Dr Meg Kobza
@fancyhistorian.bsky.social
Historian & Author
📖 ‘Masquerade’ YUPL 2026
🏃🏼♀️ Mother runner, coffee enthusiast
📖 ‘Masquerade’ YUPL 2026
🏃🏼♀️ Mother runner, coffee enthusiast
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Well played, London Underground.
October 22, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Well played, London Underground.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Everything is awful but the creativity behind some of these handmade posters gives me a glimmer of hope in humanity.
January 25, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Everything is awful but the creativity behind some of these handmade posters gives me a glimmer of hope in humanity.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
My course syllabi now contain a link to this document, "why Professor Holliday Doesn't Use Generative AI". Feel free to share/repurpose or just check out the links for your own reference. It won't stop some of them, but I want students to know why. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Why Professor Holliday Doesn’t Use Generative “AI”
Why Professor Holliday Doesn’t Use Generative “AI” This is a (very) incomplete list of journalistic and scholarly sources that provide information about limitations and documented drawbacks of variou...
docs.google.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:28 PM
My course syllabi now contain a link to this document, "why Professor Holliday Doesn't Use Generative AI". Feel free to share/repurpose or just check out the links for your own reference. It won't stop some of them, but I want students to know why. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
This Author has the privilege of sharing the tale of Mrs Catherine Perceval with avid readers & riotous revellers alike. The Author hopes this will satiate the ton's boundless appetite for gossip. For now.
yalebooks.co.uk/the-real-mas...
yalebooks.co.uk/the-real-mas...
January 21, 2026 at 11:58 AM
This Author has the privilege of sharing the tale of Mrs Catherine Perceval with avid readers & riotous revellers alike. The Author hopes this will satiate the ton's boundless appetite for gossip. For now.
yalebooks.co.uk/the-real-mas...
yalebooks.co.uk/the-real-mas...
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Whatever my uni declares, I am not going to engage with AI. I am not going to use AI or teach students to use it. I am going to continue to explain to students why it is harmful. Absolutely absurd to allow this anti-intellectual, environmentally devastating technology into the university at all.
January 20, 2026 at 7:20 AM
Whatever my uni declares, I am not going to engage with AI. I am not going to use AI or teach students to use it. I am going to continue to explain to students why it is harmful. Absolutely absurd to allow this anti-intellectual, environmentally devastating technology into the university at all.
This works for Masquerade pre-orders too 😘
Take 30% off selected 18th century history titles until 31.1.2026 - including books by @fourredshoes.bsky.social and @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social.
Includes free postage in the UK!
Browse online here: yalebooks.co.uk/bsecs26/
Includes free postage in the UK!
Browse online here: yalebooks.co.uk/bsecs26/
January 16, 2026 at 5:03 PM
This works for Masquerade pre-orders too 😘
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Including Novels, Needleworks, and Empire by @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social, and a preview of Masquerade by @fancyhistorian.bsky.social!
Free postage in the UK. Offer runs until 31/1/26. Not available in North/South America & Australia/NZ.
Free postage in the UK. Offer runs until 31/1/26. Not available in North/South America & Australia/NZ.
January 8, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Including Novels, Needleworks, and Empire by @chloewigstonsmith.bsky.social, and a preview of Masquerade by @fancyhistorian.bsky.social!
Free postage in the UK. Offer runs until 31/1/26. Not available in North/South America & Australia/NZ.
Free postage in the UK. Offer runs until 31/1/26. Not available in North/South America & Australia/NZ.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
This thread. The lack of acknowledgement of luck is a constant in the humanities. I have had a really successful career, made a living as a writer. And I am a pretty good researcher, I can present interesting ideas in a way people want to read them. Is that why I'm successful? 1/3
Anyway. I'm a tenured history professor, a white cisgender heterosexual man, I teach a 4-4 base and I'm half of my history department. I make, I think, 62k a year. I have 80k in student loan debts. I have a state school PhD and I was incredibly lucky to get both full time jobs I've had.
December 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM
This thread. The lack of acknowledgement of luck is a constant in the humanities. I have had a really successful career, made a living as a writer. And I am a pretty good researcher, I can present interesting ideas in a way people want to read them. Is that why I'm successful? 1/3
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Post-doc positions:
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
"Academic freedom is under pressure today. This requires rescue havens of free research. ... [we] invite early career researchers, whose work is restricted due to political pressure in the USA..."
uni-freiburg.de/frias/call-f...
