Sign in

Elspeth Van Veeren

@evanveeren.bsky.social
332 followers 173 following 129 posts

Associate Prof in Global Politics, Bristol (US security cultures, secrecy studies, visual politics) Co-ordinating @researchspin.bsky.social Secrecy, Power and Ignorance research Network www.secrecyresearch.com Owner of a moody teenager and a dog.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I’m seeing a lot of posts about talking to your sons in light of the Cornell article. And yes. Talk to your sons. Here are some things you should say, based on anti-violence research about what they need to hear:
81164548
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
17092953068
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Luca Migo @victinibcn.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Every stitch tells a story of love, community, and remembrance. Volunteers across MN created the "Stolen Neighbors Quilt" with 11,000 squares to honor Minnesotans detained by ICE. Each fabric square represents a neighbor, a family member, and a life impacted by deportation. We stand for Justice!
15756952149
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.
123123375250
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Bonnie Honig @bonniehonig.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Good article about the near metamorphosis of a would-be democracy into patrimonialism. But civil society is tough to turn; language slips more easily into new forms, as when the authors say: “He uses his Justice Department to wage personal vendettas and his pardons to indemnify his cronies” “his”?
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Has Finally Lost the Plot
It is now apparent that many Americans — probably enough Americans — are determined to live within the truth rather than the lie.
271
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
AgonyFlips @agonyflips.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
When you're ticked off and a friend sends you something to make you feel better. 🐑🔊
493157793847
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Alexander Lees @alexanderlees.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Lol.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/09/entertainment/south-park-south-america-name-change-trump-hnk

South Park renamed South America
0275
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
SPIN Research Network @researchspin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Please join us for the first event of the new academic year: SPIN BOOK TALK: Stephanie Codsi, 'The Spy Figure in British Radical Literature, 1790–1804: Sincerity and Coded Language', Thu Sep 17th, 1pm, Online. Email secrecyresearch@gmail.com for an invite. Info: secrecyresearch.com/2026/09/04/s...
secrecyresearch.com
SPIN Book Talk - Codsi, 'The Spy Figure', 17 Sep - SPIN
I’m pleased to share details of our first SPIN event of the new academic year. SPIN BOOK TALK Stephanie Codsi...
032
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Tuta @tuta.com · 31/08/2026
If you have a Gmail account, you need to read this. Google's AI now scans your emails and attachments, bank statements, tax files, medical letters, all of it. It turned on by default, and there's a class-action lawsuit over how. Here are 5 moves to shut it off, the switch is hidden in two places:
Image of Sundar Pichai and the Gmail logo
1521466410137
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I was today years old when I learned Dolly Parton recorded Woody Guthrie's song "Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)" in 1980. It's a heartbreaking song about immigration and specifically deportation plane that crashed in 1948 killing dozens of Mexican "bracero" workers. Her version is beautiful💔
youtube.com
Dolly Parton - 04 - Deportee (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos)
YouTube video by littlesparrow185
5482173
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I ❤️ this deconstruction of Ossof’s viral speech + the subtle use of a ‘technique of gossip’ to signal and pull listeners in. We’re being invited in on the secret but still in a veiled way. One that has a hint of illicit sex scandal. Superb mini example of the allure of secrecy in today’s politics!
000
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
'The case for cultivating critical thinking, intellectual autonomy and civic and moral virtues does not weaken with AI-driven shifts in the labour market, because these valuable capacities and skills have never been justified by their financial pay-off in the first place.' (Jelena Belic) 2/3
1203
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Tom Hirons @hironstom.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
🤔
121473
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I think we can agree that AI detectors are out. But universities are ignoring the fact that faculty cannot really out-design assessments to meet the challenges of this moment. We need sustained institutional support to be the best teachers we can be, and we aren't getting it.
1620950
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Glad someone senior from the sector is pushing back. Labour MPs need to understand the serious real anger from graduates and the people who produce them. And the dangerous financial situation they have allowed to fester, or indeed worsened, in one of Britain’s leading sectors.
ft.com
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic student fees freeze, international student limits and rise in employers’ national insurance
9671278
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Our relationship to visual evidence is being profoundly disrupted by GenAI tools, which will impact how we know, what we can know, and what we think can be known about the world. A massive epistemological shift is upon us.
