Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 18h

Fantastic celebration of @gawainsmum.bsky.social festschrift. Lovely to see so many colleagues and students current and past, which speaks to Helen's contribution as a scholar, colleague, and friend. @webstermedieval.bsky.social

4 14

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 2d

Peer review systems with multi-factor authorization should be banned. Literally nothing more frustrating....(well, not counting the lack of working PC in my office...) 😡

1

Reposted

PD Dr. Laury Sarti @laurysarti.bsky.social · 6d

Tenure-track assistant professor "Early medieval history" (Univ. of Copenhagen) www.hsozkult.de/job/id/job-1...

Tenure-track assistant professor "Early medieval history" (Univ. of Copenhagen)

Tenure-track assistant professor in early medieval history at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen The Saxo Institute, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) invites ap...

www.hsozkult.de

39 42

Reposted

Mark Williams @mrfw17thc.bsky.social · 7d

This against one of History's most successful admissions cycles and a clearly thriving degree scheme (healthier than some that have been taken out of scope).

This isn't 'cannot rule out' but 'chooses not to rule out' compulsory redundancies.

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 7d

'The affected staff, in the schools of foreign languages, history, religion and music, have been warned the university cannot rule out compulsory redundancy.'

Almost 200 Cardiff University staff left in limbo as they face losing jobs

Cardiff University confirmed it cannot rule out compulsory redundancies as it also apologised to students for problems with a new timetabling system as the academic year begins

www.walesonline.co.uk

1 7 21

Reposted

Jane Winters @jfwinters.bsky.social · 8d

Join us on 20 November for the Annual Digital Lecture, a partnership between The National Archives, UK and the School of Advanced Study. The wonderful @nannathylstrup.bsky.social will be speaking about ‘When saving becomes loss: archival memory in the digital age’. Free to register!

When saving becomes loss: Archival memory in the digital age

Explore archival memory, data loss, and attempts to preserve the past in the digital age at this year’s Annual Digital Lecture.

www.eventbrite.co.uk

3 53 74

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 8d

Historian of peacemaking and diplomacy here, 👋. Rephrasing garbled quotes from Cicero, Vegetius, Augustine and Isidore do not make them more true or grounded in historical fact...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Hegseth: "As history teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace and those who are willing to wage war to defend it. That's why pacifism is so naive and dangerous."

1 7

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 9d

First commute to Cardiff in two years 😳 Made more interesting having returned from Germany last night 🤣 😱 Looking forward to get back into the classroom 😀

6

Reposted

IHR Earlier Middle Ages Seminar @earliermiddleages.bsky.social · 9d

📣 The Earlier Middle Ages seminar @ihr.bsky.social is now on Bluesky! Here's our autumn term schedule. First up is @rorynaismith.bsky.social on 8 October, giving the annual David Wilson Lecture (with @uclarchaeology.bsky.social). All welcome! Please sign up here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

Autumn 2025 schedule for the Institute of Historical Research's Earlier Middle Ages seminar. Full information available at https://www.history.ac.uk/news-events/seminars/earlier-middle-ages

2 36 48

Reposted

Kenneth F. Duggan 🇨🇦 @kfduggan.bsky.social · 10d

The quickest way to finish an article is to start it. It also helps if you can stay away from social media, tv and the internet. And your cell phone. And other people. You should also fight urges to clean and organise spaces, and to cook big meals.

In other words, it’s difficult to finish articles.

A monk is seated, working on a manuscript. He is writing in a book and the writing appears to be horizontal lines.

4 24 110

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 9d

I really do hope govt is spending as much time thinking about getting the economy going and what will make a difference for communities feeling left behind as they are thinking about stopping migration. Those things are not the same, in case they had not realised...

Katherine Weikert @kateweikert.bsky.social · 10d

Under Labour's plan, I wouldn't qualify for my ILR because I spent the first five years on my work visa in a new career, where I spent most of my time [checks notes] educating young adults.

BBC News - Mahmood to demand migrants earn right to settled status
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Shabana Mahmood to demand migrants earn right to settled status

New tests will include learning English to a high standard, paying National Insurance and not claiming benefits.

www.bbc.com

1 1

Reposted

German Historical Institute London @ghilondon.bsky.social · 10d

Call for applications! 📣

The German Historical Institute London is seeking a Research Associate with a particular research interest in medieval history (with a focus on late medieval English history) for a part-time project position to start on 1 February 2026. 🤝
1/3

2 45 42

Reposted

Hans Busio @hansbusio.bsky.social · 12d

Einde middag nog even een rondje door Senlis, toch een beetje het Zutphen van de zuidelijke Oise😉. Als stad van Romeinse oorsprong, maar in het stedelijk museum is voldoende bewijs van leven in de bronstijd en de keltische periode🧵.

