Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishCharlie Lynch @charlielynch.bsky.social · 07/08/2026“I’m afraid there is a chance this child may become an academic.” 533771
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 11/06/2026A year of building community, advancing research, and driving conversations on gender and inequalities. Our 2025–26 annual newsletter is now available, reflecting on GAIN's first full year at Southampton. Thank you for being part of it! Read it here: generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/gain/2026/06...generic.wordpress.soton.ac.ukGAIN Annual Newsletter 2025–26 – Gender and Inequalities Research Centre, University of Southampton 112
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Happening today! @johannarickne.bsky.social presents a study of ~25k Norwegians, which finds people are less likely to recognise sexual harassment when stories are framed as “accusations,” involve male victims, or describe verbal rather than physical behaviour. Join us in Bldg 100 Room 8011 151
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 06/05/2026📢 Join our next seminar at the University of Southampton with Professor Johanna Rickne (SOFI, Stockholm University), whose research explores gender inequality, labour economics, political representation, and diversity in politics & the workplace. 🗓 11 May 2026 ⏰ 1–2.15 pm 📍 Building 100, Room 8011 145
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishRalph Scott @ralphscott.bsky.social · 31/03/2026🚨 NEW REPORT! 🚨 What is the state of the UK academic job market in politics, and what does this mean for the field and #highered? In a new @psaecn.bsky.social report, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social @williamlallen.bsky.social and I find worrying trends in job adverts and HESA data from 2012-25 #PSA26psa.ac.ukAcademic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations - Political Studies AssociationAcademic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations: Evidence from the UK, 2012-25 Authored by: Dr Ralph Scott, Dr Lawrence McKay, and Dr William Allen Read the full report here Execu... 16238
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 13/02/2026Join us for our Spring Into Methods event! How does intersectionality frame methods in Gender Research? PGRs and PhDs are encouraged to attend. Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 14:30-16:00 (building details below!) Speakers include @emiliabelknap.bsky.social @silkeroth.bsky.social and Dr Matthew Hunt 143
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishEmilia Y Belknap @emiliabelknap.bsky.social · 05/01/2026Delighted to share my first single-authored article, now published in Parliamentary Affairs: “Targeting the cereal woman: Campaigns, gender & Scottish independence” 🆓 Open access: tinyurl.com/85cxsefm @hansardsociety.bsky.social @academic.oup.com #GenderPolitics #BritishPolitics (🧵👇)tinyurl.comTargeting the cereal woman: Campaigns, gender, and Scottish independenceAbstract. How do political campaigns construct and mobilize voter identities in high-stakes constitutional contests? This article examines the 2014 Scottis 52212
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 27/11/2025'Universities are communities of people and those within Scotland’s universities play a critical role in shaping our regions, our nation and our international reach and impact.' Devolution dividend: staff matter too. A huge contrast to DfE/Jacqui Smith approach in Tuesday's testimony. 3/3 04217
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 10/11/2025📢 CFP for: GAIN Gender and Inequalities Workshop — Tue 9 Dec, 10–12, Bldg 100/7013. A supportive space for PhD & Postdoc in the School of Economic, Social and Political Science to share work-in-progress & get feedback. Submit title + 250-word abstract to GAIN@soton.ac.uk by 14 Nov 2025. 142
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishRobert Heinze @rheinze.myatproto.social · 09/11/2025This Anglofuturism shit is literally the opposite of Afrofuturism 022
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 09/11/2025If you take a longer view then Anglofuturism is *already* mainstream doi.org/10.1177/0263...doi.orgA new Elizabethan age: The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and the nostalgic politics of Anglofuturism - Francesca Melhuish, 2025Anglofuturism promises to deliver Britain from an age of crisis into one of hope, creativity, and technological revolution. This article uses the United Kingdom... 254
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 05/11/2025Today is the day! Join us at 10:00 a.m. to discuss applying for funding in Gender and Inequalities at the University of Southampton. Building 100 in Room 8013 on Highfield Campus. We have ☕ coffee, tea 🍵, and pastries 🥐🍩! www.southampton.ac.uk/politics/new...southampton.ac.uk The Gender and Inequalities Research Collaboration Event Are you interested in applying for funding in Gender and Inequalities? We want to hear from you! 132
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPresent & Correct @presentcorrect.bsky.social · 29/10/2025Cat pumpkin hybrid www.instagram.com/p/CkTNgpprCsl/ 1526
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishBISA Critical Alternatives for World Politics Working Group @cawpbisa.bsky.social · 27/10/2025ONE WEEK LEFT UNTIL THE DEADLINE Make sure to submit your excellent papers, panels, and roundtables to the Critical Alternatives for World Politics Working Group! We can't wait to see you in June! 🥳🥳 012
