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Abigail Swingen

@abigailswingen.bsky.social
4K followers 2.7K following 1.4K posts

EM British & Atlantic history. Competing Visions of Empire (Yale, 2015). Now: Britain's Financial Revolution & Moral Crisis. She/her. New Englander. Views my own. Latest article: doi.org/10.1017/jbr.2023.74

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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Yes, that's the problem. The job market lacks the old razzle-dazzle.
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Jessica Luther @jessicawluther.com · 01/10/2026
We live in a society that punishes people who are assaulted. We question them, we shame them, we disbelieve them. Many survivors instinctively do that societal work for us. Survivors question themselves, they shame themselves, they don't believe their own version of events. We've trained them!
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The Bibliographical Society @bibsoc.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
2026 is the 550th anniversary of England's first printer, William Caxton, establishing his printing press in Westminster, London. To celebrate, the Bibliographical Society is hosting a series of videos from libraries in the UK and around the world introducing viewers to items printed by Caxton ...
youtube.com
Caxton 550 - YouTube
2026 is the 550th anniversary of England's first printer, William Caxton, establishing his printing press in Westminster, London. To celebrate, the Bibliogra...
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Lol me, too. And I live in West Texas. Although I think I heard it in a dentist's waiting area once.
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As of today, the CDC has changed (reverted) their Covid guidance to make the vaccine recommended for all people over 18. In addition to being a smart public health move, this recommendation also means insurance must cover it. Read more here: www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/va... Listen to a breakdown here:
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The Organization of American Historians @oah.org · 22/09/2026
📢Congratulations to our new OAH Lecturers! 🎉 We are proud to announce this year’s group of U. S. historians who bring a wealth of knowledge and diverse historical perspectives to the OAH Lectureship Program roster. #OAHLecturer 👉 Meet the new speakers: ow.ly/I0L550ZQhGC
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
'The records have been digitised and indexed by the genealogy company Ancestry, which has partnered with the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London.' Leaps and bounds forward in our understanding of the histories of the British enslaved. #Skystorians
theguardian.com
Nearly 4m records of enslaved people in 20 former British colonies now searchable online
Exclusive: Collection’s 300,000 pages record lives of enslaved people in countries including the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa and Trinidad
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Taqueria de Diez: taqueriadediez.com
taqueriadediez.com
Taquería de Diez | Tijuana-Style Tacos in Austin, TX
Tijuana-style street tacos. Carne asada, pollo, pastor & more. Order online for pickup or delivery. ⭐ 4.8 stars. Open late Thu-Sat!
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
For information about the Lewis Walpole's collection: guides.library.yale.edu/lwlfind
guides.library.yale.edu
Yale University Library Research Guides: Finding Lewis Walpole Library Collection Material: HOME
Providing guidance on using various discovery tools to find collection material at the Lewis Walpole Library
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Working on a book, article, or dissertation on #18thc British world? The Lewis Walpole Library offers 4-week visiting fellowships and 2-week travel grants for scholars. The deadline for applications is November 2. 🗃️ More info: walpole.library.yale.edu/fellowships/...
walpole.library.yale.edu
Visiting Fellowships and Travel Grants | Lewis Walpole Library
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
If you are ever in New Haven this academic year, be sure to check out this amazing exhibition at the Beinecke on William Hogarth's "moral progresses," featuring material from the Lewis Walpole Library. Starting October 12. #18thc #earlymodern 🗃️: library.yale.edu/events/satir...
library.yale.edu
Satire, Sympathy, and Social Critique: William Hogarth’s Progress Prints
“Satire, Sympathy, and Social Critique” will be on view at Beinecke Library from Oct. 12, 2026, through May 30, 2027. Drawing from the rich William Hogarth collections of Yale’s Lewis Walpole Library,...
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 15/09/2026
Colleges could subsidize books for students rather than paying for premium versions of ChatGPT
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Most excellent use of Jefferson Starship on a soundtrack.
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Brooke Newman @brookenewman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The paper trail of complicity and profit, both royal and otherwise, stretches across the centuries—and historians are there to find it. Great work by Nick Radburn, Will Pettigrew, and team, who have launched a comprehensive register of British investors in the transatlantic slave trade.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 11/09/2026
This is what it means to be a federal worker. Which is part of why it makes me so furious to see how federal workers have been treated by Trump and Musk and DOGE.
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 11/09/2026
Universities are subsidizing internal AI tools that are, from the perspective of the humanities, enabling cheating & cognitive outsourcing. The cost in resources is certainly an issue, but the fact that these tools undermine the work we ask students to do is ridiculous www.umass.edu/it/genai/pla...
umass.edu
GenAI Platform : UMass Amherst Information Technology : UMass Amherst
The UMass GenAI platform is an intuitive and user-friendly platform designed to provide the UMass community with equitable access to leading generative AI models, including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic...
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Wellesley College, one of the most expensive colleges in the country, just announced that it will be "tuition free" for most domestic families earning less than $200,000. Sounds good, right? Well, it's complicated, as my favorite student journalist reports. thewellesleynews.com/23668/news-i...
thewellesleynews.com
Wellesley goes tuition free for families making under $200,000
Wellesley College announced Sept. 9 that domestic students whose families make under $200,000 a year with typical assets will receive free tuition, beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. The new poli...
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Wellesley College, one of the most expensive colleges in the country, just announced that it will be "tuition free" for most domestic families earning less than $200,000. Sounds good, right? Well, it's complicated, as my favorite student journalist reports. thewellesleynews.com/23668/news-i...
thewellesleynews.com
Wellesley goes tuition free for families making under $200,000
Wellesley College announced Sept. 9 that domestic students whose families make under $200,000 a year with typical assets will receive free tuition, beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. The new poli...
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I'm very happy to be moving back!
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Officially official. library.yale.edu/news/yale-li...
library.yale.edu
Yale Library names Abigail Swingen executive director of Lewis Walpole Library