Call for Applications: Early Career Rescue Fellowship – Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
uni-freiburg.de
December 19, 2025 at 5:19 PM
14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
We have two vacancies on the Council of the *British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies*:
1. Postgraduate Representative
2. Communications Officer
Happy to answer any questions about @bsecs.bsky.social Council life!
More info here: www.bsecs.org.uk/the-society/...
1. Postgraduate Representative
2. Communications Officer
Happy to answer any questions about @bsecs.bsky.social Council life!
More info here: www.bsecs.org.uk/the-society/...
Vacancies - BSECS
Vacancies on the Council This page gives details of any current vacancies on the BSECS Council. Vacancies are normally advertised in the autumn of the year and appointments are made or elections held ...
www.bsecs.org.uk
December 12, 2025 at 10:07 AM
We have two vacancies on the Council of the *British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies*:
1. Postgraduate Representative
2. Communications Officer
Happy to answer any questions about @bsecs.bsky.social Council life!
More info here: www.bsecs.org.uk/the-society/...
1. Postgraduate Representative
2. Communications Officer
Happy to answer any questions about @bsecs.bsky.social Council life!
More info here: www.bsecs.org.uk/the-society/...
Evenings and mornings.
December 11, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Evenings and mornings.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
We have a whole report on this
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...
University course closures leave students unable to study many SHAPE subjects close to home - report
A new report shows that students are shut out of SHAPE education in their home regions, as large swathes of the UK are ‘cold spots’ for humanities, social sciences and arts degrees.
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
We have a whole report on this
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...
www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/univers...
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
It’s my birthday! A really wonderful gift would be if you could listen, like and share my new podcast series, Uprising: The Civil Wars (and, if you have enjoyed it, give it 5 ⭐️)
In the words of Henrietta Maria, Merci.
🎧 play.megaphone.fm/quvuyhkqs66t...
In the words of Henrietta Maria, Merci.
🎧 play.megaphone.fm/quvuyhkqs66t...
November 28, 2025 at 9:24 AM
It’s my birthday! A really wonderful gift would be if you could listen, like and share my new podcast series, Uprising: The Civil Wars (and, if you have enjoyed it, give it 5 ⭐️)
In the words of Henrietta Maria, Merci.
🎧 play.megaphone.fm/quvuyhkqs66t...
In the words of Henrietta Maria, Merci.
🎧 play.megaphone.fm/quvuyhkqs66t...
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Congratulations to Katie Donington, Abdul Mohamud, Robin Whitburn, Nicholas Draper and their contributors! Their #OpenAccess book Teaching Slavery published today. Read and download free at: bit.ly/48vnDdJ #Education #Colonialism #Slavery #Racism
Teaching Slavery
Teaching Slavery offers ground-breaking research and practical guidance for teaching Britain’s role in transatlantic slavery. Combining historical analysis with classroom strategies, it equips educato...
bit.ly
November 27, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Congratulations to Katie Donington, Abdul Mohamud, Robin Whitburn, Nicholas Draper and their contributors! Their #OpenAccess book Teaching Slavery published today. Read and download free at: bit.ly/48vnDdJ #Education #Colonialism #Slavery #Racism
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
TODAY! We’re looking forward to this in-person CECS seminar with the always wonderful Dr Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth @carolinemccaff.bsky.social
📢 Our next seminar is scheduled for Tuesday 25 November with Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth @carolinemccaff.bsky.social,
presenting a paper on ‘James Tassie: A Maker of the Scottish Enlightenment’.
🗓️ Tuesday 25 November, 5pm
📍 HG/09, Heslington Hall
www.york.ac.uk/eighteenth-c...
presenting a paper on ‘James Tassie: A Maker of the Scottish Enlightenment’.
🗓️ Tuesday 25 November, 5pm
📍 HG/09, Heslington Hall
www.york.ac.uk/eighteenth-c...
James Tassie: A Maker of the Scottish Enlightenment - Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, University of York
Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth discusses the modeller, collector, inventor and businessman James Tassie.
www.york.ac.uk
November 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
TODAY! We’re looking forward to this in-person CECS seminar with the always wonderful Dr Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth @carolinemccaff.bsky.social
A movie that takes place where you're from.
November 23, 2025 at 9:15 PM
A movie that takes place where you're from.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
This is the most frustrating and exhausting thing about academia. When I mentioned it to a headhunter who was asking about things that could change, they said, “you are the first person to bring this up” — but two other women in the room backed me up.
