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Rebecca Merkelbach

@beccamerkelbach.bsky.social
846 followers 618 following 901 posts

Doctor of trollology. Saga fangirl. Assistant Prof of Old Norse at Uni Tü. Lefty nerd💚 Powerlifting yoga teaching harpist. She/sie🏳️‍🌈 #SkandiRetten

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Reposted by Rebecca Merkelbach
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 29/09/2026
"Can a rapist’s prose elicit remorse for sexual assault? What word count best equates to appropriate jail time? In this class, we will dissect what empathy and accountability might look like so undergrads may successfully mimic them on paper in pursuit of avoiding just punishment." buff.ly/5na4oMY
buff.ly
Announcing Cornell University’s Newest Writing Course: Rape Essays 101
“Can a rapist’s prose effectively elicit remorse for sexual assault? What word count best equates to appropriate jail time? In this class, we will dissect wh...
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Hannah Vardit @hannahvardit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
i worry that men think being A Good Guy is dramatically and heroically intervening on behalf of an endangered woman and then being publicly rewarded on a grand scale when actually being A Good Guy is just usually saying, “hey man that’s not funny” or “wow that’s fucked up” and there is no reward
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Natascha Strobl @nataschastrobl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ich weiß nicht, ob ihr es mitbekommen habt. An der Cornell Universität wurde eine Studentin von 7 Männern vergewaltigt u die haben zur Strafe ein Essay schreiben müssen, während sie die Uni traumatisiert verlassen hat. Was mich umtreibt: Einer der Vergewaltiger hat andere via Gruppenchat eingeladen
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Measuringe the value of educacioun by returne on ynvestment onlye ys lyke measuringe the value of a garden by the weight of the floweres
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Guten Abend Greifswald
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
every day of my life I think about the people using “she” to describe this computer program who still need to be convinced to use it for trans women
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
From now on, whenever my programme has me do a heavy lift that scares me, I'll tell myself, "For Grettir". He was a strongman rather than a powerlifter, but he's also my bro. (Can't wait to teach Grettis saga again this winter)
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Proofs!
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What a week, huh? all Wednesdays @whataweekhuh.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Captain Haddock looking very frazzled, saying, “What a week, huh?”
Tintin leans into the frame and says, “Captain, it’s Wednesday.”
Snowy aka Milou is very excited about the drink he has found.

