iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social

Derek R. Peterson @unseenarchive.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Colleagues will be sorry to hear that historian John Iliffe has this morning passed away in Cambridge at age 87. Iliffe was a maker of the academic field of African history. He took up a post at the University of Dar es Salaam shortly after Tanganyika's independence. 1/

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The other thing to note is that UK academia recruits internationally - I strongly suspect that black British professors are even more under-represented than this suggests.

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Alice Wickenden @awickenden.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

I agree with all the takes about an attack on the humanities being an attack on critical thinking, &c. It’s also about joy, though. ‘Why bother studying that’ is always also a sneer at — why do you think you should get to do something you enjoy? Grow up and be miserable all the time!

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Onni Gust @onnigust.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Every single member of the History Department at Uni of Nottingham is at risk of redundancy. Every single one of us.

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Ben Phillips @benphillips76.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

When the US admits that they killed any “military-aged men” who walked within 3km of a downed pilot they mean any boy lanky enough to be a teenager and any middle-aged man able to walk unaided with a cane got shot in the head for the crime of walking.

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Rachel Savage @rachelmsavage.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Étienne Davignon, a 93-year-old ex-Belgian diplomat, should stand trial for alleged complicity in the 1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, a Brussels court has ruled. He is the only person still alive among 10 Belgians the Lumumba family has accused of involvement in the killing

theguardian.com

Belgian court sends ex-diplomat, 93, to trial over 1961 murder of Congo leader

Étienne Davignon is charged with participation in war crimes in relation to killing of then PM Patrice Lumumba

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

These Sudanese students are incredibly impressive and have already overcome so much. Nor only have they been treated appallingly, we all miss out due to their enforced absence. as.ft.com/r/ed6b0373-d...

as.ft.com

‘The law changed around me’: top Sudanese students blocked from UK universities by visa ban

[FREE TO READ] High-achieving applicants’ educational plans derailed by ‘emergency visa brake’

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Laura Gordon @lauragordon.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

One of the 'helping out other teams' things I did in Sudan was being on the interview panel for potential Chevening scholars. All incredibly impressive people that worked really hard to get to that point. To be on the cusp of a huge opportunity and then have it snatched away... Unconscionable.

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Thinking again of the brilliant Sudanese students I’ve been fortunate enough to teach. This government policy makes us, and our universities, weaker.

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Duncan Money @mininghistory.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I spoke to @apache.be about the dispute over colonial-era geological archives from Congo held in a Belgium museum. New demand for copper and other minerals has given long-neglected mining archives a new economic significance: apache.be/2026/03/03/c...

apache.be

De Congo-archieven: tussen de grondstoffenrush en de vraag naar restitutie

Europese geologische archieven staan in het middelpunt van geopolitieke spanningen.

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Similarly, the Sudanese students I’ve taught have been incredibly accomplished, and have been working actively to improve lives in Sudan and in the UK. I’m lucky to have taught them, and other students are lucky to have studied alongside them. We are weaker as well as crueler for this rule change.

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Julia Laite @julialaite.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I have personally seen the applications of many Afghani students to our gender studies programme: people who have started grassroots LGBT orgs; who have fought for women's education; who want to come to the UK to study to make their country & the world better... www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

theguardian.com

UK puts emergency brake on study visas for four countries’ nationals

Shabana Mahmood says UK’s generosity abused as study visas halted for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

A reminder that if you live in England or Wales & were born between 1970-1990 – or even before 1970 – you can help protect your community by getting the MMR vaccine free from your NHS GP now. I did last year. www.nhs.uk/vaccinations...

Who should have the MMR vaccine

The MMR vaccine is recommended for adults and children born on or before 31 December 2019 who did not have the MMR vaccine when they were younger.

It's especially important to make sure you're vaccinated if:

you're a child, teenager or young adult
you could become pregnant
you're travelling to, or living in, a country where there is a higher risk of getting measles, mumps or rubella
you're a healthcare worker
you were born between 1970 and 1990 (as you may not have been vaccinated against all 3 infections)
Your GP surgery should be able to tell you which vaccinations you've already had.

If you were born before 1970 and have not had measles, mumps or rubella (german measles) or the vaccines that protect against these diseases, you can ask your GP surgery for the MMR vaccine.

