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Martin Hurcombe

@fhmjh.bsky.social
131 followers 128 following 33 posts

Professor of French Studies, University of Bristol. Specialist in early twentieth-century French history, culture and politics with a particular interest in sports history and writing.

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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Really looking forward to a trip to Glasgow next month to celebrate the 80th anniversary of @auphf.bsky.social I'll be giving a keynote exploring French and Francophone Studies' origins and drawing possible lessons for our future. Register for free below: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/annual-eve...
eventbrite.co.uk
Annual Event of the AUPHF+ at the University of Glasgow Friday 19 June
The AUPHF+ marks its 80th year, bringing together students, teachers, researchers, leaders and almuni in French and Francophone Studies
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Reposted by Martin Hurcombe
University of Illinois Press @illinoispress.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
For National Bike Month, read an article by @ncardon.bsky.social , Matthew Brown , & @fhmjh.bsky.social ( @frenchatbristol.bsky.social ) in @journsporthist.bsky.social 51.1 about the sporting culture of the bicycle cc: @nassh1972.bsky.social scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jsh/arti...
Cover of Journal of Sport History, Volume 51, Number 1, Spring 2024
Background image of yellow metal stadium seats
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
I love hearing how people came to love learning languages and remember Eddie Izzard's 'Le singe est dans l'arbre' routine from when I first started teaching French. For me, it was aged 5, realising you got a bigger scoop of ice cream if you asked in Spanish. www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
My cultural awakening: an Eddie Izzard routine inspired me to learn French – and get a job with the EU
Being able to understand the comedian talking in French in his Dress to Kill show led to me learning several languages and working on the continent
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Our third international outing for Project FIAS this year and an amazing few days in the Alps working with the team from CREPS AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES workshopping ideas for promoting gender inclusivity across a range of outdoor sports. Such great energy and enthusiasm. Thanks to all involved.
A photo of Dr Fiona Spotswood and Prof Martin Hurcombe, University of Bristol.Workshop participants share their ideas.Alpine scene.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Nearly everything you need to know about why I was drawn to studying French is contained in this video. youtu.be/KKhnDzRgsW8?...
youtu.be
GiscardPunk - late 70's and 1980's technosolutionist France (synthwave edit)
YouTube video by Templarius
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
Old school research day.
Book, tea and my appalling handwriting.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
In between all the sports histoty, I have been researching a former professor of French at Bristol, Félix Boillot (veteran of WW1, member of the Free French). So it was great to share his story with colleagues researching the history of French Studies in the early 20th century earlier this week.
Portrait of Félix Boillot, Professor of French, University of Bristol, WW1 veteran, Free French member in WW2.Live illustration of our workshop at SFS annual conference this week by Camille Aubry.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
chng.it/jHYrsgjkcm
chng.it
Sign the Petition
Stop cuts to Modern Languages at Bangor University
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Come and join us in Bristol on 27 June for this free event bringing perspectives on the future of French and Francophone Studies together from the secondary, further and HE sectors. www.tickettailor.com/events/unive...
tickettailor.com
Select tickets – Third Regional Forum on the Future of French and Francophone Studies at School and at University – University of Bristol, School of Modern Languages, Arts Complex, 7 Woodland Road
On 27 June 2025, the University of Bristol will host the third regional Forum on the future of French and Francophone Studies i...
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Reposted by Martin Hurcombe
George Severs @georgesevers.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
🚨Job klaxon🚨 Opportunity for an oral historian interested in the history of swimming, water access and ‘blue spaces’ to work at Newcastle with the wonderful Elizabeth Turk on an interdisciplinary Wellcome project. Full details here jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...
jobs.ncl.ac.uk
Research Assistant/Associate (History)
Research Assistant/Associate (History)
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Reposted by Martin Hurcombe
French at Bristol @frenchatbristol.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Join our colleague Prof Bradley Stephens for "Victor Hugo: Astonishing Drawings" at the French Institute in London on the 12th of May Details and tickets: www.institut-francais.org.uk/events-agend...
institut-francais.org.uk
Victor Hugo: Astonishing Drawings - Institut Français · Royaume-Uni
Victor Hugo was one of France’s greatest writers and human rights advocates. In private, his refuge was drawing. Hugo’s ink and wash visions of imaginary castles, monsters and seascapes are as poetic ...
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon in the University of Bristol's Special Collections researching Professor Félix Boillot, former Head of @frenchatbristol.bsky.social, First World War veteran and member of the Free French. More on him at our panel @frenchstudies.bsky.social on WW2.
Félix Boillot, 1915.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Come join this forthcoming webinar exploring the role of performing arts in preventing gambling harms in Uganda. Details below. www.bristol.ac.uk/research/gro...