In October, Abigail Swingen joins Yale Library as the W. S. Lewis Librarian and Executive Director of Lewis Walpole Library.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Lol. Whatever it takes!
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
FYI, I got the new COVID vaccine at a CVS today. No questions about any conditions or anything.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Ken Paxton did it.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I've recalled books from myself on more than one occasion. 😬
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Chris Polansky @chrispolansky.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Sam Waterston, the television and film actor, said he was motivated to attend the demonstration because he did not want his alma mater to “give in to a bully.” “This [presidential] administration has been getting us all acquainted with what it feels like to live in an authoritarian society."
ctpublic.org
Yale demonstrators challenge potential Trump DOJ settlement
The university prohibited reporters from covering the event on campus.
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Shannon K. Supple @mazarine.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
All the people So many people They all go hand in hand Hand in hand through their…
Cover of a paper book, “Pond Life,” with illustrations of a duck, dragonfly, raccoon, fish, lily pad, and general pond view
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Lol
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I wrote about Dolly Parton in my latest @nytopinion.nytimes.com column. Thank you. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Greatest Story Dolly Parton Ever Wrote Was Herself (Gift Article)
She didn’t see herself as a saint; she identified as something we needed even more: a writer.
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“A dean at Rutgers University was arrested for allegedly recording [nonconsensual] upskirt videos while working for the school, according to New Jersey prosecutors.” www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
cbsnews.com
Rutgers University dean allegedly recorded "upskirt" videos, prosecutors say
A dean at Rutgers University was arrested for allegedly recording inappropriate videos while working for the school, according to New Jersey prosecutors.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
As Dolly intended.
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Mike Barthel @mikebarthelauthor.com · 25/08/2026
She also could tell a fuckin story
When the 1974 recording of the song reached number one on the country charts, Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to record the song.
Parton was interested until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded.
[28] Parton refused. She recalls:
I said, 'I'm really sorry,' and I cried all night. I mean, it was like the worst thing. You know, it's like, Oh, my God... Elvis Presley.' And other people were saying, 'You're nuts. It's Elvis Presley!'...I said, 'I can't do that.
Something in my heart says, 'Don't do that. And I just didn't do it... He would have killed it. But anyway, so he didn't. Then when Whitney [Houston's version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland. 29]
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Mo Ryan @moryan.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
every billionaire & tech mogul, they all want to be adored & celebrated without doing the things Dolly did with a fraction of the power & money. What she had, she gave away. I'm sure she was comfortable (& that's good!). But she just relentlessly helped. It's not that difficult. Love. Care. Help. 💚🌸
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton was a real one. RIP.
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Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle playing their acrylics. Two icons.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
As Truvy in Steel Magnolias: "Louie brought his new girlfriend over, and the nicest thing I can say about her is all her tattoos are spelled correctly."
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Alex @purplechrain.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
One last classic Dolly moment at the end of this message from her family: “Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”
instagram.com
Dolly Parton on Instagram: "A message from the family of Dolly Parton."
105K likes, 8,449 comments - dollyparton on August 25, 2026: "A message from the family of Dolly Parton.".
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
😔 Rest in peace, queen.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Interesting considering the university just got a major donation to promote AI.
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Mikki Brock @mikkibrock.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
If an AI "clone" can do what you do, you are not in a serious discipline, and you should not teach at a university. And if you are an institution passing word-guessing simulations off as "educators" because you value profit over authentic learning, then you are not a university at all.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Dropped off my kid for her senior year of college today 😭
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Dr Eleanor Lowe @loweee.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Hello! Does anyone here sing 18thc ballads? If so, let me know. UK based for September.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Definitely part of the equation.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The fact that I get to move back home to Connecticut after 30+ years away is icing on the cake. I'm sad to leave Texas Tech after 17 years, though, and will miss so many good people in Lubbock. But the time has come to move on and embrace this amazing opportunity.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Seems like a good time to share some news: this fall I will start as Librarian and Executive Director of the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale. The Walpole is such a special place; I'm honored and excited to help expand the library's scholarly programming and public outreach in #18thc British studies.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
One of the problems with the Chancellor's response is that it took from early January until the end of April to get "feedback" on course content. I don't blame untenured colleagues for self-censoring.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I had already taught the book. Another history faculty member was handed the *same review* for his course because no one checked/proof read. These were both graduate courses.
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Abigail Swingen @abigailswingen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
My course was one of the 60 or so that required "modification." I was brought before the Provost, along with other faculty, handed an AI-generated "review" of my course content and told I should remove a book from my syllabus. This was in late April, and the end of the semester.
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Universal Hub @universalhub.com · 17/08/2026
Why we have a notch that keeps Connecticut from sliding into Long Island Sound mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2026/08/mass... #Massachusetts
mastatelibrary.blogspot.com
Massachusetts Takes a Jog: The Story Behind Southwick’s Curious Border
For the 250th anniversary celebrations this year, the State Library of Massachusetts decided to do a new feature page for all the 351 cities...
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Matthew Bell @matthewgbell.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Trafalgar Square
Vigil for Jason Arday in front of the National Gallery Vigil for Jason Arday in front of the National Gallery
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