported other academics writing second books! draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
November 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
It was such a joy to talk with Kate about history writing, teaching, publishing, and so much more. As a long-time listener and first-time talker, it was a dream come true! Thank you @draftingthepast.bsky.social! 🗃️
@uncpress.bsky.social
@uncpress.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Ep 75! I talked with @jlepler.bsky.social about her new book, CANAL DREAMERS, from (@uncpress.bsky.social). I loved hearing how she first started researching this book alongside her dissertation, and how she has supported other academics writing second books! draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
November 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Ep 75! I talked with @jlepler.bsky.social about her new book, CANAL DREAMERS, from (@uncpress.bsky.social). I loved hearing how she first started researching this book alongside her dissertation, and how she has supported other academics writing second books! draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
Reposted by Chris Slaby
I am quoted in this Globe article as Director of American Studies at BU, and I like my quote very much:
“It's a value to society to have people highly educated in disciplines, whether they teach at universities or not.”
“It's a value to society to have people highly educated in disciplines, whether they teach at universities or not.”
"From Harvard to BU to Brown, New England schools are enrolling fewer new PhDs this year. Why?"
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/25/b...
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/25/b...
From Harvard to BU to Brown, New England schools are enrolling fewer new PhDs this year. Why? - The Boston Globe
Elite universities are taking fewer doctoral candidates after decades of beefing up their research enterprises.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I am quoted in this Globe article as Director of American Studies at BU, and I like my quote very much:
“It's a value to society to have people highly educated in disciplines, whether they teach at universities or not.”
“It's a value to society to have people highly educated in disciplines, whether they teach at universities or not.”
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Plus you’ll hear about @katecarp.bsky.social’s favorite pens (and mine)! We shared a lot of excellent nerdy joy here about thinking and writing history.
What a pleasure to talk with @kawulf.bsky.social about her love of all aspects of her work for this episode! You'll hear about the making of her new book, Lineage (@oxfordunipress.bsky.social), and how she keeps writing as director of the @jcblibrary.bsky.social. draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
Episode 76: Karin Wulf Keeps Her Brain Humming Along - Drafting the Past
In this episode, Kate is joined by Karin Wulf, the director and librarian of the John Carter Brown Library, to discuss her new book, Lineage, and her research and writing process.
draftingthepast.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Plus you’ll hear about @katecarp.bsky.social’s favorite pens (and mine)! We shared a lot of excellent nerdy joy here about thinking and writing history.
Reposted by Chris Slaby
What a pleasure to talk with @kawulf.bsky.social about her love of all aspects of her work for this episode! You'll hear about the making of her new book, Lineage (@oxfordunipress.bsky.social), and how she keeps writing as director of the @jcblibrary.bsky.social. draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
Episode 76: Karin Wulf Keeps Her Brain Humming Along - Drafting the Past
In this episode, Kate is joined by Karin Wulf, the director and librarian of the John Carter Brown Library, to discuss her new book, Lineage, and her research and writing process.
draftingthepast.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
What a pleasure to talk with @kawulf.bsky.social about her love of all aspects of her work for this episode! You'll hear about the making of her new book, Lineage (@oxfordunipress.bsky.social), and how she keeps writing as director of the @jcblibrary.bsky.social. draftingthepast.com/podcast-epis...
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Don’t get me started on how they ruined google scholar
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Don’t get me started on how they ruined google scholar
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Happy St Catherine’s Day! She’s the patron of women students, anyone who works with wheels (e.g., potters), tanners, philosophers, and librarians. She’s also my confirmation saint. I love this painting of her by Caravaggio.
November 25, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Happy St Catherine’s Day! She’s the patron of women students, anyone who works with wheels (e.g., potters), tanners, philosophers, and librarians. She’s also my confirmation saint. I love this painting of her by Caravaggio.
Reposted by Chris Slaby
This. I want to read the bad food takes, I want to hear all about your hiding place at your in-laws while the uncles fight, I want to know the weirdest holiday traditions you have. I want to rank Thanksgiving side dishes. All of it.
my take on Food Discourse is that it's always ridiculous but it's also nice to be fighting about dumb internet shit again instead of dealing with Oppressive Despair all the time so please keep posting your bad takes
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 PM
This. I want to read the bad food takes, I want to hear all about your hiding place at your in-laws while the uncles fight, I want to know the weirdest holiday traditions you have. I want to rank Thanksgiving side dishes. All of it.
