iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Wordle 1.926 3/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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Matt Gabriele @profgabriele.com · 05/09/2026

sharing again for the weekend crowd. the humanities aren't in crisis, they're under attack -- because they're dangerous to people in power, because they ask their students to imagine possible worlds.

from the article: "Our tendency to see religion as a matter of personal, interiorized belief has led us to view its study as intellectually niche—or, to put it in neoliberal corporate speak—as a “low-skill” distraction. This is true of how we view the Humanities in general, of course—that, as Lauren Horn Griffin has so well explained, they’re seen as little more than “personal enrichment.” But that, she continues, is a right-wing act of controlling unruly ideas, of pushing to the margins disciplines that ask difficult questions of “invisible” power structures—say they’re irrelevant, deny them resources, call them “unprofitable,” make them disappear. But faculty, especially but not exclusively in Religion and other Humanities disciplines, often work directly against these forces. Because the discipline of Religion is attuned to issues of (presumed) interiority as well as actions in the public sphere, it’s these faculty who are some of the best situated to ask uncomfortable questions of those in power—be they federal policymakers or university administrators.

At (regional) public universities like ours, this means highlighting a population that is quite different by class, race, gender, and sexuality than found at, for example, the Ivies. Humanities education, including Religious Studies, helps inure students to authoritarian thinking. At their best, the Humanities are attentive to the frictions that create lived experiences—particularly those that are oftentimes marginalized. The Humanities explain how things have been different, could have been different, could be different now, and may be different in the future. They are about possible worlds."

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Oh great. Wonder if English graduate Andy Burnham has owt to say? Or is he happy for Arts & Humanities to become just a playground for rich kids - & to kill the bedrock of Creative Industries? Science and maths degrees offer most value to the nation, says minister www.thetimes.com/article/42df...

thetimes.com

Science and maths degrees offer most value to the nation, says minister

Chris McDonald told a room full of vice-chancellors that science, engineering and mathematics ‘offer the greatest personal, social and economic value’

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

It’s a uniquely odd feeling to be beginning a book and you find the pages are almost all uncut. Sad for the book to have been unread for so long (1977) but an exciting journey ahead as the first reader…

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Arts Council England @artscouncilengland.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Announcing our new Music Creators Growth Fund! The Music Creators Growth Fund will invest sums of £10,000–£20,000 to support artists, artist collectives, bands, composers, DJs, groups, producers, and songwriters to develop their work and careers.

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Arts Council England @artscouncilengland.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Round One applications open from 1 October to 29 October 2026. Round Two applications open from 6 January to 3 February 2027. Additional future rounds to be announced! Find out more: bit.ly/4qPX2PB #MusicGrowth #MusicCreators #ArtsCouncilEngland #newmusic

A woman holding a microphone. There is bold orange text announcing the Music Growth Package

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Owen Davies @odavies9.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

So a whole lot of my talented Humanities colleagues are now unemployed as of today. A lot of understandable concern over Exeter. But for over two decades my Hums colleagues were in the top quartile for their research contribution to society. History top 10. Now gone with only a national whisper.

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/08/2026

Cambridge University should have known better, Fleet Street should have known better, the people hungrily absorbing every bit of news about it, making newsrooms feel like they had to keep going with it as a story, should have known better, horrible horrible horrible

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Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Mary Beard: ‘Maybe at the moment we should all (me included) take a break from any discussion of Cambridge's policies, and reflect on the tragic human costs -- and remember with compassion the person who paid a dreadful price.’

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Quotes: "during our period of study (1993-2024), mechanisms designed to regulate spending tended towards input control and short-term decision-making, struggled to support strategic investment and often failed to deliver sustained improvements in outcomes."

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

It cannot be said often enough that England and Wales in particular no longer possess many universities as governed from the c1960s to the c2000s. Many are now debt vehicles squeezed for remaining value by creditors and their proxy representatives. You have to see these things clearly.

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

It's very painful inside 95% of universities. The reality is that (a) 25% to 33% of posts will close; (b) a handful of unis will go bust and be forcibly merged; (c) Arts and Humanities will be restricted to a small number of institutions whose disgraceful behaviour certainly won't be forgotten.

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The truth is that the UK govt missed its last chances to underpin universities and support regional societies and economies in the post-Covid recovery period and then the 2025 White Paper. Those opportunities won't come again. www.ft.com/content/e14d...

ft.com

Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says

LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic students’ fees, limits on international students and rise in employers’ national insurance

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If you know you know @privatechand.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Even from across the pond, as we deal with the systematic dismantling of everything that made US higher education the envy of the world, it is so upsetting to see the destruction of UK academia. Of all the stupid things it could copy from the US this is the most evidently self-destructive.

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Patch Thompson @patchthompson.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

UoH's History department is (was?) consistently top performing in terms of research and teaching. Doing everything that a higher education department is supposed to do. And yet that isn't enough.

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The time of the Anglosphere university as we've known it is coming to an end. Its dominance is passing. No era lasts forever.