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Reposted by @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social

Lucy Pearson @lrpearson.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

When people talk about the idea that some universities must go under, there’s a certain tendency to behave as if these smaller local campuses are negligible- regrettable casualties perhaps but not ‘real’ universities. This report does a great job of illustrating why that’s wrong.

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Reposted by @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

A DR Congo supporter has watched all their of three African Cup of Nations 2025 games holding his pose as the statue of Patrice Lumumba, who was born a century ago in 1925, and assassinated as prime minister in 1961 shortly after independence www.telegraph.co.uk/football/202...

telegraph.co.uk

Watch: DR Congo fan’s extraordinary ‘statue’ pose for entire match

Supporter’s tribute at Afcon honours Patrice Lumumba, the country’s first prime minister who was assassinated in 1961

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

And the playlist! (More articles should come with a playlist!)

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

Enjoying @jimmy-pieterse.bsky.social’s article on campus radio in South Africa

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

One of the reasons that emergence of ‘cold spots’ of subject provision matters: 52% of 18 year olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds (the most deprived quintile in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation) plan to live at home when they go the university www.thetimes.com/article/22cc...

thetimes.com

Nearly a third of university 18-year-olds will live at home

According to figures from Ucas, a record 89,510 18-year-olds with university offers plan to live at home when they begin their studies this autumn

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

The number of global deaths of children under-5 is projected to increase this year (from 4.6m to 4.8m) for the first time this century. (FT) The price of aid cuts.

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

I’ve a lot of affection for Northwestern and respect for faculty there (who voted against this!) But this is deeply shameful.

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Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 29/11/2025

Columbia and Northwestern are the academic homes to the most prestigious journalism schools in the country and they are the two universities that caved to the Trump administration’s extortion demands that are directly connected to the First Amendment. Just gonna sit with that for a while.

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

What a weird view of the working classes! My working class Nan left school at 14, but seemed happy that her grandkids had more options. Her working class husband moved long distances for work & the life he wanted. It doesn’t honour them to remove opportunities and choices from their descendants!

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IndustriALL Global Union @industriall-union.org · 21/11/2025

A tragic bridge collapse 🏗️ at the Kalando mine ⛏️ in the DRC 🇨🇩 has claimed at least 50 lives 🕯️ and left many injured 🚑. This heartbreaking event 😔 underscores the urgent need for safer conditions ⚠️ for artisanal miners.

industriall-union.org

At least 50 miners killed in Congo bridge collapse; unions demand action

The tragic bridge collapse at the Kalando artisanal copper and cobalt mine in Mulondo, Lualaba province, on 15November 2025, which claimed at least 50 lives and left dozens injured or missing, is a he...

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Another to add to my list of favourite journal article titles…

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

I would really appreciate a regular “hello olds! Here’s what politics looks like on teen TikTok” newsletter.

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

I worry about this, and also about universities avoiding students from political / religious/ sexual minorities within foreign countries, who might make (justified) asylum claims.

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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

"Belgium’s federal prosecutor referred a 92-year-old former diplomat, Étienne Davignon, to the Brussels criminal court over alleged war crimes related to the killings." Belgium marks Congo’s slain leader Lumumba's 100th birthday w exhibition – & possible trial: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

theguardian.com

‘Lumumba everlasting’: Belgium marks Congo’s slain leader’s 100th birthday with exhibition – and possible trial

Surprise move towards trial of veteran diplomat over Patrice Lumumba’s 1961 assassination coincides with show seeking to widen focus on his life and fight

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dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social @dr-rachel-taylor.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

I have a programme that uses AI to "narrate" academic articles etc and it can be useful, although always a bit odd. What I love (or hate!) about fiction audiobooks, though, is the way the narrator interprets the text and the characters. I worry about great readings becoming harder to find.

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Remarkable to think this may be the first pope in history to have partaken of Malört, or even to know what Malört is. Watch out for his communion wine

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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

If the UK was really, really smart, it would now plough tens of billions into research centres and take in all the American academics fleeing the US. Spoiler: the UK is not smart. 🇬🇧

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John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

This is a national scandal. When will the government wake up and realise they are presiding over the rapid implosion of the UK's world-renowned university sector?

bbc.co.uk

Cardiff: University confirms plans to cut 400 jobs

Vice-chancellor Wendy Larner says

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