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Francesca Soliman

@frasoliman.bsky.social

1.1K followers 990 following 81 posts

Lecturer in criminology at Edinburgh Napier University. Associate director of the Scottish Centre for Crime & Justice Research (SCCJR). Using zemiology to research migration, border harms, and environmental harms. Migrant, feminist, bird & cat enthusiast.

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Nov 15

It's been so nice to see so many people I used to connect with on Twitter joining this site, but also to connect with so many people I didn't know before. I think a proper introduction is in order, and it's a great excuse to make use of the brand new thread function 🧵

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · 18d

Our social sciences and criminology colleagues are ready to welcome prospective students at Edinburgh Napier University's Open Day 2025. Come see us at Sighthill Campus between 10am and 3pm #MustBeNapier

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thank you Andy, Bob was such a valued member of our family, but also had so many friends and fans. Looking through old photos I found this memory from lockdown, when I would set up a webcam for him so he could join our daily PhD writing retreats and bring his trademark aura of calm to the community.

A beautiful black and white cat sleeping curled up on a grey blanket, while a webcam watches him from a nearby desk.

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Sep 1

Grateful also to panel chair @vcanning.bsky.social who kindly let me present and answer questions first, so I could run off to call home while my beloved cat was put to sleep. Bob was 19 and chronically ill, but we were still unprepared for his sudden loss. Always loved, forever missed.

A beautiful black and white cat lying on a red blanket and resting his head on the arm of a person who is trying to type on a laptop

An absolutely stunning black and white cat lies belly up with his eyes closed on a wooden table, soaking up the sunlight

A gorgeous black and white cat is lying on a person's lap and meowing while looking at the camera

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Sep 1

Another excellent @europeangroup.bsky.social conference this year in Malmö: programme packed with critical and radical voices and clear commitment in support of Palestine. Grateful for the kind and attentive audience listening to my and @dinesson.bsky.social's paper on zemiology of counterterrorism

A woman standing in front of a screen showing a presentation titled "Decriminalising terror: for a zemiology of counterterrorism".

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Aug 19

Our colleague Dr @kir-anderson.bsky.social was discussing her recent book "The Barlinnie Special Unit: Art, Punishment and Innovation", the first detailed analysis of a unique time in the history of Scottish prisons. The book is available here: www.watersidepress.co.uk/books/barlin... #EdBookFest

A woman wearing glasses and a striped black and white shirt smiling at the camera while holding a copy of the book "The Barlinnie Special Unit: Art, Punishment and Innovation"

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Aug 18

Packed room for the "Unlocking the arts" event at the Edinburgh Book Festival this afternoon, with the wonderful Kirstin Anderson and Lady Unchained discussing art, incarceration, and how to think of possible ways forward to both mitigate and prevent the harms of criminalisation.

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Aug 18

My brilliant colleagues' recent funding successes have opened up 2 fixed term positions in our criminology team at @edinburghnapier.bsky.social; if you are an early career researcher, or you are finishing up/just out of a PhD, we would love to hear from you.

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Aug 18

📢 2 fixed term positions are currently available within our criminology team 📢

1 Lecturer in Criminology
Full time (35 hours p/w), Fixed Term (9 months)
Grade 6 - £46,049 to £58,225 per annum
Colleagues at the PhD submission/viva stage are welcome to apply
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOH075/l...

Lecturer in Criminology, Full time, Fixed Term at Edinburgh Napier University

Searching for an academic job? Explore this Lecturer in Criminology, Full time, Fixed Term opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

www.jobs.ac.uk

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jul 24

You can't swing a cat in Napier's crim team's offices without hitting a successful colleague in the face, and I am beyond delighted to see the latest success of all-round excellent human being @kir-anderson.bsky.social, I can think of no better person to conduct this important project.

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Jul 23

We are incredibly proud to announce that our talented colleague @kir-anderson.bsky.social has been awarded a prestigious RSE Personal Research Fellowship for her research project on harm, history, and memory in Scottish prisons 👏

A screenshot of The Royal Society of Edinburgh's website, listing the first of this year's winners of the Personal Research Fellowship: Dr Kirstin Anderson, Edinburgh Napier University, with a project titled "Inside voices: harms, histories and memories of Scottish prisons"

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jul 18

A much needed (and excellently timed) resource produced by my esteemed @edinburghnapier.bsky.social colleagues, looking forward to taking my students through this work. This really couldn't have been written by more diligent hands, absolutely delighted to see it out into the world ⚖️ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Jul 18

Our colleagues Jamie Buchan, Sarah Anderson and Katrina Morrison have written the first textbook on Scottish criminal justice in over a decade. A guide to key institutions through a critical lens, and essential read for criminology students in Scotland. Out 4 August www.routledge.com/Criminal-Jus...

Criminal Justice in Scotland

Providing a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the contemporary Scottish criminal justice system, this book focuses on its key processes (from arrest to post-sentence) and institutions, as w...

www.routledge.com

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jul 1

And of course, great to see that "Decriminalising terror: for a zemiology of counterterrorism" by @dinesson.bsky.social and myself is settled in its new home: bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

bristoluniversitypressdigital.com

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jul 1

I really love this journal, yet another incredible issue featuring cutting edge critical and radical scholarship, and a great bonus is that so many articles are open/full access. Looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one.