Viñeta de Tintin
El capitán Haddock, sentado a una mesa y con aspecto de estar agotado, dice: "¡Menuda semana, ¿eh?".
Tintín, a su derecha, le dice: "Capitán, es miércoles".
A la izquierda, Milú mira muy contento la bebida que está en la mesa.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Playing my new maiden king inspired character for the first time today✨
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Still very few new students signed up for next year. Article that's been hanging over my head for far too long sent off to the editors. Win some, lose some, I guess.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
wie Anm. ?😵‍💫
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Statt der so wichtigen Solidarität zerfleischen sich aber z.B. die Geisteswissenschaften gegenseitig, um noch die letzten Krümel vom Kuchen abzukriegen – Stichwort "vielleicht kann man nicht alle kleinen Fächer retten". Dabei sind Diversität und Zusammenhalt immer die Antwort.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For a short time, I thought that what I was doing was worth it. That I was reaching students, that people actually wanted to study my subject, that I could somehow do all the things required, that things were perhaps, maybe, looking up. But now everything is crumbling around me and I'm so lost.
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Sven-Erik Volberg @volberg.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This seems relevant as ever, more so even.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Star Trek doth teache us that linguistiques, historye, workinge togethir, science, music, mythologye, poetrye, friendshippe, selflessnesse (except Kirk), a capacitye for wonder, and celebrating Infinite Diversitye yn Infinite Combinaciouns are what trulye make the future bettir. #StarTrekDay
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 08/09/2026
NEWS: Iceland has summoned the U.S. ambassador after Trump posted a map depicting Iceland, Canada, Greenland and other countries and territories under the American flag.
meidasnews.com
Iceland Summons U.S. Ambassador After Trump Posts Image of the Nation as Part of the U.S.
Official diplomatic summons is the first step towards the dissolving of relations
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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Today is Star Trek Day and while there are many memorable quotes few things ring truer today. HAPPY STAR TREK DAY 🖖 #startrekday
Captain Janeway of Star Trek Voyager: Voyager in uniform beside her quote: "One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices."
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Happy #StarTrekDay, and may we always remember that infinite diversity in infinite combinations is a good thing, our greatest strength, everywhere.
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Herbiⓥore @herbivoreclub.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The future is vegan 😉 #StarTrekDay #StarTrek 🪐
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Berit Glanz @beritmiriam.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Oh no Pisa, ein Klagegedicht in (1/x) Distichen
Neue Bildungsstudie. Pisa Studie: Deutschland so schlecht wie nie (Quelle: ZDF / Heute)
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NorseMap @norsemap.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
⚔ Welcome to iViking, NorseMap's official mobile photo-capturing app that allows anyone to contribute to the NorseMap public archive while on the go. Through the app, members of the public can help us document the many ways Viking and Norse heritage continues to shape our world today. #MedievalSky
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Annika Brockschmidt @ardenthistorian.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Prof der TU Darmstadt behauptet im ZDF „Ethnopluralismus“ (völkischer Rassismus fancy ausgedrückt) sei einfach regulärer Teil des demokratischen Ideenaustauschs. Das geht jetzt ganz schnell.
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Krsto Lazarević @krstorevic.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
AfD-Wählende sind zu einem großen Teil Menschen mit einem sozialdarwinistischen Weltbild. Sie haben gar kein Problem damit, wie ungerecht es in der Gesellschaft zugeht. Sie haben nur ein Problem damit, dass sie selbst nicht ganz oben stehen.
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Krsto Lazarević @krstorevic.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Diese Zahlen, die gerade so rumgehen, sagen übrigens gar nichts darüber aus, wie es AfD-Wählenden finanziell tatsächlich geht. Es handelt sich um eine Selbsteinschätzung und sie zeigt nur, dass AfD-Wählende sich zu kurz gekommen fühlen.
Von denen die ihre finanzielle Lage selbst als schlecht einschätzen wählten in Sachsen-Anhalt 65 Prozent die AfD. 8 CDU, 9 Linke, 3 SPD, 1 FDP, 4 Grüne, 6 BSW, 4 Andere
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Robert Heinze @rheinze.myatproto.social · 07/09/2026
Das ist richtig akut jetzt btw. Die haben detaillierte Pläne in der Schublade, sowohl die Wissenschaft als auch die Lehre an den anhaltinischen Unis massiv einzuschränken: www.che.de/2026/che-ana...
che.de
AfD in Sachsen-Anhalt will in der Hochschulpolitik den Rückwärtsgang einlegen
Die AfD Sachsen-Anhalt verfolgt das Ziel, die Hochschulen des Landes hierarchischer, ideologischer und abgeschotteter auszurichten. Dies zeigt ein CHECK des CHE.
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Christian Fahrenbach @cfahrenbach.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Es ist für viele ein Tag nervösen Wartens und schneller Takes. Thomas beschreibt schon jetzt gründlich ein paar konkrete Lehren aus den USA und erste Schritte, u.a. keine Überhöhung des Ergebnisses als mehrheitlicher Volkswille, keine Normalisierung der Extremen, keine Kompromisssuche.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Mood
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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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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rough Draft vs Final Draft
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Andrea Geier / Bademeisterin der Debattenkultur @andreageier.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Überlegungen an Unis zum worst case der nächsten Wahl: „Einige Lehrende erwägen, Veranstaltungen umzubenennen, um nicht ins Visier der AfD zu geraten.“ Individuell verständlich, strukturell falsch: Man stellt so nur die weiterhin Sichtbaren ins Feuer, obwohl es um die Institution als Ganzes geht.
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Joschka Meier @josserme.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Sehr interessanter, kurzer Artikel, der anhand eines Fallbeispiels die Gefahren von GenAI für historische Quellen & ihre Wahrnehmung darstellt. Wirklich lesenswert, da es Verzerrungen & Halluzinationen inkl. deren Ursprüngen klar einordnet. Bitte nie ChatGPT & co für Quellen benützen!
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Hamlet of Melnibone @hamlet10.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The good news is that almost everything is better than it was 40 years ago. The bad news is that almost everything is worse than it was 10 years ago.
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wemeze @wemeze.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
#Merz #Sommerinterview @jdoeschner.bsky.social
»Dieses Sommerinterview war eine Provokation und ein Schlag ins Gesicht aller bisherigen und künftigen Opfer der Klimakrise! Ich habe es nicht für möglich gehalten, dass angesichts von nahezu 16.000 Hitzetoten allein in Deutschland, Waldbränden und Dürre in ganz Europa und weltweite Gletscherschmelze keine einzige Frage zur Klima-
krise gestellt wurde. Den Kanzler stattdessen zu fragen, ob man nicht die Kohlekraftwerke noch länger laufen und die Spritpreise nicht noch höher subventionieren kann, ist an Klimaignoranz nicht zu übertreffen.«