9516189
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
When the copyright of Peter Pan ran out, Great Ormond Street hospital was given a perpetual right to future royalties. What if we started doing this for other works? Artists could agree to opt into this. It could be a great income stream for the arts. Worth a think www.thetimes.com/article/28cf...
thetimes.com
Why I’m backing this plan that could save the arts (and not cost us a penny)
Taking its lead from Peter Pan, an audacious proposal to extend the copyrights of composers and writers could generate millions to support UK culture
73910
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Alex Gibney @alexgibneyfilm.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Glad to show it to the world!
915130
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Simon J. Greenhill @simongreenhill.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Somewhere a university academic is being told to "do more with less" by someone whose job title didn't exist two reorgs ago.
13815171
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Mary Dudziak @marydudziak.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Trump obscures military casualty numbers. Manipulating perception of US war dead has a long history. FDR did the opposite of Trump: lessening censorship of casualty photos to keep Americans engaged during WWII. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/u...
Pentagon Changes How It Reports Casualties in Iran War
The changes separated the casualty numbers into two separate web pages, potentially making it more difficult to tally the war’s full toll.
21312
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Great to see the Guardian champion the SHAPE (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) subjects, but this piece gives impression that they are expensive, whereas many are 'cheap to teach' subjects subsidising more expensive subjects, mainly in STEM and medicine. The crisis demands better understanding.
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on humanities cuts in universities: academic departments are more than cost centres | Editorial
Editorial: Literature, the arts and social sciences must not be sacrificed as higher education funding is squeezed
6244105
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Updated my profile. Again.
623382431
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Bringing secrecy, resistance and fashion together: www.theguardian.com/fashion/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Adversarial clothing’: are garments designed to confuse facial recognition systems about to go mainstream?
Designers say that as well as offering a degree of protection from surveillance, their clothes make a powerful fashion statement about the importance of privacy
000
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Alternative half-time show.
0154
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Congratulations to the government on saving 2700 jobs by nationalising British Steel. Now, about the 18,000 university jobs lost in the last 18 months, with more coming…
15996386
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Engaging interview with SoS for Education @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social by @lewisgoodall.com on the NewsAgents BUT you didn’t talk about the crisis of UKHE, and FE and unis aa a key part of the pathway for ‘spiteful class warfare’! Huge blindspot! We need more media scrutiny! @ucu.org.uk
181
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The photo “confirms what thousands of testimonies from Palestinian detainees have exposed, and what we and other organisations have been reporting for nearly three years now: Israeli detention facilities are torture camps for Palestinians.”
theguardian.com
Photo of bound Palestinian detainee corroborates Israeli torture reports, say rights groups
Image of man in underwear, blindfold and bound to iron rod has been widely shared on social media
3396215
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"Nine Mojo Secrets" (1971) by US artist Betye Saar, known for her work in the medium of assemblage and she was an important figure in the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s #womensart
235369
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The strangest show on earth: lightning, imperial hubris and a boring tour of Trump’s rhetorical back alleys www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
The strangest show on earth: lightning, imperial hubris and a boring tour of Trump’s rhetorical back alleys | David Smith
Would we get a 21st-century Gettysburg address? Or YMCA, gripes about his legal woes and boasting about Iran?
000
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
'students are used to and want human teaching, human feedback, and human connection. These findings that students particularly value in-person connection are reinforced in the HEPI and TechnologyOne’s report What Matters Most? 20 years of the student experience.' 1/2
hepi.ac.uk
WEEKEND READING: Stop inducting students into a system that doesn’t fit them - HEPI
This blog was kindly authored by Professor Debbie Holley, Emerita Professor in Learning Innovation at Bournemouth University; Professor Wendy Garnham, Professor of Psychology at the University of Suss...
25219
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
“.. Members of the group Patriot Front ride the metro on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in Washington, D.C.” @reuters.com
149578692943
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
‘48 photographs that capture America at 250: From the gold rush to civil rights, the moon landing to 9/11, the US has always understood, mythologised and sold itself through the power of the still image’ by @sarahchurchwell.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Burning flags, busty blondes and bison skulls: 48 photographs that capture America at 250
From the gold rush to civil rights, the moon landing to 9/11, the US has always understood, mythologised and sold itself through the power of the still image
000
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Tucked away in West Yorkshire is a hidden piece of transatlantic history perfect for the Fourth of July. The Triumphal Arch on the Parlington Estate in Aberford is Britain's only monument dedicated to American independence. Built in 1783 by the eccentric, whig-sympathising
Known as the Parlington Arch, this striking stone monument is a unique triumphal arch situated on the historic Parlington Estate near Aberford, West Yorkshire. Commissioned by Sir Thomas Gascoigne and constructed between 1781 and 1783, it was built to celebrate American victory and independence following the Revolutionary War. Commemorating this pivotal historical moment, the bold inscription across its frieze reads: "Liberty in N. America Triumphant MDCCLXXXIII" (1783). Image: John Davidson CC BY-SA 2.0
424573
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
1000 evaluators given identical resumes & told candidate used AI. Only difference on resumes was candidate’s name: Emily vs James. Study found women using AI are evaluated as less competent than men who use AI...To evaluators, women’s AI use signaled inability, while men’s AI use signaled initiative
522109991
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Everybody in the "climate space" (which means everyone on earth...) needs to understand these mind-blowing figures. Google's "total electricity consumption jumped from 31 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 to 43 TWh in 2025." In ONE year. The AI corporate arms race is eating the world.
