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David Jefferess

@djefferess.bsky.social
322 followers 585 following 414 posts

Parent. University teacher. Gardener. Research and teach on the colonial and racial politics of humanitarianism, and heritage/public memory practices. Live in Syilx Okanagan territory.

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Reposted by David Jefferess
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
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Conor Curtis @conorcurtis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
It speaks to me to the only coherent plan by the Fed. Govern. being deregulation, privatization, & subsidies for wealthy interests. We saw this at the Canada Investment Summit. That again brings me to the fine print, because that’s where airport privatization was hidden. And it is privatization.
canadiandimension.com
Carney’s airport privatization is a looming disaster: ‘Highway 407 of the skies’
Mark Carney took another giant step in his right-wing crusade Tuesday, announcing a plan to effectively privatize four of Canada’s largest airports. The deal risks becoming “Highway 407 of the skies”:...
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Tom Slatter @tomslatter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
One of the most interesting things about this AI stuff is it has helped me learn a lot of people take language other people use much more literally than I realised. Very surprised most people don't immediately think hallucination? I think you mean 'error'.
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MiningWatch Canada @miningwatch.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Lac Simon Chief Lucien Wabanonik says the Novador project was approved without Lac Simon’s consent. Now the community is turning to the courts.
aptnnews.ca
Lac Simon First Nation evicts gold mine from its ancestral territory
Drilling on the project stopped weeks ago when Lac Simon issued an eviction notice to Mexican mining company Fresnillo.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Ed Sheeran will symbolize so well the ideal of "not taking sides" when he is standing all alone on that giant stage. Hopefully the seats will be empty too.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
In world war I, the UK & Russia invaded NEUTRAL Persia and killed more than 2 million people. In world war II, the UK & USSR invaded NEUTRAL lran. The democratically elected government of Iran was overthrown by the US CIA in 1953, who installed a brutal dictatorship www.canada.ca/en/global-af...
canada.ca
Canada condemns Iran’s destabilizing actions in the Middle East
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue, issued this statement:
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Dear CBC As Israel has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, destroyed all infrastructure, rounded up people in small camps, "removing" Palestinians can never be construed as "voluntary." Lead with the fact that Israel continues to commit war crimes cbc.ca/news/world/d...
Screen grab of headline from CBC website: "Israel prepared to remove Palestinians from Gaza if U.S. approves, defence minister says. Officials describe move as 'voluntary' but Palestinians fear forced expulsion, which would be war crime.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Today, CBC is doing nostalgia of imperial wars. According to the synopsis, Canadian troops just "walked into a Taliban killing ground," as if "Operation Medusa" wasn't a an attack by foreign powers (NATO forces including Canada) against the Taliban. cbc.ca/news/politic...
Screen grab of headline and synopsis of CBC news story, posted Sept. 2 2026. 
"The battle that made Canada bleed: Operation Medusa, 20 years later"
"It has been 20 years since Canadian soldiers walked into a Taliban killing ground west of Kandahar..."
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
CBC leads with Iran's "attacks," as if Iran is the aggressor, & presents this as fact, while identifying only "reports" of a deadly strike on a wedding, without identifying who bombed the wedding and who was killed: It was the US who attacked civilians in Iran.
Headline and synopsis of CBC news story posted Sept 2 2026. Headline reads: "Taliban attacks U.S. bases across Gulf after reports of deadly strike on wedding."
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Julia Is Waving, Not Drowning @booktweeting.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
there are more than twice as many museum workers in the US than there are coal miners
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A 40% discount on the digital version of The Humanitarian Fable is available from Routledge until August 15. Use the discount code: THF50 www.routledge.com/The-Humanita...
routledge.com
The Humanitarian Fable: Saviorism, Race, and Aid
The Humanitarian Fable examines how popular humanitarian communication constructs global poverty as a moral narrative that reinforces unequal power dynamics between the Global North and Global South. ...
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Septima P. Snark @drsubini.blacksky.app · 31/07/2026
Dr. Tiffany Willoughby-Herard put her body on the line to protect students fighting for Gaza & police assaulted her. Instead of protecting her, UC Irvine has stripped her faculty role & her health benefits. Please sign petition, write a letter, signal boost robindgkelley.substack.com/p/in-support...
robindgkelley.substack.com
In Support of Dr. Tiffany Willoughby-Herard
Most academics in the U.S., as well as activists resisting the genocide in Gaza, are familiar with the case of Professor Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, a renowned Global Studies scholar at the University ...
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
So, a white man (Swiss employee of weapons manufacturer) punches a Palestinian-Canadian woman, yells "I'm a f---ing racist and I'm proud of it", and is given an absolute discharge by the judge, who determines he was not racist but simply "emotional". www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Swiss man who assaulted protester in Ottawa gets absolute discharge | CBC News
A Swiss man who pleaded guilty to punching a protester in the face outside an Ottawa defence conference in 2024 was given an absolute discharge Wednesday before exiting the courtroom to angry shouts f...
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Routledge is currently offering a 40% discount on the digital version of The Humanitarian Fable. Contact me for the promo code!
