Dr Sarah Irving
@drtermagant.bsky.social
Associate Prof of Middle Eastern History (Palestine, earthquakes, archaeology, labour). Gobby feminist, inky, cyclist, cat rehabber, born at 331. She/her. #actuallyautistic. Ed. of @contemplevant.bsky.social. Defender of post-92s, union member.
Pinned
An excellent start to the Israel Studies Seminar Series at Cambridge this evening. If you're around next Wed (4th feb.) do join us for a talk by @drtermagant.bsky.social about canals, colonialism, and conspiracy theories!
In Cambridge next week to talk about the long history of canals that are proposed, but not built, across Palestine, from the mid-19th century to the present day, and how that history has made its way into the world of conspiracy theories:
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Yossef Rapoport's Becoming Arab is now available worldwide!
In this book, Rapoport takes a look at how late medieval Middle Eastern peasants adopted Arab cultural identities and formed village clans.
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #ReadUP
In this book, Rapoport takes a look at how late medieval Middle Eastern peasants adopted Arab cultural identities and formed village clans.
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #ReadUP
January 16, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Yossef Rapoport's Becoming Arab is now available worldwide!
In this book, Rapoport takes a look at how late medieval Middle Eastern peasants adopted Arab cultural identities and formed village clans.
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #ReadUP
In this book, Rapoport takes a look at how late medieval Middle Eastern peasants adopted Arab cultural identities and formed village clans.
Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
#History #ReadUP
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Beautiful design by Tsmishian (Alaska Native) artist to support those in MN via the ACLU NARF fund
www.customink.com/fundraising/...
www.customink.com/fundraising/...
Support Ptarmigan Squadron for ACLU and NARF
This rebel design, representing the Alaska state bird: the willow ptarmigan, along with the Big Dipper and the North Star, was created to stand in solidarity with the people of Minnesota and with ever...
www.customink.com
February 1, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Beautiful design by Tsmishian (Alaska Native) artist to support those in MN via the ACLU NARF fund
www.customink.com/fundraising/...
www.customink.com/fundraising/...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
1/ This pause is obviously concerning to researchers & universities & I’d like to specifically register the point that if the reason of ‘aligning with national priorities’ means more policy-driven & less free ideas-driven research then this move is of even more concern.
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
February 1, 2026 at 10:25 AM
1/ This pause is obviously concerning to researchers & universities & I’d like to specifically register the point that if the reason of ‘aligning with national priorities’ means more policy-driven & less free ideas-driven research then this move is of even more concern.
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
www.msn.com/en-in/politi...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
For the uninitiated, these are Irish Throwing Stars, an ancient weapon wielded by St. Brigid during the 1916 Rising, striking fear into the hearts of the British, and responsible for the eventual smiting of both Cromwell and Thatcher.
February 1, 2026 at 2:12 PM
For the uninitiated, these are Irish Throwing Stars, an ancient weapon wielded by St. Brigid during the 1916 Rising, striking fear into the hearts of the British, and responsible for the eventual smiting of both Cromwell and Thatcher.
“Unnamed, uncaptioned: archaeological photography and colonialism at Jericho, as seen in the Kenyon Archive” by Elianna Ausdahl, open access in Archaeology International from @uclpress.bsky.social :
journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/article/i...
journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/article/i...
Making sure you're not a bot!
journals.uclpress.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 12:34 PM
“Unnamed, uncaptioned: archaeological photography and colonialism at Jericho, as seen in the Kenyon Archive” by Elianna Ausdahl, open access in Archaeology International from @uclpress.bsky.social :
journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/article/i...
journals.uclpress.co.uk/ai/article/i...
The quick answer to this question is: inbred posh British twats who get their jollies blasting defenceless birds out of the sky, plus their wannabe capitalist imitators. But for more analysis:
February 1, 2026 at 12:22 PM
The quick answer to this question is: inbred posh British twats who get their jollies blasting defenceless birds out of the sky, plus their wannabe capitalist imitators. But for more analysis:
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
A recently restored #pond in arable. Clear plant-filled & fringed water & all sorts of habitats present. Birds will nest in the bushes & feed on emerging insects. Pollinators of all kinds will use the pond & its plants. Every critter in the landscape will drink its water day & night. *Ponds = Life*
January 6, 2026 at 8:53 PM
A recently restored #pond in arable. Clear plant-filled & fringed water & all sorts of habitats present. Birds will nest in the bushes & feed on emerging insects. Pollinators of all kinds will use the pond & its plants. Every critter in the landscape will drink its water day & night. *Ponds = Life*
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Digging a buried #ghostpond in Norfolk farmland way back in 2013. The darker lower sediments are the muds from a pond filled in 70+ years ago. We now know that ghost pond ressurection may be the most successful form of ecological restoration known! @billsutherland.bsky.social
January 6, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Digging a buried #ghostpond in Norfolk farmland way back in 2013. The darker lower sediments are the muds from a pond filled in 70+ years ago. We now know that ghost pond ressurection may be the most successful form of ecological restoration known! @billsutherland.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how the #climatecrisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk
- As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
Story by me and and Steven Morris
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
- As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
Story by me and and Steven Morris
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk
As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:52 AM
‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how the #climatecrisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk
- As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
Story by me and and Steven Morris
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
- As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
Story by me and and Steven Morris
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Still thinking LLM are smart?