7043322446
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
'Amid this noise, one party stands apart: the Greens. “Our philosophical position is that education is a public good,” Natalie Bennett, former leader of the party, told Times Higher Education.' 1/3
timeshighereducation.com
Marketised model ‘clearly coming to an end’, says ex-Greens leader
Natalie Bennett insists resurgent environmental party remains committed to free tuition, and building a system where universities are no longer ‘places of fear’
15323
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Business leaders back the Humanities and Social Sciences, noting their important to economy and culture in Exeter, Cornwall and the Southwest. This is one vital strand in defending the SHAPE subjects. Don't ignore it (or carp about it). Build on it. biz4humanities.com
biz4humanities.com
Business Leaders for Exeter Humanities & Social Sciences
An open letter from business leaders standing up for Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Exeter — a shared asset worth protecting. Read it and add your name.
14021
Elspeth Van Veeren @evanveeren.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I don’t know how I feel about this. Eurovision is so… European 😱🤣😱 www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
theguardian.com
Canada to ​join Eurovision song contest from 2027
Country is first to join since Australia in 2015 as event director says it ‘continues to welcome the world’
000
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Dr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I am very glad to see how widely covered the insanity at Exeter is, but please I beg everyone, understand this is happening EVERYWHERE in UK universities. If people care about anything valuable that this sector does or contributes too, they need to get loud, now.
4180101
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
In our meetings in response to the cuts at Exeter
An image of a slide from a meeting by Humanities and Social Sciences folks saying "WE are a sacrifice that THEY are willing to make"
118351
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Adrian Currie @adrian-currie.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
#DefendExeterUni
02816
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
SPIN Research Network @researchspin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We are wrapping on the 2025-2026 academic year, but we have lots planned for next year. To see the latest news, visit our website for our Summer Newsletter 2026. We have new events planned, new members, and new publications. secrecyresearch.com/2026/06/25/s...
011
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
It's not the worst aspect of the University of Exeter news, but the fact that the scale, focus and timing of the planned redundancies came as such a shock to staff says something quite fundamental about the staff of staff/management relations in UK HE today. Where is respect? Collegiality? Teamwork?
dictionary.cambridge.org
poleaxed
1. past simple and past participle of poleaxe 2. to hit someone so hard that…
26424
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Musk says not a single person has died due to him axing USAID. Sadly, part of my job involves tracking aid spending. So here’s a thread with just some of the people who lost their lives because of USAID cuts
196133286755
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Friends of Exeter, former students and alumni, can you please sign the petition below: www.change.org/p/stop-redun...
change.org
Sign the Petition
Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter
03027
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
1659 painting by Elisabetta Sirani depicting Timocleia of Thebes pushing the Thracian captain who raped her into a well #womensart
274559744
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
📎 Otto Von Danger @ottovondanger.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
36610
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
SPIN Research Network @researchspin.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
A little light reading over the summer: SPIN-ster Tim Aistrope has a new article out in RIS on the Covid-19 conspiracy theories and anti-elite discourses: 'Conspiracy theory as counter-securitization: Contestation and resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic' www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Conspiracy theory as counter-securitization: Contestation and resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic | Review of International Studies | Cambridge Core
Conspiracy theory as counter-securitization: Contestation and resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic - Volume 52 Issue 2
031
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Kateration @kateration.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Someone has been projecting images all over D.C. “It’s swampier than ever.” The Kennedy Center one is pretty hilarious. 😂😂😂
26291423208
Reposted by Elspeth Van Veeren
Jana Bacevic 🌲🌳✊🏴 @unsocialtheory.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Once again, for those in the back rows: open.substack.com/pub/theconvi...
open.substack.com
Your AI Is Not a Tool
The Convivial Society: Vol. 7, No. 5
044