Image of the cover for The Humanitarian Fable (2026) overtop images from posters marketing humanitarian initiatives.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Routledge is currently offering a 40% discount on the digital version of The Humanitarian Fable. Contact me for the promo code!
Image of the cover for The Humanitarian Fable (2026) overtop images from posters marketing humanitarian initiatives.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
"I have personally witnessed this phenomenon, what I term, “neo-racism” across my career as an international development practitioner, both in domestic and international spaces." www.jmb-consulting.co.uk/uncharitable...
jmb-consulting.co.uk
Racism - a Reality and a Scapegoat. By Themrise Khan — JMB Consulting
In the non-profit sector, in which I include foreign aid and philanthropy, race has become a tool  to both subjugate and gain power. I say this as a Brown woman from the Global South who has spe...
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The New Humanitarian @newhumanitarian.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
📝 "Humanitarianism has become a brand and every brand needs a narrative." Themrise Khan, researcher, writer, and analyst, shares a critical view of the current narrative tropes utilised within the aid sector. 🔗 Read the full piece here: bit.ly/4eOPcS4
thenewhumanitarian.org
The curse of the humanitarian narrative
Using narratives to communicate in the humanitarian and development space is particularly problematic. Here’s why.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Chapter 5 - Saviourism, Post-Racialism, Modernity This chapter examines how humanitarianism functions as a signature of modernity. In order to shed the stigma of white saviourism, the aid industry reinforces the idea that humanitarianism models an ethic of colour-blindness.⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Chapter 5 - Saviourism, Post-Racialism, Modernity This chapter examines how humanitarianism functions as a signature of modernity. In order to shed the stigma of white saviourism, the aid industry reinforces the idea that humanitarianism models an ethic of colour-blindness.⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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Eiynah 🇵🇸 @nicemangos.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Queens University hosting, not just guests from a genocidal apartheid state, but guests who are sexual predators too
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Much gratitude to Themrise Khan for engaging with my recent book, The Humanitarian Fable, addressing some of my arguments in relation to the current calls for a 'humanitarian reset.' Please check out her article in The New Humanitarian.
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Cory @booksareneat.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
This turned into a magnet for entitled Americans looking to excuse their nationalism. It's really pathetic, their country is the number one exporter of misery around the globe and yet they feel zero responsibility to do anything about it. "What do you want us to do about it?" Anything!
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Chapter 4 - The Burden of Benevolence By constructing poverty as a moral problem, the humanitarian fable teaches that inequality is not the result of racial capitalism, trade, debt, etc., but the North’s failure to provide sufficient, effective aid. ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
For more on Patrice Lumumba, who Mboladinga is honouring, read: If you are intrigued by what Mboladinga is doing, read this brief introduction to Patrice Lumumba. africasacountry.com/2017/01/patr...
africasacountry.com
Patrice Lumumba (1925–1961)
"Africa will write its own history and in both north and south it will be a history of glory and dignity" (Lumumba, 1960)
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Avi Lewis @avilewis.ca · 17/06/2026
Prime Minister Carney says the war in Iran was "worth it". I want to know who he thinks it was worth it for.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
"Freddy" is the epitome of how sportswashing is taken up popularly.
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Rachel Gilmore @rachelgilmore.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
There's an organized effort to make a racist movement mainstream in Canadian politics. That's why experts were so concerned to hear the pro-mass deportation group's leader attended one of Canada's largest Conservative conferences. In my latest piece for @thetyee.ca, I dig into this rising problem:
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
"‘They used dogs’: New Al Jazeera film exposes Israel’s use of rape in jails Former detainees detail systematic torture and sexual violence, including rape, while in Israeli custody." www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/...
aljazeera.com
‘They used dogs’: New Al Jazeera film exposes Israel’s use of rape in jails
Former detainees detail systematic torture and sexual violence, including rape, while in Israeli custody.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Chapter 3 - The Humanitarian Informant This chapter argues that humanitarianism asserts the authority not just to speak of/for suffering others, but in place of the sufferer. ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Chapter 3 - The Humanitarian Informant This chapter argues that humanitarianism asserts the authority not just to speak of/for suffering others, but in place of the sufferer. ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Carney wants to test the use of AI in profiling prisoners. Our legal system is already biased against Indigenous and Black people. This will not go well at all because AI is already biased and only reinforces biases. www.propublica.org/article/mach...
propublica.org
Machine Bias
There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks.
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
+ Queer kids in small towns find community on social media. Kids in abusive homes escape on social media. What we need is social media literacy starting with parents & working their way down. We need more 3rd spaces. We need investments in community. We need addiction services for all - even youth
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
There were SO many reasons to critique We Charity/Me to We & the Kielburger brothers, but Brown had to make things up. Bloomberg documented many shady elements of the enterprise, and I highlighted in multiple venues how WE Charity reinforces a colonial ideal of white benevolence
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King Algamemnon @adamrothman.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
It bugs me to think that now that my article is published, it will be vacuumed up by AI and spit out again in a way that makes it seem like AI has absorbed and understood the new knowledge I created, with no credit, attribution, or compensation.
