Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · 10d

#academicsky 🗃️
For when you need something smart to read to distract you from the news.

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · 11d

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Today is the 50th anniversary of the "Thrilla in Manila" fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Suzuko Morikawa shows their face-off to be a "crucible cultural conflict" that extended beyond the ring and captured the tensions of the mid-1970s. 🗃️
clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/10/01/t...

The “Thrilla in Manila” at 50: A Retrospective on Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and the Power of Their “Calculated Blaze”

At the 50th anniversary of the fight, the “Thrilla in Manila” emerges as not only the story of two extraordinary boxers’ pushing themselves to their physical limits, but also embodies creativity an…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · 24d

Today! 🗃️ #academicsky

Sign up to join our monthly workshop. We are filling spots for spring semester, so contact us to workshop your paper in progress. We’re a friendly and helpful group.

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · 25d

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · 25d

Buckle up. 🗃️

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · 25d

McCarthyism in your news feed? Check out @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social's latest, "'Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Tom Hanks fan club?': Modern McCarthyism in America," which explores recent echoes of the McCarthy era in Hollywood and academia.

“Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Tom Hanks fan club?”: Modern McCarthyism in America

Recent attacks on Tom Hanks and American universities highlight parallels between our 2025 and the McCarthy era. But our moment has something the Cold War Red Scare didn’t: the benefits of hi…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Sep 3

I feel obligated to keep trying to convince my students not to sacrifice their own skill development to AI while in college, but I think I come across as preachy and out of touch. @lornab.bsky.social and T-Pain send a much more compelling message that I plan to adopt into my classrooms.

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Sep 2

Looking to persuade your students to develop humanistic writing skills before leaning on AI? Invite T-Pain (sans Auto-Tune) to your class.

@lornab.bsky.social offers a riveting lesson plan about AI and the power of honing our voices. 🗃️#academicsky

clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/09/02/t...

T-Pain Against the Machine: How Mid-2000s Hip Hop Can Inspire College Students to Skip the AI and Find Their Own Voice

T-Pain’s stunning, stripped-down vocal performance on the Tiny Desk version of “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” makes it clear that he’s got the organic vocal chops to “sound good” without any dig…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Aug 29

This syllabus from Marcus Chatfield introduces the history of delinquency as a legal construct in the U.S. as well as antidelinquency efforts deployed by families, social workers, police departments, judges, clinicians, politicians, and legislators.

clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/08/29/h...

History of Delinquency – AMH 3931/CCJ 4934

This course introduces the history of delinquency as a legal construct in the United States since 1825. Broadly defined as the adult conception of criminal and problematic youth behavior, we will e…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Aug 26

This is delightful reading. 🗃️#academicsky

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Aug 26

On the heels of the 50th Anniversary of Born to Run, @kirkcurnutt.bsky.social offers Springsteen fans and pop culture scholars an analysis of the ways the noir mood of "Meeting Across the River" reflected something bigger about the 1970s.
clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/08/26/b...

Noir City vs. The Opera on the Turnpike: As Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run Turns 50, Its Most Underrated Track Deserves Some Love

“Meeting Across the River” routinely lands last when fans rank their Born to Run favorites. But its noir mood was where the country was heading in the mid-1970s.

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Aug 25

Our summer session was so productive. Folks advanced their article, book proposal, op ed, book manuscript, and memoir.

Casual conversation about our progress each week facilitates real-time feedback from other writers, too.

Fall session opens 9/16. Join us. 🗃️ #academicsky #amwriting

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Aug 24

Prioritize your writing this fall by joining this regular community of committed writers on Zoom. Bring friends. 🗃️ #academicsky

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Sam Rutherford (he/him) @echomikeromeo.bsky.social · Aug 16

I share this syllabus bc I'm one of a tiny handful of university faculty in the UK who teach trans history at a specialist level, & I'd like there to be more of us! I learned the field from scratch post-PhD, bc at my prev institution it was politically necessary - which means that you can too!

Sam Rutherford (he/him) @echomikeromeo.bsky.social · Aug 15

Updated my grad syllabus for the new year! The latest version of the weekly schedule and readings is now on the Teaching page of my website: samuelrutherford.com/teaching/

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Renata Keller @renatakeller.bsky.social · Aug 15

What an amazing resource!! Sharing for all those grappling with how to handle AI in the classroom.

Huge thanks to @annakornbluh.bsky.social @ehayot.bsky.social and the other contributors

#History 🗃️

Patrick McKelvey @pmckelveyphd.bsky.social · Aug 15

grateful for colleagues doing the goddess's work

against-a-i.com?fbclid=IwY2x...

AGAINST AI

against-a-i.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Aug 13

Contact us @cliocontemporary.bsky.social with your pitches. 🗃️ #academicsky

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Aug 13

Historians, we’re interested in publishing responses to the White House plan to “review” Smithsonian exhibits. DM us if you’d like to write something! 🗃️ #publichistory

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

British History Online @bho.bsky.social · Aug 13

New version of the Slave Voyages website launched:

www.slavevoyages.org/blog/slavevo...

#History #EnslavedHistory 🗃️

SlaveVoyages

www.slavevoyages.org

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Mark Letteney @letteney.bsky.social · Aug 12

Publication day for a book that Matthew and I spent six years on, anguished over, fought for, rewrote twice, and nearly abandoned. I hope it proves useful in continuing important conversations about the ancient world and about the societies we choose to build today.

www.ucpress.edu/books/ancien...