bristol.ac.uk
Webinar: The Role of Performing Arts in Educating the Youth Against Harmful Gambling in Uganda
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
I've had the great privilege of working with my fantastic colleagues, Fiona Spotswood and Maria Moxey, on promoting women's participation in mountain biking in recent years. Here's a short film about some of our work. youtu.be/iCKvRL3r55c?...
youtu.be
Project FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sports) | University of Bristol Business School Research
YouTube video by University of Bristol
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Still navigating my way around the new Retronews site. Has anyone found a way to stop it from displaying every single individual page of a publication instead of individual issues? Am I missing something, or is it just not as good as it used to be?
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
I'm really keen to hear from any Arts and Humanities scholars working on gambling, past or present, nationally, internationally, transnationally. Just to know what sort of research is going on out there.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Thanks to the Alliance Française, Bristol, for a great evening discussing women and the Resistance with local French students. (Yes, people still want to learn languages, Cardiff.) There's something really magical about being allowed in a book shop after closing time, too.
Alliance Française students, Waterstones Bristol
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Call for Papers for this year's International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport (ISHPES) Congress, which will take place from 22–25 July 2025 at UNEFS Bucharest. This is a hybrid event. ishpes2025.unefs.ro
ishpes2025.unefs.ro
ISHPES 2025 – ISHPES Congress 2025 – Sports history in Bucharest
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
chng.it/YcpkWhwwCk
chng.it
Sign the Petition
Save MLANG at Cardiff University!
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Finally uncovered the darkest of family secrets - my grandfather was fined for cycling through a stop sign. The shame of it.
Newspaper clipping from Gloucestershire Echo, 1947.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
I'll be giving a talk (in French) on women in the Resistance through a reading of Elsa Triolet's clandestinely published novella 'Les Amants d'Avignon', 6th February at Waterstones, Bristol. Free entry. All welcome. Details below. afbristol.org.uk/events/femme...
afbristol.org.uk
Les femmes de la Résistance: une lecture des ‘Amants d’Avignon’ 06/02/25 | Alliance Française de Bristol
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Amazing time developing inclusive approaches to off-road cycling tourism with the Ministère de l'Economie, Luxembourg. And so great to be working working in such a vibrant, multilingual context. Kudos to European train travel too - only 6 hours from London.
Fiona Spotswood and Martin Hurcombe in front of the Ministère de l'Economie
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Really happy to have been asked to contribute a chapter to this excellent volume. Not on cycling (other sports are available) but marathon running in Paris in the Belle Epoque. www.peterlang.com/document/134...
peterlang.com
Peter Lang Verlag - Sport in Paris
This edited volume proposes to revisit the development of recreational and professional sporting activities in the French capital between 1854 and 2024....
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
CFP: Combat, Spectacle, Sport and War, Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, 28-29 October 2025. royalhistsoc.org/calendar/com...
royalhistsoc.org
Combat, Spectacle, Sport and War – CALL FOR PAPERS | RHS
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Bristol's statement bridge being particularly eye-catching this morning.
Sunrise over Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
I am truly honoured... to have held someone else's trophy for a bit. Joking aside, great evening at the annual rider of the year awards hosted by Our Media last night. Genuine celebration of all that is great about the sport.
Me pretending I won an award.Rider of the Year awards ceremony stage.
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 09/11/2024
I've had a fantastic year on Project FIAS (Fostering Inclusivity in Action Sports) with Fiona Spotswood and Maria Moxey. Now some of the underpinning research is out there and available here www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
The emergence of new mountain biking media practices: toward a culture of inclusive mountain biking
Mountain biking has grown rapidly in the past thirty years, yet only 20% of participants in the UK are women. Prior research on media representations in action sports identifies its role in reprodu...
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 26/10/2024
Thursday I was explaining how my work on France during the Spanish Civil War had taken me down a cycling rabbit hole. Yesterday I realised that the French journalist Roger Vanker had fallen down the same hole, moving from war to Tour de France correspondent. vanker.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_a...
vanker.blogspot.com
Raymond Vanker 94 ans journaliste retraité de la presse écrite parisienne
ex grand reporter et correspondant de guerre
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Martin Hurcombe @fhmjh.bsky.social · 24/10/2024
Fun morning making a promotional film with Fiona Spotswood about project FIAS. Download our free toolkit for establishing inclusive mountain bike communities here express-licences.bristol.ac.uk/make-order/f...
linkedin.com
Martin Hurcombe on LinkedIn: Coming soon: FIAS the movie starring Fiona Spotswood. In the meantime, you…
Coming soon: FIAS the movie starring Fiona Spotswood. In the meantime, you can download our toolkit for developing inclusive mountain bike communities free…
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