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
129. Stop pushing AI for everything while ignoring the enormous environmental costs. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/06/04/n...
nationalobserver.com
Canada’s AI strategy includes no new protections for water or climate
A single box in the 49-page document is dedicated to the environmental impacts of AI. It acknowledges that AI data centres require a lot of energy and increase water usage, but does not propose any ne...
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
79. Stop pushing to make Canada a major arms dealer to the world, and definitely stop selling weapons to the US. www.readthemaple.com/the-crown-co...
readthemaple.com
The Crown Corporation Quietly Promoting Military Exports To The U.S.
“This is just business as usual, despite the international geopolitical arrangement seemingly dismantling in front of us.”
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Avi Lewis @avilewis.ca · 04/06/2026
1/ The Liberal government might as well have called its AI strategy “All in for AI”. This is a document that's heavy on hype, but light on the right guardrails that we need to protect people – and to ensure that the benefits of the technology don’t just flow to a handful of tech giants & investors.
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Alex Cosh @alex.readthemaple.com · 03/06/2026
NEW: The Carney government has confirmed it is spending $2.6 billion on a missile system that the US has used extensively in its war of aggression against Iran. The deal signals Canada’s continued military integration with the US. www.readthemaple.com/canada-spend...
readthemaple.com
Canada Spending $2.6 Billion On U.S. Missile System Used To Bomb Iran
The Department of National Defence said it finalized a deal with the U.S. to acquire 26 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers.
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Chapter 2–The Image of the Global Poor This chapter examines the way the aid industry represents the global poor, historicizing the viral Radi-Aid social media campaign that seemed to challenge the stereotypes produced within development NGO marketing.⬇️ bsky.app/profile/djef...
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The Breach @breachmedia.ca · 22/05/2026
The Pentagon is buying “unprecedented” ownership stakes in Canadian mining companies. Nessie Nankivell tracks how Canada’s critical minerals are being extracted to build weapons for the U.S. military—all while the Canadian government is helping fund these projects. breachmedia.ca/elbows-up-ca...
breachmedia.ca
Elbows up? Canada is letting Pentagon take ‘unprecedented’ stakes in Canadian mines  ⋆ The Breach
By fast-tracking critical minerals, Canada is not simply building a green economy. It is being further integrated into the U.S. war industry
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Tyler Shipley @shipster.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Should be the obvious move, but most postsecondary institutions are run by bankers whose friends in the tech industry need their shit to be bought by big colleges so that they can promise their shareholders that "AI" sells when, in fact, most people either actively hate it or have no real use for it
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David Jefferess @djefferess.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
I'm attending a @world-beyond-war.bsky.social event: Online Discussion: End the 500-Year War Against Africa Now! June 5, 2026, 7:00 PM CEST. RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/end-w...
actionnetwork.org
Online Discussion: End the 500-Year War Against Africa Now!
From Pope Nicholas authorization of conquest in the 15th century to present-day geopolitical dynamics, this event questions whether domination over Africa has truly ended or simply changed form. It ex...
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Brendan Harley @profharley.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
We need more universities to make definitive statements about scholarship in this time of AI. Universities are a place to engage deeply in the process of *how* to think about complex topics, not find shortcuts in the name of 'productivity'
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Sandeep Bakshi @sandeepbak.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Thank you to @themrise.bsky.social for reviewing the SAGE Handbook of Decolonial Theory for LSE Review of Books. It is the first review of our handbook. We appreciate Themrise Khan's generosity in making our work visible & remain committed to decolonial thinking in all its complexity. Check it out👇🏽
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Frances: Meh and Loving It @francesmeh.reviews · 18/05/2026
canadians: don't forget to leave tea and biscuits out for queen victoria tonight
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Negro Frolics @desmondcole.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Canada plans to establish a new bank to finance the global arms trade In our latest @breachmedia.ca podcast, I speak with Rachel Small of @wbwcanada.bsky.social about the prospect of our economy being further tied to weapons and war breachmedia.ca/by-hosting-a...
breachmedia.ca
By hosting a global weapons bank, Carney is setting up Canada for war profiteering ⋆ The Breach
Organizer Rachel Small explains how NATO-aligned bank will make Canada’s economy reliant on endless war
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Geoff Dembicki @geoffdembicki.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
SCOOP: Behind closed doors at a high-level Christian event in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith said that a new oil pipeline to the BC coast would align with the teachings of Jesus. Read the exclusive story from @marylouisestuart.bsky.social and I in @desmog.com www.desmog.com/2026/05/13/o...
desmog.com
Oil Pipelines Align With Jesus, Danielle Smith Tells Christian Leaders
Building a new oil pipeline to the west coast of Canada is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told a gathering of Christian leaders and organizations from across th...
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Scott Neigh @scottneigh.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
33. In a major victory for the Palestine solidarity movement, the Canadian Labour Congress votes to cut ties with the Histradut and take various other measures in support of the Palestinian people. www.labourforpalestine.com/statements/h... #MovementWins2026
labourforpalestine.com
Historic win for Hot Cargo on Israel — Labour 4 Palestine
CLC votes to cut ties with the Histadrut At the beginning of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) convention earlier this week, democratic debate was blocked on a resolution to declare all Israeli goo...
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