Scholar

Andrew Thacker

H-index: 12
Art 31%
History 26%
gsoh31.bsky.social
ICYMI on Tuesday, here's my *new* and *free* short-form summary of what's gone wrong in our universities. This is something of a last word really, because unless the Budget and White Paper do something really radical, the fate of much HE is already sealed.
politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...
Where now for Britain’s Universities?
UK higher education now faces a very bleak future, retreating in the face of little public sympathy and limited political interest.
politicalquarterly.org.uk
wokestudies.bsky.social
‘Them & [uz]’ by Tony Harrison (1937–2025)
plashingvole.bsky.social
Very much enjoying the culture of trust and respect implicit in the installation of room usage monitoring devices on academics' office doors today. Imagine my shock on discovering that managers' doors remain unsullied…
A SmartViz monitoring device installed at a university.
hyoyoonkang.bsky.social
Gillian Rose's on law, history, and Marxism.
This should be an essential workshop with deep intellectual and theoretical engagement that is becoming rarer by the day in UK legal academia. Organised by the wonderful Rosie Woodhouse. Registration and more info here: warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/...
Poster of Gillian Rose: history, Marxism, and the Turn to Law. 3 December 2025, University of Warwick. With Jessica Feely, Will Spendlove, Tarik Kochi, Adrian Wilding, Chris O'kane, Nadia Bou Ali and the organiser, Rosie Woodhouse.

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

modernistudies.bsky.social
We’re delighted to announce a CFP for a Virginia Woolf special issue of TMR, marking the 34th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. Please see the details below:

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

weimarfilmnetwork.bsky.social
📢📢📢 Upcoming Conference: 'Rethinking Weimar Cinema' (University of Oxford, 17 - 19 June 2026)

Full Call for Papers: drive.google.com/file/d/1pxBI...

Deadline: 31 October 2025

Please share widely with anyone who may be interested in joining us in Oxford next year!
Call for Papers: Rethinking Weimar Cinema (University of Oxford, 17 - 19 June 2026)

Keynote Speakers:
Dr Paul Dobryden (University of Virginia)
Dr Sara F. Hall (University of Illinois Chicago)
Dr Qinna Shen (Bryn Mawr College)

Film Screenings: TBC, in collaboration with the Ultimate Picture Palace and Weimar 100

Organizers: Dr Lawrence Alexander (Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford) and Dr Molly Harrabin (University of St. Andrews/University of Warwick).

Deadline for submitting proposals: 31 October 2025
The centennial years of the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) have seen a rise in academic engagement with and public interest in this period of German film history. As one of the most dynamic and experimental periods in global cinema, Weimar film has long been recognized for its aesthetic innovations, sociopolitical commentary, and influence on subsequent film movements. Yet these anniversary commemorations have not only reaffirmed the significance of this era, they have also opened the door for new questions, perspectives, and critical paradigms. This conference seeks to build on this momentum by revisiting Weimar cinema through fresh critical lenses and innovative methodologies, inviting participants to reconsider its cultural, political, and aesthetic significance in light of new archival discoveries, theoretical frameworks, and interdisciplinary approaches. The conference will take stock of our current understanding of Weimar film to map where this field may be heading as well as offering new genealogies of those images, figures, and texts that have defined it thus far. 

In addition to traditional conference papers, we welcome contributions from archivists, practice-based researchers, and works of videographic criticism. Please submit proposals of up to 300 words to lawrence.alexander@rsa.ox.ac.uk and mlh21@st-andrews.ac.uk by 31st October 2025. Notices of acceptance will be sent out in December.

A limited number of bursaries are available to contribute to travel and accommodation costs for postgraduate and early-career speakers. 

This event is hosted by the Weimar Film Network and funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) as part of a three-year Promoting German Studies networking grant awarded to the German Screen Studies Network, co-directed by Dr Paul Flaig and Dr Dora Osborne.
sarahpyke.bsky.social
very much enjoyed reviewing Jane Cholmeley's excellent A BOOKSHOP OF ONE'S OWN for Publishing Research Quarterly

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Screenshot of a book review, of Jane Cholmeley's A Bookshop of One's Own, in Publishing Research Quarterly
gsoh31.bsky.social
This is what I'm hearing too. A total failure of public policy all the more staggering for having been totally predicted and predictable. A disaster.
echrhawk.bsky.social
Hearing a lot of Russell group unis are taking on staggering numbers of Home UG students to offset weaker international recruitment. This has been a recent trend, but it seems to be out of control this recruitment cycle. Downstream impact on newer unis will be catastrophic @gsoh31.bsky.social

