Elsbeth
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historecluse.bsky.social
Elsbeth
@historecluse.bsky.social
480 followers 1.2K following 550 posts
Historian of epidemics, exhibitions, hospital medicine, the state, taxes, civilization and, currently, US economic thought.
Posts Replies Media Videos
historecluse.bsky.social
Legend.
February 14, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
ldburnett.bsky.social
fabulous!
maxkozlov.bsky.social Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 19h
Scoop: The NIH infectious-diseases institute (NIAID) will soon scrub “pandemic preparedness” and “biodefense” from its web pages, according to e-mails I obtained.

The directive is the start of a broader shake-up at NIAID, which has long been attacked by Republicans.
Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation
Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.
www.nature.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:51 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
asociologist.bsky.social
"The abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds" - Joan Scott www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Gender studies courses are shutting down across the US. The Epstein files reveal why | Joan Wallach Scott
Texas A&M University is the latest school to end women’s and gender studies programs and teaching race. We know why
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
jessicacalarco.com
Sounds eerily familiar...

"[They] have made it clear that they intend not only to dominate all life and thought in their own country, but also to enslave the whole of [their continent], and then to use the resources of [their continent] to dominate the rest of the world."—FDR, 1940
February 13, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
unlawfulentries.bsky.social
"By centering a constitutional history that unsettles the presumption of timeless nationalism, this Foreword shows that many of the most pressing constitutional controversies are not beyond the reach of the Constitution but are, instead, at its core."

cc @dwaldstreicher.bsky.social
maggieblackhawk.bsky.social Maggie Blackhawk @maggieblackhawk.bsky.social · 23h
New Foreword up on SSRN, previewing new projects on the history of constitutional history and what it can teach about legal frameworks at the heart of our "constitutional crisis"-federal Indian law, territorial law, expansion, immigration, and executive power. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
As constitutional interpretation becomes rooted ever more deeply into the past the Constitution seemingly has less and less to say about our present. It seems to offer little principled direction for navigating what many describe as a constitutional crisis. On questions ranging from birthright citizenship and territorial acquisition to aggressive federal immigration enforcement, executive intervention beyond U.S. borders, and the “history and tradition” of annexed territories such as Hawai’i, the Constitution’s familiar sources of authority and traditional narratives seem to falter. These domains appear to tread into empty constitutional landscapes and newly discovered territory. Scholars have increasingly traced this backward-looking orientation to conservative legal movements of the last half century. But the impulse to seek constitutional meaning in the past is not new. Long before the Supreme Court embraced originalism, and long before the modern turn to “history and tradition,” jurists and scholars assumed that the Constitution could not be understood apart from its origins and development. Constitutional meaning was thought to emerge from historical inquiry. The question, then, was not whether constitutional interpretation should engage with the past, but which past—and through what historical method. This Foreword argues that our present constitutional impasse stems, at least in part, not solely from excessive attention to the past but from fixation on a particular kind of past. Modern constitutional theory, I suggest, has been increasingly bounded by what scholars in the historical and social sciences call a methodological nationalism. By nationalism, I do not mean to invoke familiar federalism debates. Nor do I use the term nationalism as a pejorative or a critique of those whose research centers the United States and its founders. Rather, in identifying mainstream constitutional theory as operating within a nationalist frame, I seek to draw attention t…
February 13, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
jweisber.bsky.social
Given how capable LLMs have gotten at creating software, and how low the bar is for publication in academic philosophy, seems pretty likely the only thing keeping LLMs from writing publishable papers is that nobody's bothering to optimize them for this task
February 12, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
listo.bsky.social
February 10, 2026 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
danielagabor.bsky.social
just broke my ai;dr promise to see what the crypto guys vision for stablecoin looks like:

an open market of joyful AI financial capitalism settled in stablecoin
February 12, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
duyguyildirim.bsky.social
So excited to talk about my forthcoming book today!
February 12, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
jasminekgani.bsky.social
My new article "Kant as Methodology: Race, White Ignorance, and Intellectual Responsibility" is now out in Critical Philosophy of Race (Penn State University Press).

Open Access copy here: jasminekgani.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...

