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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 1d

Not sure about the Rosenberg book - been a while!

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 1d

Also Anat Rosenberg's book on advertising and British modernity might help?

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 1d

Think @claireljones.bsky.social work potentially useful here. Also maybe Harry Cocks' on lonely hearts ads, e.g. Jnl of History of Sexuality article on 'Sporty Girls' and 'Artistic Boys' and Ross Brooks - and Lisa Sigel on 'London Life'. All touch on sex/euphemism/alibi including through ads I think

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 2d

On Weds we welcome @katrinanavickas.bsky.social to IHR @cont-brit-hist.bsky.social seminar

Katrina will talk abt "Public space + popular protest in 20thC England: enclosure, resistance + commoning"

In-person/hybrid. All welcome, register here!
www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

@ihr.bsky.social

Public space and popular protest in 20th century England: enclosure, resistance and commoning

This session draws from the book, Contested Commons: a History of Protest and Public Space in England

www.history.ac.uk

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 7d

Enjoyed this!

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 7d

Union Jacks ✅
Racism ✅
“Can’t say that anymore”-people saying things ✅
Turds everywhere ✅

Very contemporary programming imo!

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Reposted by Ben Mechen

David Geiringer @davidgeiringer.bsky.social · 9d

How do we teach public history today? Pleasure to join @julialaite.bsky.social, @ktrcarpenter.bsky.social & Anna Maguire in this roundtable for @historyworkshop.org.uk. Image from @qmul.bsky.social qHeritage project with @museumofthehome.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/hwj/advance-...

Teaching Public History in Britain Today: A Roundtable Discussion

Abstract. ‘What is Public History Now?’ This was the question posed by the 2022 AHRC Network led by Julia Laite. The network culminated in a conference of

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Ben Mechen

Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

V happy to share a new OA article in @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social written with Sim Koole. It’s about dock work, dockside life and the changing river in turn of the century Rotherhithe.

Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 12d

New on advance access: "Bodies, Tides, Timber, and the Global History of London’s Docks, 1860–1928"

by Simeon Koole (@uobrishistory.bsky.social) and @benmechen.bsky.social (@uclhistory.bsky.social)

#OpenAccess

doi.org/10.1093/past...

Bodies, Tides, Timber, and the Global History of London’s Docks, 1860–1928*

Abstract. This article examines changes in the bodies and environment of labourers carrying timber imported into London’s docks in the 1860s to the 1920s t

doi.org

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 11d

That's v kind, cheers Andrew!

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 11d

Huge thanks for accepting it and for the guidance in those final drafts

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks a lot Lena!

Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

Cheers Andrew!

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks a lot, Matt. And for being an early reader of it!

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

V happy to share a new OA article in @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social written with Sim Koole. It’s about dock work, dockside life and the changing river in turn of the century Rotherhithe.

Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 12d

New on advance access: "Bodies, Tides, Timber, and the Global History of London’s Docks, 1860–1928"

by Simeon Koole (@uobrishistory.bsky.social) and @benmechen.bsky.social (@uclhistory.bsky.social)

#OpenAccess

doi.org/10.1093/past...

Bodies, Tides, Timber, and the Global History of London’s Docks, 1860–1928*

Abstract. This article examines changes in the bodies and environment of labourers carrying timber imported into London’s docks in the 1860s to the 1920s t

doi.org

4 15 51

Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 12d

IHR Contemporary British History seminar

Meets every few Weds in person or online

We still have some slots available for presenting in Jan-Jun 2026, so pls DM/email if interested :)

Our definition of “contemporary” is broad, and we’d particularly like more PhD/postdocs/ECRs on the programme

Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 13d

This year’s programme for our IHR seminar in Contemporary British History is coming together

This side of Xmas we’re excited to welcome @katrinanavickas.bsky.social @garylove.bsky.social @evansmithhist.bsky.social @dohertyta.bsky.social

If you’d like to present next spring/summer, drop me a line!

Contemporary British History seminar @cont-brit-hist.bsky.social · 14d

A new academic year is here, and so is our autumn term programme! A thread of our speakers follows.

Sign-up links available soon but note dates in diaries now! 📆

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Reposted by Ben Mechen

Journal of British Studies @jbritishstudies.bsky.social · 12d

🎥ICYMI

A full recording of our "How I Wrote This," event with Matthew Worley is now available on our Youtube channel.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntne...

How I Wrote This with Matthew Worley

YouTube video by North American Conference on British Studies

www.youtube.com

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 13d

This year’s programme for our IHR seminar in Contemporary British History is coming together

This side of Xmas we’re excited to welcome @katrinanavickas.bsky.social @garylove.bsky.social @evansmithhist.bsky.social @dohertyta.bsky.social

If you’d like to present next spring/summer, drop me a line!

Contemporary British History seminar @cont-brit-hist.bsky.social · 14d

A new academic year is here, and so is our autumn term programme! A thread of our speakers follows.

Sign-up links available soon but note dates in diaries now! 📆

8 15

Reposted by Ben Mechen

Michael Brown @medhistoryman.bsky.social · 21d

Not sure what 'secure' even looks like for most of right now, be it early, middle, or late career.

Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 21d

A good summary of how it’s going. Finished my PhD 9 years ago and am still stringing things together. As the first Anon says, what does ECR (or Mid-career) even mean anymore? That kind of career linearity depends on first vaulting over the fault line of secure/insecure - now a nearly impossible task

will o’the wisp pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 21d

“Cataclysmically bad”

This new series of ECR blog posts on the French History Network makes for grim reading, perhaps grimmer even than some in UK #FrenchHistory might have realised.

1st post, anon ECRs in French History on what it’s like right now out there:

frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/6691/

🗃️

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · 21d

A good summary of how it’s going. Finished my PhD 9 years ago and am still stringing things together. As the first Anon says, what does ECR (or Mid-career) even mean anymore? That kind of career linearity depends on first vaulting over the fault line of secure/insecure - now a nearly impossible task

will o’the wisp pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 21d

“Cataclysmically bad”

This new series of ECR blog posts on the French History Network makes for grim reading, perhaps grimmer even than some in UK #FrenchHistory might have realised.

1st post, anon ECRs in French History on what it’s like right now out there:

frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/6691/

🗃️

ECR in 2025: Part One- What is it like? – SSFH

frenchhistorysociety.co.uk

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · Jul 14

ffs 🙄

v weird flex

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · Jul 10

Bit of a trek for you, but The Goose is Out run singarounds in Peckham/East Dulwich pubs, I think once a month

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Reposted by Ben Mechen

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jul 9

Modern British History maternity leave cover (7 months in first instance) teaching position, predominantly 20th century, UCL History Dept. Starts 1 October 2025. Friendly department with excellent students and great library resources. PhD required. Deadline 24 July.

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · Jul 2

Everything I know about Austin - which is really not much! - is via Judith Butler. First bits of Excitable Speech are quite a good guide, maybe? JB goes quite a lot into the relationship between speech acts and intention, success and failure etc.

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · Jun 26

Congratulations!! Very excited to read

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Ben Mechen @benmechen.bsky.social · May 16

That's really helpful to know, thank you!! Unfortunately it looks like their info page on self-service photography still isn't back up post-hack.

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