Jürgen Döschner
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Mère Lachaiselongue Cemetery😂
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
www.tagesschau.de/ausland/euro...
tagesschau.de
Ältester Monarch Europas: Norwegens König Harald ist tot
Norwegens König Harald ist tot. Er starb im Alter von 89 Jahren in Oslo. Er war zuletzt der älteste regierende König in Europa - und gleichzeitig einer der beliebtesten. Von Arne Bartram.
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Natascha Strobl @nataschastrobl.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Der norwegische König ist gestorben. Haakon ist der neue König. (Morgen wäre er 58 Jahre verheiratet gewesen. Er wollte alle Gemeinden Norwegens besuchen. 2 haben gefehlt. Die wären in Oktober dran gewesen.) Harald war ein gesellschaftspolitisch sehr progressiver König. Norwegen halt.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Just arrived in Toussaint and love how the game immediately pulled out all the cliches of chivalric romance for this expansion
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TrekLady11 @treklady11.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
The Orville: Sanctuary. Heveena: Who is she? Ed: That's, uh, Dolly Parton. Heveena: ... This is the voice of our revolution. Ed: Well, you know, there's actually a whole bunch of stuff -- Heveena: No! It is she. Ed: Okay, then. Go, Dolly.
static.klipy.com
The Orville: Ed Mercer's 'Go Dolly' Moment
ALT: The Orville: Ed Mercer's 'Go Dolly' Moment
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Dolly Parton was an uncredited producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When she learned the only female producer was making less than her male counterparts, Dolly cut her a check for the difference, on the spot.
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Garry @thegmcconnachie.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
This is why Dolly Parton will be remembered and loved ❤️📚
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Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
James Bond: you think I haven’t faced death before? Supervillain: oh, I don’t expect you to die, Mr. Bond. I expect you to suffer. *opens travel funding reimbursement software I think you will find your motorboat rental and casino reservations especially complex James Bond: no. no. pls kill me
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Laury Sarti @laurysarti.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Job! Three Research Group Leader positions at the Bonn Dependency cluster, starting in January 2027, on a fixed-term contract until 31 December 2032. Application deadline is 15 September 2026.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
First day back at work after a wonderful 3-week break. Really didn't want to come back (to the point that I was nauseous on the bus), but what choice do you have in capitalism...
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Natalie Hopwood @nrhopwood.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
One month left to submit! #medievalsky #oldnorse
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Katharina Nocun @kattascha.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Das alles fühlt sich zunehmend wie ein „Don‘t look up“-LARP an. 🫤
Das mitunter deprimierendste am Umgang mit der Klimakrise ist: Wenn man mit Umweltökonomen spricht, sagen die: "Das wäre alles locker machbar, wenn der politische Wille da wäre". Auch ohne große Einbußen für den Wohlstand. Einfach nur ordentlich besteuern & regulieren.
Aber je länger wir warten oder gar zurückrudern, desto drastischer werden in Zukunft die Maßnahmen sein müssen. Und irgendwann ist es halt zu spät. Das ist alles so unnötig, dass es weh tut.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Have I finished all of the things I was meant to finish? No. Will I be able to actually not work while on leave? Also no. But my out of office message is enabled, I'm packing my bag, and I'm officially on leave for the next three weeks – or however long I manage to not freak out about lurking tasks.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
We should bring this back
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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 31/07/2026
Amnesty have issued an apology to JK Rowling and the rest. Adjust your expectations, and donations, accordingly www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/an-ap...
amnesty.org.uk
An Apology for A Growing Threat briefing, published on 8 July 2026
Amnesty International UK has made a public apology for the publication of the briefing “A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK”. Click here to read it in full.
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Rebecca Merkelbach @beccamerkelbach.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Incredibly proud of @julianewitte.bsky.social, the first doctoral student I was allowed to supervise, who today defended her excellent thesis on female anger in Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Congratulations to summa cum laude, Dr Witte!
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