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Emily Swafford

@elswafford.bsky.social

160 followers 67 following 120 posts

Historian and administrator. Asst Dean-ing at Rackham Graduate School. Sort-of-sane cat mom and avid reader of not-too-scary murder mysteries. Sometime choral singer. Views my own. Ann Arbor, MI. she/her.

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Emily Swafford @elswafford.bsky.social · Jun 27

Sharing, for no reason, the photo of a child-sized handprint on a brick on the Lawn at UVa. Taken last year at my 20-year reunion. So proud and grateful to the students who looked for it, found it, and made sure others could know about it, too.

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Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 7d

NEWS: Next Tuesday @chenderson.bsky.social will introduce an emergency bill to let @mayorbowser.dc.gov issue marriage licenses, since the federal shutdown has closed D.C. Superior Court's Marriage Bureau. (We can agree it's silly that a spending standoff means no legal unions in D.C., right?)

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American Historical Association @historians.org · 7d

Registration for our free Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses, October 24–25, at the University of Texas at Dallas, is open now. Join us for thought-provoking discussions about introductory history courses and student success in Texas. 🗃️

2025 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses

The 2025 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses will take place Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at University of Texas at Dallas.

www.historians.org

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KCUR (Kansas City's best news source) @kcur.org · 8d

BREAKING: The director of the presidential library and museum in Abilene, Kansas, said he was suddenly told to resign or be fired. He refused to give the Trump administration a historic sword from the museum’s collection.

Director of Eisenhower Library in Kansas ousted after refusing to give Trump administration a sword

The director of the presidential library and museum in Abilene, Kansas, said he was suddenly told to resign or be fired. He refused to give the Trump administration a historic sword from the museum’s collection.

www.kcur.org

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Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 8d

One day someone will let me write about this lady's scam or have me as an expert on their podcast/documentary and I will finally unleash all my research

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Emily Swafford @elswafford.bsky.social · 8d

Of interest to #skystorians
Link to a CBS story below.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 8d

The Trump regime wanted to give King Charles one of President Eisenhower’s swords.

The head of the Eisenhower Library objected and suggested a replica, since the swords are owned by the American people now.

The Trump regime got pissed and the head of the Eisenhower Library has now resigned.

CBS News @cbsnews.com · 8d

A dispute over a gift given by President Trump to King Charles forced out the museum boss, sources say.

Reposted by Emily Swafford

Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 9d

“We may be past the point of no return, but at a minimum we ought to … assess where we are, and what we’re losing when we fully cashier robust support for Humanities research. The Humanities are us.” Feels like a(nother) good day to share this. scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/04/02/t...

The Humanities as Canary: Understanding this Crisis Now - The Scholarly Kitchen

The Humanities have always been the canary in the coal mine of the full knowledge industry. What information can help us understand this crisis and its implications?

scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org

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Rackham Graduate School @umichgradschool.bsky.social · 9d

Do feelings of fraud & self-doubt feel like they're creeping into your #UMich #GradSchool experience? This week's episodes of GradWell explore Impostor Phenomenon w/ two Developmental Psychology Ph.D. candidates: Danielle Rosenscruggs & Dianna Alvarado.

🎧 Listen now: myumi.ch/mRJZG

#WeAreRackham

Promotional graphic for the October 1 release of the GradWell podcast, entitled "The Imposter Phenomenon," part 1 of a 2 part podcast featuring Danielle Rosenscruggs, a Ph.D. candidate in Developmental Psychology.

Promotional graphic for the October 1 release of the GradWell podcast, entitled "The Imposter Phenomenon," part 2 of a 2 part podcast featuring Dianna Alvarado, a Ph.D. candidate in Developmental Psychology.

Reposted by Emily Swafford

Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 9d

This is one of the saddest photos I have because of the writing on the back, “Bob due to leave for Army, watching TV”. 1967. No further info.

Black-and-white photo of a young light skinned man wearing a sweater and trousers sitting on an upholster chair with 1 foot up on an ottoman. He stares blankly, straight ahead. A short hair tuxedo cat is curled in his lap.

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 9d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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Daniel J. Story, PhD 🚴🏻‍♂️🎙️🗺️ @danieljstory.bsky.social · 9d

Today from #HistoryInFocus — We revisit one my favorite episodes, "Soil and Memory," a look at the collaboration between historian Alexis Dudden and graphic artist Kim Inthavong as they explore history, memory, and activism in Okinawa, Japan. @historians.org

Soil and Memory

Historian Alexis Dudden and graphic artist Kim Inthavong discuss their collaborative work on history, memory, and activism in Okinawa, Japan. Their piece, “Okinawa: Territory as Monument,” appears in ...

www.historians.org

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EvOutWest, tinfoil hatville @evoutwest.bsky.social · 9d

I love otters. Here you go.

In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 9d

Feeling stressed? Here are some otters enchanted by a butterfly.

Reposted by Emily Swafford

Tony Clark @anthonyclark.bsky.social · 10d

If you've done in-person research at any of the following presidential libraries in the last 8 months, can you please follow me/contact me—soon—for a story I'm working on (can be off the record)?

Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter

And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏

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Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social · 10d

This 1976 picture of swine flu vaccine stockpile will never not crack me up because of this guy.

A picture of people standing in front of boxes of vaccines

Close-up a very stylish man dressed in a 1970s brown leather jacket.

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Emily Swafford @elswafford.bsky.social · 11d

Guys, Reading Rainbow is BACK.
📚🌈🦋

youtu.be/e7es7qdWVnU

Reading Rainbow🌈 | Official Trailer 🎬 | Educational Videos for Kids |@Kidzuko

YouTube video by Kidzuko

youtu.be

Emily Swafford @elswafford.bsky.social · 10d

I held one of these as a newly-minted PhD. Definitely recommend the opportunity for any who are eligible.