2 1 11

Reposted

Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 12d

This deserves *way* more attention than it’s getting

Reform’s former Wales leader admits he received corrupt payments in exchange for making statements in the European Parliament to promote Russia’s interests in #Ukraine.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 12d

Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges

Gill admits to eight charges while an elected member of the European parliament Nathan Gill, a former leader of Reform UK in Wales, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight bribery charges while an elected member of the European parliament. More details soon … Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

28 380 580

Reposted

Andrew Ayton @andrewayton.bsky.social · 14d

Actually, not so recent: 2019. We address a number of pretty important issues with Sumption’s interpretation, but he sees fit to simply repeat his previous argument. Sadly, this book has received little publicity.

Initial page of Andrew Ayton & Craig Lambert, ‘Navies and Maritime Warfare’ in Anne Curry, ed., The Hundred Years War Revisited.

Cover page of Anne Curry, ed., The Hundred Years War Revisited (2019)

3 4 14

Reposted

Social History Society @socialhistsoc.bsky.social · 14d

📢 The Social History Society Book Prize 2026 is now open for nominations!

Now in its 8th year, the prize celebrates the best books in social history & cultural history✨

More information here: socialhistory.org.uk/2025/09/24/b...

Book Prize 2026 Open

We are delighted to announce that the Social History Society annual Book Prize has reopened and is seeking nominations. The prize is now in its eighth year and is awarded to the best book in Social…

socialhistory.org.uk

24 17

Reposted

Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 16d

What do trade tolls have to do with the "Feudal Transformation"? My take, just published:

2 9 42

Reposted

SPIN Research Network @researchspin.bsky.social · 14d

Next week! Join us for Prof. Patricia Owens' (Oxford) book talk: Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men, chaired by Dr. Zara Bain (Bristol)
@zaranosaur.bsky.social
1 Oct 3pm (UK Time), Zoom (to register to attend please email [email protected]
All welcome!
wp.me/pb19Tu-1ap

3 4

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 17d

I'm at a complete loss to understand why changing the times of train tickets, which costs £10/ticket, results in you having to buy a completely new ticket just so they can a week or so later refund your original ticket price, minus the £10 fee. But, hey, enjoy the interest on my money...😠

Reposted

Kenneth F. Duggan 🇨🇦 @kfduggan.bsky.social · 18d

Next week, students in my medieval survey course @viuniversity.bsky.social will be discussing Katherine Allen Smith’s fantastic article “Why did medieval monks sew?” If you haven’t read it yet, you should. It’s superb.

The image shows the first page of Katherine Allen Smith’s article called “why did medieval monks sew?”. Beneath the title is the abstract, which say this:
Building upon numerous recent studies of medieval religious women’s textile production, this essay explores sewing practices among religious men. From Late Antiquity through the Central Middle Ages, monastic regulators, hagiographers, and homilists promoted stitching as a fitting activity for religious men and women alike, but ascribed different meanings to this work depending on the gender of practitioners. For religious men, sewing was a demonstration of humility, poverty, and simplicity which signalled their rejection of a lay masculinity that coded stitchery as feminine. More broadly, sewing-related metaphors, exempla and miracles evoked a monastic world in which the spiritual and domestic intermingled, so that needles and thread could be understood as both practical tools and symbols of virtue.”

5 19 84

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 19d

The glorious last few days of summer ☀️ Currently, 30 degrees 🥵

3

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 19d

Absolutely! @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social re-posted it yesterday. Seriously, check it out. 😄

2

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 20d

Is this envy after seeing THAT collection in the video circulating the other day? 😝 Not that every day is not a good day for purchasing such things....

1

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 20d

Quite an enjoyable lunch view 😍 It's insanely hot, though 🥵

1

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 21d

The university library in Freiburg is one of my favourite buildings here

18

jembenham.bsky.social @jembenham.bsky.social · 22d

I had a weird dream that my colleagues and I ended up in a medieval Netflix series. It was all very dark and horrible, bells ringing ominously everywhere, Ingmar Bergman style. We did try to tell them this was not right, but no one listened. Welcome to allegories for UK HE in 2025! 😱😱🤣

1 4