"Last spring, security experts raised concerns that malign actors, including Russian propaganda networks, were churning out massive volumes of disinformation in an effort to seed AI models with lies, a process called “LLM grooming”.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
"Last spring, security experts raised concerns that malign actors, including Russian propaganda networks, were churning out massive volumes of disinformation in an effort to seed AI models with lies, a process called “LLM grooming”.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Latest ChatGPT model uses Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as source, tests reveal
Guardian found OpenAI’s platform cited Grokipedia on topics including Iran and Holocaust deniers
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Still thinking LLM are smart?
"Last spring, security experts raised concerns that malign actors, including Russian propaganda networks, were churning out massive volumes of disinformation in an effort to seed AI models with lies, a process called “LLM grooming”.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
"Last spring, security experts raised concerns that malign actors, including Russian propaganda networks, were churning out massive volumes of disinformation in an effort to seed AI models with lies, a process called “LLM grooming”.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
January was a long year. Can’t wait to see in February who the US will invade, who ICE will kidnap and kill, what deadly disease they will bring back, how Trump will steal our money, and whether there are any remaining international agreements and institutions from which we can withdraw.
February 1, 2026 at 9:04 AM
January was a long year. Can’t wait to see in February who the US will invade, who ICE will kidnap and kill, what deadly disease they will bring back, how Trump will steal our money, and whether there are any remaining international agreements and institutions from which we can withdraw.
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
👇 The list is growing 🌿
January 31, 2026 at 11:14 AM
👇 The list is growing 🌿
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
On 1 February 1979, The Guardian first reported on the gynaecological examinations conducted by UK border control officials upon South Asian women. Often called ‘virginity testing’, we wrote this article on the Home Office archival records on this practice.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Uncovering the ‘Virginity Testing’ Controversy in the National Archives: The Intersectionality of Discrimination in British Immigration History
This article explores the practice of ‘virginity testing’ by British immigration officers in the late 1970s through the internal documents of the Home Office held at the National Archives in London. ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:48 AM
On 1 February 1979, The Guardian first reported on the gynaecological examinations conducted by UK border control officials upon South Asian women. Often called ‘virginity testing’, we wrote this article on the Home Office archival records on this practice.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Mm. You know, I’m not sure I believe Goodwin, who has always struck me as the sort of person (tiresomely familiar if you have spent any time in British academia at any level, including by undergrad), who is really, really bitter that he didn’t get the Oxbridge career he wanted, and can’t let go.
Reform politician Matthew Goodwin tells the Sunday Times that he would "rather shoot myself in the head" than be at dinner with Nick Robinson and Mary Beard, and the last thing the ex-acadenuc would ever have wanted would be to be a Professor at some Oxford college "backwater with zero influence"
You dont win 'em all! Reform's Matt Goodwin in Sunday Times: 'Most .. people criticising me are nerds.The last thing I want is to be at some dinner party table with Nick Robinson & Mary Beard. I'd rather shoot myself in the head'. Hang on, I'm not THAT bad!Nerds sometimes have a (thoughtful!) point.
February 1, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Mm. You know, I’m not sure I believe Goodwin, who has always struck me as the sort of person (tiresomely familiar if you have spent any time in British academia at any level, including by undergrad), who is really, really bitter that he didn’t get the Oxbridge career he wanted, and can’t let go.
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
This helpfully illustrates how right-wing people think that an *anecdotal story* about one person, one place, or one moment in time, is literately more significant than centuries of persistent activity by thousands of people, if it helps them feel good.
This is fairy-story politics.
This is fairy-story politics.
1/10. Tory peer Daniel Hannan has posted a potted history of slavery that demonstrates how historical understanding is being twisted by politicians. I’ll examine it in light of historians’ research.
January 31, 2026 at 12:24 PM
This helpfully illustrates how right-wing people think that an *anecdotal story* about one person, one place, or one moment in time, is literately more significant than centuries of persistent activity by thousands of people, if it helps them feel good.
This is fairy-story politics.
This is fairy-story politics.
RIP Vénus Khoury-Ghata, seagullbooks.org/collections/...
Vénus Khoury-Ghata
Vénus Khoury-Ghata is a Lebanese poet and novelist, resident in France since 1973. She is the author of many collections of poems and novels including Nettles, A House at the Edge of Tears and She Sa...
seagullbooks.org
January 31, 2026 at 10:19 AM
RIP Vénus Khoury-Ghata, seagullbooks.org/collections/...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
I'm happy to announce my book "Counterrevolution in Egypt: Sisi's New Republic" is now available for pre-order!