November 16, 2025 at 3:16 PM
This is the most frustrating and exhausting thing about academia. When I mentioned it to a headhunter who was asking about things that could change, they said, “you are the first person to bring this up” — but two other women in the room backed me up.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
15 depts in College of Humanities and Social Sciences will be completely eliminated and replaced by
~ School of Human Behavior & Well-Being
~ Center for Interdisciplinary Programs & Writing Studies
~ Institute for Y (e.g. Intelligence, Value, and Societal Structures)
Wth? Sounds like BBC show W1A.
~ School of Human Behavior & Well-Being
~ Center for Interdisciplinary Programs & Writing Studies
~ Institute for Y (e.g. Intelligence, Value, and Societal Structures)
Wth? Sounds like BBC show W1A.
November 14, 2025 at 10:30 PM
15 depts in College of Humanities and Social Sciences will be completely eliminated and replaced by
~ School of Human Behavior & Well-Being
~ Center for Interdisciplinary Programs & Writing Studies
~ Institute for Y (e.g. Intelligence, Value, and Societal Structures)
Wth? Sounds like BBC show W1A.
~ School of Human Behavior & Well-Being
~ Center for Interdisciplinary Programs & Writing Studies
~ Institute for Y (e.g. Intelligence, Value, and Societal Structures)
Wth? Sounds like BBC show W1A.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
You have to understand what pieces like this from the NYT are and are not.
They are not an honest assessment of the state of politics today.
They are a negotiation tactic—an effort by a calcified, right-leaning legacy institution to steer the discourse in a direction more palatable to elites.
They are not an honest assessment of the state of politics today.
They are a negotiation tactic—an effort by a calcified, right-leaning legacy institution to steer the discourse in a direction more palatable to elites.
November 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM
You have to understand what pieces like this from the NYT are and are not.
They are not an honest assessment of the state of politics today.
They are a negotiation tactic—an effort by a calcified, right-leaning legacy institution to steer the discourse in a direction more palatable to elites.
They are not an honest assessment of the state of politics today.
They are a negotiation tactic—an effort by a calcified, right-leaning legacy institution to steer the discourse in a direction more palatable to elites.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
For colleagues in the UK: Yale UP is running a 50% discount through November, using the promo code FIFTY. Lots of books at much better prices, including my own: yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300...
Novels, Needleworks, and Empire - Yale University Press London
The first sustained study of the vibrant links between domestic craft and British colonialism Finalist, Susanne M. Glasscock Book Prize In the e...
yalebooks.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 AM
For colleagues in the UK: Yale UP is running a 50% discount through November, using the promo code FIFTY. Lots of books at much better prices, including my own: yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300...
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Early Bird Registration for #BSECS2026 closes on the
***15 NOVEMBER 2025***
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
***15 NOVEMBER 2025***
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
BSECS Conference Registration
Registration for the BSECS Annual Conference is now open. Please use the form below to register for the conference.
www.bsecs.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Early Bird Registration for #BSECS2026 closes on the
***15 NOVEMBER 2025***
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
***15 NOVEMBER 2025***
www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...
#skystorians #18thC 🗃️
I have fallen victim to the craze.
November 10, 2025 at 10:39 AM
I have fallen victim to the craze.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Had an interesting lunchtime talk today at @yalebooks.bsky.social from Dr Meghan Kobza about her upcoming book The Masquerade: A History of Extravagance and Intrigue. Now I want to go to a Masquerade 🎭 find out more about the book here yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300...
November 5, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Had an interesting lunchtime talk today at @yalebooks.bsky.social from Dr Meghan Kobza about her upcoming book The Masquerade: A History of Extravagance and Intrigue. Now I want to go to a Masquerade 🎭 find out more about the book here yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300...
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
Anthony Blinken was explicitly calling the actions of the RSF and SAF in Sudan a genocide all the way back in January.
Which people who’d actually been paying attention to the situation in Sudan before now (when it’s handy to use it Sudan as a rhetorical gotcha against Gaza protesters) would know.
Which people who’d actually been paying attention to the situation in Sudan before now (when it’s handy to use it Sudan as a rhetorical gotcha against Gaza protesters) would know.
November 1, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Anthony Blinken was explicitly calling the actions of the RSF and SAF in Sudan a genocide all the way back in January.
Which people who’d actually been paying attention to the situation in Sudan before now (when it’s handy to use it Sudan as a rhetorical gotcha against Gaza protesters) would know.
Which people who’d actually been paying attention to the situation in Sudan before now (when it’s handy to use it Sudan as a rhetorical gotcha against Gaza protesters) would know.
Reposted by Dr Meg Kobza
When no one at the école noticed your work
November 1, 2025 at 1:01 AM
When no one at the école noticed your work