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Homesick focuses on the experiences of migrants of color moving to rural New England to take well-paid jobs and the resulting misrecognition from white residents. This book helps us better understand how to unsettle such processes of exclusion in diversifying spaces
https://ow.ly/4htC50Xxhmh
https://ow.ly/4htC50Xxhmh
November 25, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Homesick focuses on the experiences of migrants of color moving to rural New England to take well-paid jobs and the resulting misrecognition from white residents. This book helps us better understand how to unsettle such processes of exclusion in diversifying spaces
https://ow.ly/4htC50Xxhmh
https://ow.ly/4htC50Xxhmh
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Are you an early-career environmental historian or interested in the challenges aspiring environmental historians face? Join our panel discussion with
@askehn.bsky.social @kathiescharf.bsky.social @tidetales.bsky.social and @wilkohardenberg.bsky.social et al., hosted by @eseh.bsky.social #envhist
@askehn.bsky.social @kathiescharf.bsky.social @tidetales.bsky.social and @wilkohardenberg.bsky.social et al., hosted by @eseh.bsky.social #envhist
November 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Are you an early-career environmental historian or interested in the challenges aspiring environmental historians face? Join our panel discussion with
@askehn.bsky.social @kathiescharf.bsky.social @tidetales.bsky.social and @wilkohardenberg.bsky.social et al., hosted by @eseh.bsky.social #envhist
@askehn.bsky.social @kathiescharf.bsky.social @tidetales.bsky.social and @wilkohardenberg.bsky.social et al., hosted by @eseh.bsky.social #envhist
Reposted by Chris Slaby
👀 The last technology in my #histtech survey, which centers on 10 techs, is the container ship.
We start the unit Mon.
We start the unit Mon.
Stay safe, friends in San Pedro!
“Get inside IMMEDIATELY and close all windows and doors. Turn off air conditioning and heating. Bring all people and pets to an inside room until you receive further instructions,” the fire department said, citing hazardous materials related to the fire on the ship
“Get inside IMMEDIATELY and close all windows and doors. Turn off air conditioning and heating. Bring all people and pets to an inside room until you receive further instructions,” the fire department said, citing hazardous materials related to the fire on the ship
Fire erupts on cargo ship at the Port of Los Angeles, triggering major emergency at North America’s busiest port | CNN
More than 180 firefighters battled a fire that erupted Friday evening on a cargo ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles, self-described as North America’s busiest port.
www.cnn.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:53 PM
👀 The last technology in my #histtech survey, which centers on 10 techs, is the container ship.
We start the unit Mon.
We start the unit Mon.
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Reposted by Chris Slaby
🚨 New Modern Art Notes Podcast!
Igshaan Adams at Hill Art Foundation; Michener Art Museum chief curator Laura Igoe on her election to the Jenkintown, Penn. school board!
manpodcast.com/portfolio/no...
🍎: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
🔊: open.spotify.com/episode/1RP8...
Igshaan Adams at Hill Art Foundation; Michener Art Museum chief curator Laura Igoe on her election to the Jenkintown, Penn. school board!
manpodcast.com/portfolio/no...
🍎: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
🔊: open.spotify.com/episode/1RP8...
November 14, 2025 at 6:37 PM
🚨 New Modern Art Notes Podcast!
Igshaan Adams at Hill Art Foundation; Michener Art Museum chief curator Laura Igoe on her election to the Jenkintown, Penn. school board!
manpodcast.com/portfolio/no...
🍎: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
🔊: open.spotify.com/episode/1RP8...
Igshaan Adams at Hill Art Foundation; Michener Art Museum chief curator Laura Igoe on her election to the Jenkintown, Penn. school board!
manpodcast.com/portfolio/no...
🍎: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
🔊: open.spotify.com/episode/1RP8...
Reposted by Chris Slaby
The #AAS2026 preliminary conference program is online ... start browsing the nearly *600 sessions*, planning your schedule, and seeing all that our gathering in Vancouver has to offer!
buff.ly/gItXtM1
buff.ly/gItXtM1
November 24, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The #AAS2026 preliminary conference program is online ... start browsing the nearly *600 sessions*, planning your schedule, and seeing all that our gathering in Vancouver has to offer!
buff.ly/gItXtM1
buff.ly/gItXtM1
Reposted by Chris Slaby
The #AAS2026 preliminary conference program is online ... start browsing the nearly *600 sessions*, planning your schedule, and seeing all that our gathering in Vancouver has to offer!
buff.ly/gItXtM1
buff.ly/gItXtM1
November 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Chris Slaby
I have really appreciated @edwardongwesojr.com’s delineation of the various arguments against AI and how some of them are more effective than others (in this book review and elsewhere)
AI Scams Are the Point
Propaganda and deceit are a feature of AI, not its downfall.
newrepublic.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I have really appreciated @edwardongwesojr.com’s delineation of the various arguments against AI and how some of them are more effective than others (in this book review and elsewhere)
Reposted by Chris Slaby
So it's not the dot com bubble, it's the dot com bubble crossed with Enron?
This is as close as the lawyers at the Journal allow reporters to get to "fraudulent fraudsters sighted wearing fraud pants and doing a fraud." www.wsj.com/tech/meta-ai...
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
So it's not the dot com bubble, it's the dot com bubble crossed with Enron?
Reposted by Chris Slaby
Haven't received as many contributions as usual for this year's lists--could be many things, but one aspect is surely that our ability to get this in front of people is much diminished. If you know folks whose stuff should be on here, please suggest it! contingentmagazine.org/yearly-pub-l...
Publications by Non-Tenure-Track Historians
Since we began publishing in 2019, Contingent has published end-of-year lists of books and articles by non-tenure-track historians released in the past calendar year. To submit something for inclusion...
contingentmagazine.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Haven't received as many contributions as usual for this year's lists--could be many things, but one aspect is surely that our ability to get this in front of people is much diminished. If you know folks whose stuff should be on here, please suggest it! contingentmagazine.org/yearly-pub-l...