Counterrevolution in Egypt
The agents of coercion in Egypt—its military, police, and intelligence services—have been locked in a perennial struggle for power since their inception. Each institution has vied for dominance, shapi...
www.versobooks.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:36 AM
I'm happy to announce my book "Counterrevolution in Egypt: Sisi's New Republic" is now available for pre-order!
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
'the science is now crystal clear that winters are getting wetter in the UK due to global heating, hitting damp regions like the south-west hardest.'
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk
As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:58 AM
'the science is now crystal clear that winters are getting wetter in the UK due to global heating, hitting damp regions like the south-west hardest.'
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
USAID wrote a 2024 cable warning that north Gaza had become an “apocalyptic wasteland” with dire shortages of food and medical aid.
Biden’s Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew blocked it from wider distribution amid a review of Israeli conduct in the war.
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
Biden’s Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew blocked it from wider distribution amid a review of Israeli conduct in the war.
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
US envoys to Israel blocked early warning of 'Apocalyptic Wasteland' in Gaza
U.S. Agency for International Development staffers in early 2024 drafted a warning to senior officials in Joe Biden’s administration: Northern Gaza had turned into an “Apocalyptic Wasteland” with dire...
www.reuters.com
January 31, 2026 at 9:12 AM
USAID wrote a 2024 cable warning that north Gaza had become an “apocalyptic wasteland” with dire shortages of food and medical aid.
Biden’s Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew blocked it from wider distribution amid a review of Israeli conduct in the war.
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
Biden’s Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew blocked it from wider distribution amid a review of Israeli conduct in the war.
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
Reuters journalists reveal that Biden officials spent early 2024 covering up USAID warnings about atrocities in Gaza, apparently because they "lacked balance" or "diverged from Israel's version of events"
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
US envoys to Israel blocked early warning of 'Apocalyptic Wasteland' in Gaza
U.S. Agency for International Development staffers in early 2024 drafted a warning to senior officials in Joe Biden’s administration: Northern Gaza had turned into an “Apocalyptic Wasteland” with dire...
www.reuters.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Reuters journalists reveal that Biden officials spent early 2024 covering up USAID warnings about atrocities in Gaza, apparently because they "lacked balance" or "diverged from Israel's version of events"
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
www.reuters.com/world/early-...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
TAMU ended our women and gender studies program, degrees and certificates today. Apparently they aren’t allowed under the new don’t mention gender or sexuality in the classroom rules our board passed. I am so saddened by this. I worked as a grad asst to wmst (no gender in the 90s) for a few years
January 30, 2026 at 6:54 PM
TAMU ended our women and gender studies program, degrees and certificates today. Apparently they aren’t allowed under the new don’t mention gender or sexuality in the classroom rules our board passed. I am so saddened by this. I worked as a grad asst to wmst (no gender in the 90s) for a few years
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
The governor of Texas is rapidly turning world-class universities into minor regional ones. Example:
Greg Abbott halts H-1B visas at Texas universities, agencies
The governor said public universities and state agencies may not seek new visas without permission through the end of the 2027 legislative session.
www.texastribune.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:42 AM
The governor of Texas is rapidly turning world-class universities into minor regional ones. Example:
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
"Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died. Israeli military’s U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as ‘Hamas propaganda’" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died
Israeli military’s U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as ‘Hamas propaganda’
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:10 AM
"Israel accepts health authorities’ Gaza death toll is broadly accurate, saying 70,000 have died. Israeli military’s U-turn in accepting official figures comes after years of attacking data as ‘Hamas propaganda’" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Reposted by Dr Sarah Irving
From Brazil to Britain: the hidden cost of soy and beef.
The destruction of the Cerrado reaches the UK through the food we eat, turning a regional crisis into a shared responsibility with global consequences.
open.substack.com/pub/yourvoiz...
The destruction of the Cerrado reaches the UK through the food we eat, turning a regional crisis into a shared responsibility with global consequences.
open.substack.com/pub/yourvoiz...
From Brazil to Britain: the hidden cost of soy and beef
Often overlooked in global conservation debates, Brazil’s Cerrado is being rapidly transformed by industrial agriculture, with UK trade playing a direct role in the loss of water systems, biodiversity...
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 4:40 PM
From Brazil to Britain: the hidden cost of soy and beef.
The destruction of the Cerrado reaches the UK through the food we eat, turning a regional crisis into a shared responsibility with global consequences.
open.substack.com/pub/yourvoiz...
The destruction of the Cerrado reaches the UK through the food we eat, turning a regional crisis into a shared responsibility with global consequences.
open.substack.com/pub/yourvoiz...