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishMcSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 26/10/2025"Email has become a crucible. I can no longer say 'Attached is the draft.' I must instead write, 'Enclosed—though, of course, enclosure itself is a problematic modality—please locate a text-in-process, emergent rather than concluded.'”buff.lyI Got Tenure and Now I Can’t Seem to Form Simple Declarative SentencesWhen I received the email, I was holding a piece of toast. Dry, no butter. I remember this vividly because it was the last thing in my life with a ... 113231
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 15/10/2025Are you interested in researching gender and inequalities? Join us for our Gender and Inequalities Research Collaboration Event next month, 5 Nov 2025. More details in our infographic below. If you're interested in attending, please email us at gain@soton.ac.uk so that we can get an idea of numbers! 378
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishTim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 14/10/2025This, from @catherinedevries.bsky.social, is really useful advice for young (and, tbh, old!) academics. Worth passing on if you know any, maybe? catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/fail-bette... 26232
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishRoots and Branches I The Podcast @rbpodcast.bsky.social · 03/10/2025🔊 Episode #3 out now! @whitproject.bsky.social (@politicsoxford.bsky.social) explores how the gender binary shaped the production and reception of international thought and what recovering overlooked voices means for present-day international relations. open.spotify.com/episode/76f2... 177
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishEnd Sexism In Schools @endsexisminschools.bsky.social · 24/09/2025We’re launching the results of our research into gender balance in the History curriculum today. The report - The Great History Heist: Reclaiming Women’s Place in the History Curriculum - found only 12% of History lessons feature women as their main focus. 59% featured no women at all.endsexisminschools.org.ukSexism in the History Curriculum - End Sexism in SchoolsEnd Sexism In School’s second crowd research project is looking into the History curriculum taught at KS3 (years 7-9) in England and Wales. 07539
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 11/09/2025Why must the framing of this article strike such a disapproving tone, when later it says: RCOG: "Caesarean births are common and the steady increase isn’t necessarily a cause for concern as long as future services are well-prepared..." Report: "there is no ‘ideal’ rate for births by caesarean"theguardian.comMore than half of UK births now involve medical intervention, audit findsCaesareans drive rise in assisted deliveries as experts warn of complex pregnancies linked to age, obesity and other conditions 030
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 09/09/2025Many congratulations to Johanna! Well deserved for a fascinating paper. 030
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 09/09/2025Your regular reminder that things can always get worse 010
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 30/08/2025medium.com/mastering-th...medium.comHow to Keep Writing When You Hate Everything You’ve WrittenEvery good writer goes through their cringe era. 020
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishEmilia Y Belknap @emiliabelknap.bsky.social · 28/08/2025💻🗳️ I’m presenting today at #ECPRGC25 on the Territorial Politics, National Identity, and Electoral Dynamics: Shaping Party Systems and Political Behaviour panel! Law School, Floor 3, Room 5 ✍️ I’m presenting a paper on how campaigns target 🎯 gender gaps in the event of a constitutional referendum! 151
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPeace Research Center Prague @prcp.cuni.cz · 21/08/2025✍️ @zuzanakrulichova.bsky.social just published a new article in @coco-journal.bsky.social: She presents a systematic literature review on narrative approaches in IR, introducing agency-centric and structure-centric approaches. @ims.fsv.cuni.cz 124
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishOlúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 18/08/2025in any case, as Jana points out I think it's this same phenomenon at work re: "fascism". there are some whose primary concern with labeling is to try to shape politics (we call x fascism to help defeat it) and others for whom certainty is the priority bsky.app/profile/unso... 1373
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishTamara Kneese @tamigraph.bsky.social · 05/08/2025Nothing quite like an academic job rejection email 1.5 years after the last round interview 2211
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishBen Yong @bymyong.bsky.social · 01/08/2025I'm giving a public lecture, “Bureaucracy and Distrust: The Civil Service in the Constitution” on Thursday 16 October 2025, 6-7pm. This is part of UCL's Current Legal Problems lecture series. More details here: lnkd.in/e2AJMzbW 12113
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishProf Dave O'Brien @drdaveobrien.bsky.social · 01/08/2025This looks really interesting, link to the paper at the end of the thread too 012
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishCharlie Price @charlieprice.bsky.social · 29/07/2025Do you like ketchup? Not only are you wrong, but you may be a fascist. Not really, but in my 🍅New Publication🍅 "Ketchup Is the Whitest Sauce", in International Political Sociology, I argue that memes about ketchup showcase Neo-Nazi solidarity. academic.oup.com/ips/article/...academic.oup.comKetchup Is the Whitest Sauce: Memes as Silly/Serious Bordered Spaces in International RelationsAbstract. This paper draws on previous scholarship on humor, memes, and seriousness in International Relations to produce a novel means for understanding o 22213