The European Group for the Study of Deviance and Social Control @europeangroup.bsky.social · Jul 1

Latest issue of Justice, Power and Resistance now available, check:
bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

@frasoliman.bsky.social @andrewmjefferson.bsky.social @bschcnetwork.bsky.social @critcrim.bsky.social @ccse-ljmu.bsky.social @unenormecampo.bsky.social @statewatch.bsky.social

bristoluniversitypressdigital.com

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Jun 19

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Andy Aydın-Aitchison @andy8chi.bsky.social · Jun 17

June 25, 4pm BST (UTC+1), online

Against the Latin American Current? Decarceration in Chile

Javier Wilenmann, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile

From @thesccjr.bsky.social

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/against-th...

#Penology #Criminology #Chile

Against the Latin American Current? Decarceration in Chile

While Latin America has seen a significant rise in incarceration rates over the last 30 years, Chile has experienced a 33% drop. Why?

www.eventbrite.co.uk

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jun 16

...found it useful to "practice" this kind of F2F interaction before they find themselves in their first job interview(s). Changing assessments takes time and lots of thought, particularly about what the assessment is actually for, but given current HE challenges it's a conversation worth having.

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jun 16

It's a work in progress, but I had the chance to co-design the assessments with students (particularly those with disabilities/learning difficulties) and that has really helped make the assessment less burdensome for students and reduce anxiety; fourth year students in particular have...

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jun 16

That is very true, not every assessment format will fit every student. My assessments now have a written component, a dialogical component, and a Q&A: this means students are not just expected to jump into the unknown on the day of the assessment, but can rely first on some pre-prepared material;

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Jun 16

I have switched to oral assessments over the past year and found they are no more time consuming than marking; in fact, they are often much faster, especially when genAI use (or even "traditional" plagiarism) is suspected. In addition, they allow students to better articulate their learning.

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · May 16

"Kirstin Anderson opened by pulling no punches". I have zero trouble believing that! As always, here's @kir-anderson.bsky.social taking hard questions head on and leading exactly the kind of conversation we should be having about prisons: about social harms, academic pavidity, and lessons unlearned.

Kirstin Anderson @kir-anderson.bsky.social · May 16

Many thanks to @joesmithcreative.bsky.social for an excellent write up of our session at the Paisley Book Festival last month paisleybookfestival.com/blog-buildin...

Blog: Building Hope: Art, Architecture, and the Possibility of Abolition - Paisley Book Festival

Dr Kirstin Anderson, lecturer in criminology at Edinburgh Napier University, and Professor Yvonne Jewkes, one of the

paisleybookfestival.com

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · May 16

This past year it has felt particularly important to connect with all my students individually, and work my hardest to help them bring their experiences and understanding of the world into the classroom. I am truly SO thankful for this "Best Lecturer" nomination, perhaps I might be onto something.

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · May 16

🎉 EIGHT 🎉 Crim & SocSci colleagues nominated for ENSA Excellence Awards 2025 across 4 categories: Best Lecturer; Significant Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion; Exceptional Academic Support; and Best Research Supervisor 🏆
@napierstudents.bsky.social
www.napierstudents.com/excellence/e...

Excellence Awards 2025 Nominees

The full list of staff and services at Edinburgh Napier who have been nominated for a 2025 Excellence Award.

www.napierstudents.com

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Steve Tombs @stevetombs.bsky.social · May 6

Please do consider signing the petition and forwarding this message @bschcnetwork.bsky.social @europeangroup.bsky.social @iliadou.bsky.social @frasoliman.bsky.social @mfbosworth.bsky.social @inquest-org.bsky.social @debcoles13.bsky.social

Victoria Canning @vcanning.bsky.social · May 1

The petition to #FreeFatou is here - please sign if you can 👇🏽https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-deportation-of-our-sister-fatou-her-life-is-in-danger-if-she-is-deported

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Victoria Canning @vcanning.bsky.social · May 1

The petition to #FreeFatou is here - please sign if you can 👇🏽https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-deportation-of-our-sister-fatou-her-life-is-in-danger-if-she-is-deported

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Anna Meier @annameier.bsky.social · Apr 14

"The term is being misused" the term is being used exactly as intended.

"The law is being misused" this is the point of the law.

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Reposted by Francesca Soliman

Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · Mar 25

Great to see a shout out to #Zemiology, key to understanding the full impact of technology abuse.

Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Mar 7

Utterly delighted to see this MSc out in the world after so much hard work went into its design. Come study #criminology (and #zemiology) with us at @edinburghnapier.bsky.social, you couldn't find a better team than the outstanding scholars and educators I have the pleasure of calling my colleagues

Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Mar 7

The MSc Crime and Justice in Practice focuses on real-world practice in criminal, restorative, and transformative justice, and will help you develop a critical understanding of the role and impact of applied justice policy and research.

#criminology

www.napier.ac.uk/courses/msc-...

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Criminology, policing and social sciences ENU @socscinapier.bsky.social · Mar 7

Did you know? We now offer 3 #masters degrees as part of our subject area's masters suite: in criminology, in joint criminology and forensic psychology, and in social research. All 3 programmes focus on applied learning and offer an optional work placement 💼

Check out the information below 👇

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Francesca Soliman @frasoliman.bsky.social · Mar 9

@ologies.bsky.social would be my top suggestion