Cover for Ancient Mediterranean Incarceration, featuring Titus Kaphar's portrait "Jerome II"

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Cate Denial @cjdenial.bsky.social · Jul 16

Historians - as you think about the new semester, consider this first-day exercise as a way to get conversation going about what historians *actually* do, and the context within which we do it. catherinedenial.org/blog/uncateg...

Making the First Day Matter – Cate Denial

catherinedenial.org

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Aug 6

Are y'all really organizing your inboxes with labels and folders? I recently learned that adults do this, and my pile of 18k emails is now looking like a middle school backpack full of loose papers.

Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Aug 4

How can historical commissions get it right? Often, as @cirapalliaspero.bsky.social explains, well-intentioned efforts reproduce harm when they rely on unexamined disciplinary assumptions.🗃️#academicsky

clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/08/04/m...

“Making New History” with Old Tools: The Coloniality of Method in (Post-)Colonial Historical Commissions

Even well-intentioned efforts at historical reckoning can reproduce epistemic harm when they rely on unexamined disciplinary assumptions.

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Aug 4

🗃️ #academicsky

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Aug 2

We have a last-minute opening for our summer retreat, and we are able to offer a deep discount. Come write with us, and start your fall semester with real progress on your project and some new friends. 🗃️ #Academicsky

Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Jul 22

Applications open for January 3-9, 2026 Retreat in Central NY. Start 2026 by making substantial progress on your writing project. We provide nourishing food and hot coffee. You bring the brain power and writing materials. #skystorians #AcademicSky
uny-prc.org/writing-grou...

UNY-PRC Writing Retreats - Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium

Come write with us. Escape to a beautiful home in Upstate New York with other folks writing about policing, the carceral state, liberation, and related fields. Enjoy semi-structured morning and aftern...

uny-prc.org

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Jul 23

Join us. Sign up here: uny-prc.org/writing-work...
🗃️ #AcademicSky

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Omari @oaverettephillips.bsky.social · Jul 23

Hey all, I’m looking for grad students/historians to write advice pieces for @cliocontemporary.bsky.social ‬on comprehensive exams. Pieces could be on identifying a comps committee, prepping reading lists, what to do after comps, etc. Message me here if you’re interested.

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Jul 16

Join our monthly UNY-PRC Writing Workshop. On Aug 8, 3-4:30pm EST, we'll discuss new work from Dr. Camilla Fojas, Foundation Professor in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. Sign up to receive the paper & Zoom link. #AcademicSky #Skystorians

uny-prc.org/writing-work...

Writing Workshop - Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium

UNY-PRC Writing Workshop Once a month, Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium (UNY-PRC) hosts a writing workshop. An article or chapter-length draft is circulated a week prior to the Zoom meeti...

uny-prc.org

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Jul 12

Join me in Zoomland for some sacred Tuesday writing time. The summer is not over yet (telling myself this as much as I’m telling you). 🗃️

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Jul 12

It's mid-July. How's your summer writing project going?

Join the UNY-PRC Working Group, Tuesdays 10am-noon EST on Zoom, and write in quiet solidarity with others.

#AcademicSky #Skystorians

uny-prc.org/working-group/

Working Group – Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium

uny-prc.org

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · Jul 12

The UNY-PRC interns are crushing it.

Upstate New York Policing Research Consortium @unyprc.bsky.social · Jul 12

Congrats Ty Thomas and Carissa Bayack, two UNY-PRC interns who contributed to this guide.

UNY-PRC offers internships in interdisciplinary undergraduate research and our students have presented at the AHA among other national conferences.

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · Jul 12

Check out this advice from undergrads who are on the other side of their first conference. This would be great for a methods or research seminar syllabus and a handy tool for PAT advisors. 🗃️

clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/07/12/f...

Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Christopher Deutsch @drchrisdeutsch.bsky.social · May 12

Interested in the fate of domestic manufacturing? I wrote a piece discussing the history of an industry that remained onshore and what it took to survive doing so.

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · May 12

The Trump administration calls for the return of domestic manufacturing, there is one industry that managed to resist the outsourcing process of the late 20th century. As @drchrisdeutsch.bsky.social explains, it only required the destruction of its labor unions and deeper exploitation of migrants.

The Industry that Stayed: How Meatpacking Remained Domestic

As the Trump administration calls for the return of domestic manufacturing, there is one industry that managed to resist the outsourcing process of the late 20th century. It only required the destr…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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Mallory Szymanski @malszy.bsky.social · May 24

Your syllabus sounds amazing. Any interest in publishing it on @cliocontemporary.bsky.social ? DM me for next steps.

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Reposted by Mallory Szymanski

Clio and the Contemporary @cliocontemporary.bsky.social · May 23

As historians, we rarely think about the ways that the tools we use to do our work affect the questions we ask and how we answer them.

In this piece, Sam Frantz takes us through what we should think about when choosing digital tools for our research.

clioandthecontemporary.com/2025/05/23/d...

Digital Tools for the Humanities

Machines reconﬁgure work. And yet, historians or other humanistic researchers rarely think about the way that our digital workﬂows—the tools that we use to do our work—enable or disenable the kinds…

clioandthecontemporary.com

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