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

annagirling.bsky.social
Further to this @thetls.bsky.social essay about Una Marson's early work as a publisher, the full run of Marson's 1920s/1930s magazine, The Cosmopolitan, is now freely available on the Digital Library of the Caribbean (@dlocaribbean.bsky.social): www.dloc.com/AA00114844/0...
moderniststudies.bsky.social
In 2026, the MSA Conference will look a bit different-- weird, even! That's because we're having a joint conference with BAMS @modernistudies.bsky.social in Loughborough, UK from July 1- 4, 2026. The CFP will be out soon! But in the meantime, please save the date.
Tarot card image of the empress with a crown of stars. Text reads Weird Modernisms BAMS/ MSA 1- 4 July 2026 Loughborough University, UK

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

rs4vp.org
For those who may not yet have heard, our dear friend Brian Maidment passed away a little over a week ago. It is difficult to put into words how much he meant to our community, but @pritijoshi.bsky.social has paid him wonderful tribute here: rs4vp.org/in-memoriam-...
In Memoriam: Remembering Brian Maidment – RSVP
A tribute from RSVP president Priti Joshi to past president and long-time member, Brian Maidment, who passed away January 28, 2025.
rs4vp.org

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

lrb.co.uk
‘As in other industries, the enormous wage disparity within universities distances the corporate leadership from the concerns of rank-and-file employees: it helps to steady the hand that wields the axe.’

Ed Kiely on Labour’s higher education reforms:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Ed Kiely · Short Cuts: University Finances
Universities’ reliance on international students is only the most recent attempt to solve a broader problem, one that...
www.lrb.co.uk
gsoh31.bsky.social
Superb piece from the ISRF on the Great University Crisis: all financial changes to Higher Ed should have to undergo an open and public Educational Impact Assesment. Great to see an actual new idea in what passes for the 'debate'. isrf.org/blog/a-new-r...
A New Regulatory Framework for University Cuts
isrf.org

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

mmodernity.bsky.social
Our latest cluster, "Hope Mirrlees's 'Paris: A Poem' @ 100", edited by Nell Wasserstrom and Rio Matchett, takes a long walk along the Seine.

Read more here: modernismmodernity.org/forums/mirrl...

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

wokestudies.bsky.social
Balliol College (University of Oxford) and the Proceeds of Slavery: Project Report.

#highered #history

www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/sites/defaul...

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

dkernohan.bsky.social
Daniel Hannan day greetings to all those working in the higher education sector. www.reaction.life/p/britain-lo...
andrewthacker.bsky.social
Just caught up with this fine summary of the total mess of UK universities today.
lrb.co.uk
‘As in other industries, the enormous wage disparity within universities distances the corporate leadership from the concerns of rank-and-file employees: it helps to steady the hand that wields the axe.’

Ed Kiely on Labour’s higher education reforms:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Ed Kiely · Short Cuts: University Finances
Universities’ reliance on international students is only the most recent attempt to solve a broader problem, one that...
www.lrb.co.uk

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

eastangliabylines.co.uk
Britain’s universities train global leaders, generate billions in exports, & lead world class research.

The government’s immigration plans aim to cut international student numbers.

Stephen McNair asks: Isn’t it time that policies build on our strengths?
Will the government’s immigration plans be good for our universities?
The Immigration White Paper aims to reduce international student numbers. But universities need them. Can the circle be squared?
eastangliabylines.co.uk
wordsmith.bsky.social
A contributor has had to withdraw from something I'm editing, late in the day. I'm looking for a sprightly 10,000 book historical words on the broad theme of 'consumers/consumption' and the period 1450-1650 (not necessarily all of it).

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

gillpartington.bsky.social
LAST CHANCE to sign up for this, on 23rd May! A hands-on study day in UCL special collections, exploring their most experimental magazines, from the Modernist avant-garde to the mimeo revolution.
ies.sas.ac.uk/events/magaz...
ec.europa.eu
Choose Science. Choose Europe.

A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open.

With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond.

Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF
A graphic for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), showing a historical portrait of Marie Skłodowska-Curie overlaid with an image of four young researchers walking down a hallway. The European Commission logo is in the top left. Text reads: "Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – €404.3 million to support postdoctoral researchers”

Reposted by: Andrew Thacker

georebekah.bsky.social
Bravo to this WWII veteran. He seemed very excited about smashing Fascism.

10/10, no notes.

References

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