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 03/08/2026

President Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/aaAEu6v

trib.al

Trump Moves to Cut Off Student Loans for Tons of Degrees

Under a new rule, if your degree doesn’t make enough money, you won’t be able to get a student loan.

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Dr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

If Global Banking School is the future of British Higher Education, count me out. Count everybody like me, out. Find someone else willing to pretend to teach you in decaying office buildings while taking your very real money.

https://www.ft.com/content/6c54f212-7491-4d41-ae57-bd67b4ea0f43?syn-25a6b1a6=1

"The UK’s biggest university is a private company
Supporters say franchised providers widen access to further education, but others doubt the real value of their ‘no frills’ courses"

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Working in the Ca’Foscari languages library on the Zattare is pretty nice.

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

First encounter this trip with the king of the Giudecca…

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marybeard @wmarybeard.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i... Come and enjoy Charlotte and me talking about the Odyssey. And more in our free back catalogue (from Helen of Troy to Roman dreams). Subscribe, why don’t you…

podcasts.apple.com

Instant Classics

History Podcast · Updated weekly · Join world-renowned classicist Mary Beard and Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins for Instant Classics — the weekly podcast that proves ancient history i...

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Philip Gwynne Jones @pgjonesvenice.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

There's a heads-up for this year's Venice Noir in the Gazzettino...and if you turn up at Harrogate next week, you'll find out even more!

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(Dr) Rena Maguire @justrena.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Misguided to say the least and mildest.

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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

There was a (missed) chance to do this in 2009 with Project Kangaroo - blocked by the then-Competition Commission. Thinking has moved on a lot so maybe this will happen now: www.ft.com/content/1318... BBC and Channel 4 in talks to create British streaming champion

ft.com

BBC and Channel 4 in talks to create British streaming champion

Broadcaster’s new director-general Matt Brittin says UK needs platform to compete with Netflix

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

About to give my presentation at @imc-leeds.bsky.social - is it ever wise to be the morning after the conference disco? I’m sure there must be a verse in Havamal that covers this situation…

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Pseudo Bambi @pseudo-bambi.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Politicians play with the arts like a cat with a mouse. Prior to Brexit they did the same thing but hoped no one was looking. It used to be our second largest export. Id like to tour again. I’d like to showcase the best UK talent abroad. Can’t. Can we please stop shitting over our own brilliance.

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darrensilk3.bsky.social @darrensilk3.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Cutting arts funding would mean people like me wouldn't exist. Someone that started in the working class, studied fine art and art history and went into architecture, often considered a STEM field. But you see the kind of architecture produced when someone doesn't have any artistic background...

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Sixes All The Way @sixesalltheway.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

So only kids with very wealthy parents will be able to afford to study these degrees. The media is already massively over-represented by the wealthy this only exacerbating the issue. Clearly needs repeating: the Labour Party are not here to represent poor & working people, only the rich.

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Beth @savourydeets.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Basically the two main things the UK was internationally renowned for, the arts (especially working class inclusion) and universities, so of course multiple governments in a row have/are determined to run both into the ground. It's stupid.

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Jonathan Williams @realjonwilliams.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This country’s governments will go to the bat to rescue some 19th century industry that employs c.500 people but consistently throw our arts industries under the bus when they’re one of our most economically successful sectors! It’s madness!

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Abigail Thorn @theabigailthorn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

British drama school training is the envy of the world and, as more film + TV jobs are moving to the UK, our drama schools are the backbone of a global industry. These cuts are artistic vandalism and economic stupidity.

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Brodie Waddell @brodiewaddell.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Today's the day! We getting more than twenty staff, research fellows and postgrads together at Birkbeck to talk about all our different projects, hosted by our Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Worlds: www.bbk.ac.uk/research/cen... Primary sources! Pastries!! Air conditioning!!!

A slide for Birkbeck's Second Annual Medieval and Early Modern Research Day.

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Hugely disappointing that Bridget Phillipson in her delayed guidance to the OfS on the Strategic Priorities Grant to Universities - 3 weeks before the start of the Uni financial year - cuts support for more expensive Creative Arts subjects. This goes counter to the Government’s Creative Industries

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Marcus Edwards @barcygnusx1.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Tonight we are all Belgians.

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

On my way to Leeds for the International Medieval Conference - it’ll sure be hot. Praise the Lord the train has aircon…

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Gosh - new to me and to be checked out. Thank you.

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Alan Kearns @carterbrandon.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

We booked Nic at the University folk club - you should have come! Saw him at the Old Crown and The Old House in Harborne a few times too. I would sit in the front, glaring at his fingers and trying to keep track of the tuning changes. Had to wait for the web to figure out Canadee-i-o...

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

A very very exciting thing indeed.

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Day of joy! Arrived in my kindle inbox. Another instalment of Nathan, the Dottoressa, Darien and the fine cat Gramsci. But I will (with considerable exercise of will) save it for a couple of weeks until I am on the Giudecca for the celebration of the Redentore which is where the book is set..…

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Alan Davey @armslengthal.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Wordle 1.836 2/6 ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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