(summary of core arguments in thread below)
@lseir.bsky.social
February 10, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
acemaxx.bsky.social
(insightful and striking)
Finally. I got my review copy. When @annpettifor.bsky.social writes a #book - you absolutely have to read it @versobooks.bsky.social Jan 2026 www.versobooks.com/en-gb/produc...
February 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
talkandplay.substack.com
Metapolitics is a fascinating thing, substantially less pleasant when the metapolitics in question is: should I be physically assaulted?
February 12, 2026 at 4:29 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
jamiedupree.bsky.social
The House votes to repeal some of President Trump's tariffs levied on imports from Canada. 210 Republicans voted in favor of the tariffs. It's the first time House GOP lawmakers have gone on the record about the Trump tariffs.
February 11, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
sky.skymarchini.net
It’s INCREDIBLE that a. Nothing else is missing or even moved between these photos and b. The only person who actually truly cared about Charlie Kirk is Candace Owen’s
cinemacultist.bsky.social Soylent D Cracker🏳️‍🌈 @cinemacultist.bsky.social · 3d
SHE REMOVED THEIR WEDDING PHOTO LMAOOOOOO
Oh she HATED his guts
Wedding photo top left Wedding photo removed
February 11, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
zensoul.bsky.social
#ProudBlue “A previous Marshall Project analysis found that ICE has booked at least 3,800 children into detention since Trump took office last year.”

3800 CHILDREN! “…they’ve received poor medical care and are suffering from psychological stress.”

www.themarshallproject.org/2026/01/29/i...
Children in ICE Detention Skyrocket in Trump’s Second Term
With a six-fold jump in children in detention, advocates allege harrowing conditions are putting kids’ lives at risk.
www.themarshallproject.org
February 11, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
gayatripat.bsky.social
From the trio of @marcusrediker.bsky.social, David Lester, & Paul Buhle comes a compelling new graphic! THE BLACK SCHOONER, published by @beaconpress.bsky.social goes on sale 6/9 & is available for pre-order now from your local indie, @bookshop.org, B&N, & Amazon!

youtu.be/iMh38kMW2Ws?...
February 11, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
slurmsmackenzie.bsky.social
A fake Guardian opinion page from Yogi Bear. The headline is "Ignore the smears: I was never going to steal that pic-a-nic basket and eat the delicious food Ranger Smith had made for lunch." the subheading is "Quite frankly it is insulting to suggest that Boo-Boo and I would do such a thing." A follow-on link goes to news stating "WhatsApp messages reveal that Yogi Bear messaged Boo-Boo to say "are you ready to steal the absolute fuck out of that pic-a-nic basket, Boo-Boo?"
February 10, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
gregsargent.bsky.social
Trump-MAGA rage at Bad Bunny is actually driven by anger at multiracial solidarity. On the pod, @adriancarrasquillo.bsky.social nails it on how this demented MAGA fury captures why Trump's gains with the nonwhite working class in 2024 have now completely collapsed:
newrepublic.com/article/2063...
Trump’s Fury at NFL Show Spikes amid Fresh Signs His Base Is Imploding
As Trump-MAGA rage at Bad Bunny grows, and polling shows he’s bleeding the working class, a reporter who covers Latino culture explains how both developments reveal Trump and MAGA are trapped in a bub...
newrepublic.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:11 PM
historecluse.bsky.social
A Rethinking Economics gathering in Zambia. A row of young people looking at once joyful and purposive.
February 10, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
danielagabor.bsky.social
Kalecki said that capitalists are more comfortable with fascist governments because together they can squash organized labour, while getting a bigger share of the pie.
February 10, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
resprofnews.bsky.social
Scrapping REF should be “serious’ option”, says Manchester VC.

Duncan Ivison questions “usefulness” of “massive, bureaucratic” research assessment exercise.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
Scrapping REF should be ‘serious’ option, says Manchester VC - Research Professional News
Duncan Ivison questions “usefulness” of “massive, bureaucratic” research assessment exercise
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Elsbeth
rsgat.bsky.social
Imagine being this wrong on Main. This whole article is basically, "I don't speak Spanish and didn't consult with anyone with any knowledge of Puerto Rican history or politics, so to me, it seemed pretty chill."

I mean...
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 5d
Analysis: Weeks before he set foot on the stage, Bad Bunny’s halftime performance had already become a media event.

But if you were looking for political commentary, the closest that you got was when he said “God bless America” in English.
Analysis | Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show was expected to provoke. Did it?
The Bad Bunny Super Bowl show nodded to injustices in Puerto Rico but mostly evoked wholesome family values that meshed with the more sentimental commercials.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
karlbode.com
this is a subject that's near and dear to my heart

1. no you didn't, you retconning fucks

2. your decades of anti-governance "free market" "government never functions" propaganda paved the way for the complete authoritarian decimation of labor, consumer, environmental protections
New York Times headline: Libertarians: We Told You So With an image of a big black boot stomping a snake
February 9, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
danrueck.bsky.social
Kids in concentration camps
propublica.org ProPublica @propublica.org · 5d
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Elsbeth
earlymodjustice.bsky.social
The really appalling part is that the supposedly “originalist” justices on the Supreme court completely ignored both the text of the constitution and the history.
They stand exposed.
15 Historians File Amicus Brief in Trump v. US Debunking Immunity Claim
Historians show that history doesn’t support presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.
www.brennancenter.org
February 6, 2026 at 11:03 PM