German Historical Institute Washington @ghiwashington.bsky.social · 10d

Applications for the fall cycle of our short-term doctoral and postdoctoral research fellowships are due October 1. Learn more about the criteria here: www.ghi-dc.org/programs/doc...

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships – GHI Washington

www.ghi-dc.org

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German Historical Institute Washington @ghiwashington.bsky.social · 10d

Finally, applications for our binational Tandem Program, which provides a two-year research fellowship based at our Pacific Office in Berkeley @ucberkeleyies.bsky.social, are due on October 15: www.ghi-dc.org/programs/pac...

Pacific Office Tandem Fellowship – GHI Washington

www.ghi-dc.org

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Dr. Wendy Maddocks RN @nursinghistory.bsky.social · 14d

The next event at the Christchurch nurse’s memorial chapel museum- a slot by yours truly in the mix - free do pop in if you are in town & our WW2 display will still be out

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Karin Fischer @karinfischer.bsky.social · 10d

NEWS: In a case he called “perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court," a federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration's efforts to deport pro-Palestinian protesters violates the First Amendment www.chronicle.com/article/stud...

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Rackham Graduate School @umichgradschool.bsky.social · 10d

The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program allows doctoral students to pursue a fully supported internship during their graduate training. Internships offer students a mentored professional learning experience in diverse career settings.

Learn more: https://myumi.ch/gR9PG

#UMich #GradSchool

Promotional image for Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program featuring a smiling participant named Julian Rome, standing outdoors with trees in the background. Text: Create Your Dream Internship
Tips from Julian Rome, Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Participant.

Blue text graphic with Julian Rome's first tip: Find five job postings that interest you.

Blue text graphic with Julian Rome's second tip: Make a list of the qualifications for your selected postings, noting what areas you need the most professional growth in to be competitive.

Blue text graphic with Julian Rome's third tip: With your supervisor,  co-design your internship around getting experience in your growth areas, staying centered in the mission of the organization.

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American Historical Association @historians.org · 10d

The AHA’s Careers for History Majors booklet provides data about the professional prospects of history majors, practical advice about jobs and employment, & essays on how studying history prepares students for a range of exciting and fulfilling career paths. Recruit and engage history majors today!🗃️

global.oup.com

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Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 11d

Good history helps us avoid nostalgia. The great article “Economic History and the Historians” (2020) by Anne McCants reminds me why nostalgia can get us in trouble. Two of her examples are very relevant to today: vaccinations and the popular narrative of some economic “good old days.”

Getting vaccinated is unpleasant. Dying of measles is worse. In the decade before the 1963 vaccine for measles emerged, an average of 475 Americans died from measles every year, most of them children. This (absolute) number had dropped to a low of 1 in 1981, despite a steadily increasing population that might have hypothetically contributed additional cases. Sadly, the number of measles cases in the United States has been steadily climbing upward again because we seem not to remember the ravages of the disease so much as the inconvenience of the shot—even without taking into account the absurd rejection of the solid scientific evidence in favor of vaccinations. Many people still have an elderly relative who survived a bout of severe childhood illness; not one of us has an elderly relative who did not. The blurring of the historical evidence for and against vaccination that arises from strangely incongruous historical narratives allows a seemingly inconsequential but nonetheless deadly nostalgia to run rampant.

Another example of dangerous reverence for the past concerns the flurry of popular enthusiasm lately (at least if the pundits of the 2016 American election are to be believed) for the “good old days” of the 1950s when a family could live securely on just one income (in these nostalgic accounts, that one income is usually a man’s). Lest we forget, these are the same good old days of poor air quality and measles. Maybe trivial in comparison but certainly indicative of the scope of the cognitive problem that nostalgia presents, the average size of a new home built in America in 1950 was 983 sq. ft.; by 2010, the average size had risen to 2,392 sq. ft. Given that families were larger on average in the 1950s than they were in 2010, per capita space allocation had risen even faster than total area. Although we might not need that much personal space, many of us have become used to it. Older furniture now looks tiny compared to what is now on offer in showrooms, whereas older television sets were behemoths with miniscule screens showing programs in glorious black and white.

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Steve McKerrall @photosteve.bsky.social · 11d

Red-tailed hawk traffic enforcement 👮‍♂️
#birds #raptors

A red-tailed hawk sitting on a brown side that reads “Reduce Speed” with a picture of a bicycle, while a cyclist approaches in the background out of focus.

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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 11d

I mean listen it was a big bean burrito ok.

Science News @sciencenews.bsky.social · 11d

“We live inside this sea of turbulent gas,” says astrophysicist Lewis McCallum of RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/map-stellar-nurseries-gaia-telescope

See a 3-D map of stellar nurseries based on data from the Gaia telescope

The map, spanning 4,000 light-years from the sun in all directions, combines a chart of space dust with the effects of a rare type of young, hot star.

www.sciencenews.org

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Emily Swafford @elswafford.bsky.social · 11d

Guys, Reading Rainbow is BACK.
📚🌈🦋

youtu.be/e7es7qdWVnU

Reading Rainbow🌈 | Official Trailer 🎬 | Educational Videos for Kids |@Kidzuko

YouTube video by Kidzuko

youtu.be

Reposted by Emily Swafford

Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 12d

Very interesting reading in the NY Times. Ta Nehisi Coates’s conversation with Ezra Klein and Nikole Hannah-Jones’s piece show, once again, that African-Americans have had very different experiences with and, thus, different perspectives on the basic nature of the United States.

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