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishGender and Inequalities Centre at Southampton @gain-centre.bsky.social · 01/08/2025📝On our blog, we reflect on the @psawomenpol.bsky.social y.social annual conference we hosted here at @unisouthampton.bsky.social ! We were delighted to bring together scholars from diverse disciplines who study gender and inequalities. generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk/gain/2025/07...generic.wordpress.soton.ac.ukReflections from the PSA Women & Politics Annual Conference 2025 – Gender and Inequalities Research Centre, University of Southampton 123
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishResearch Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 01/08/2025The number of grant applications assessed by UK Research and Innovation has almost doubled over the past seven years, while the award rate has almost halved, new data show. Trends prompt warning that system is "overstretched or broken". www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...researchprofessionalnews.comUKRI grant applications double in seven years as award rate halves - Research Professional NewsTrends across research councils prompt warning that system is “overstretched or broken” 01812
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPolitics Journal @politicsjournal.bsky.social · 30/07/20254/4. It also examines the intersection of nostalgia, race, and the politics of innovation, urging us to critically assess who is celebrated as the 'great men' of science and progress. @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social Read the full article here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...journals.sagepub.comSage Journals: Discover world-class researchSubscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher. 011
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPolitics Journal @politicsjournal.bsky.social · 30/07/20253/4. It delves into how nostalgic visions of Elizabethan England and mid-20th-century America shape political aspirations in post-Brexit Britain. It challenges the notion of nostalgia as merely backward-looking, revealing its role in crafting ambitious futures. 101
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPolitics Journal @politicsjournal.bsky.social · 30/07/20252/4. The article explores how Anglofuturism, through the lens of the UK's new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), seeks to transform Britain from crisis to a future of hope and innovation. 101
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishPolitics Journal @politicsjournal.bsky.social · 30/07/20251/4. We're excited to announce the publication of: "A new Elizabethan age: The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and the nostalgic politics of Anglofuturism", by Francesca Melhuish. @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @fransplains.bsky.social @sagepub.com 133
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishFelicity Callard @felicitycallard.bsky.social · 29/07/2025'We work in a variety of disciplines...generally known as Holocaust & Genocide Studies..we have witnessed the weaponization of Holocaust memory & accusations of antisemitism to justify genocide in Gaza...— not only by state actors but also by institutions & scholars in our field' www.ghscn.org/about 051
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishDr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 28/07/2025My latest article is out #OA in @politicsjournal.bsky.social ✍️ ✅ The first academic study of Anglofuturism ✅ Expands our understanding of 'forward-looking' nostalgias 💡 Part of forthcoming special issue on Global Britain @sotonpolitics.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 42713
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 28/07/2025My latest article is out #OA in @politicsjournal.bsky.social ✍️ ✅ The first academic study of Anglofuturism ✅ Expands our understanding of 'forward-looking' nostalgias 💡 Part of forthcoming special issue on Global Britain @sotonpolitics.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 42713
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 22/07/2025'Rebecca Harrison, a former lecturer at The Open University, said that the extent of the deterioration of job security in universities was “alarming”, adding that institutions had not been transparent about the extent of the cuts occurring in the sector.' 1/3timeshighereducation.comUK university job cuts put at 20,000 after full impact ‘hidden’Number of roles affected could be almost double previous estimates when voluntary schemes and hiring freezes factored in, say researchers 35343
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 21/07/2025The lowest number I've seen, at any time of year 150
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 16/07/2025The depressing trend since I got my PhD...And yet the discourse of politicians and UKHE leaders continues to focus on how individual excellence and competitiveness can game these structural conditions. h/t @bymyong.bsky.social 030
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishDaniel Devine @danjdevine.bsky.social · 15/07/2025At @sotonpolitics.bsky.social we have two positions for Teaching Fellows: 1. EU politics, policy, human rights, gender: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNX849/t... 2. (American) political theory: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNX882/t... Not your specific area? Apply anyway!jobs.ac.ukTeaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations at University of SouthamptonApply now for the Teaching Fellow in Politics and International Relations role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details. 156
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 05/07/2025"Alligator Auschwitz isn’t hyperbole. It’s location-specific horror...This is fascism with a swamp aesthetic — cruelty as spectacle, stripped of pretense, staged for applause".closertotheedge.netAlligator AuschwitzTrump built a concentration camp in the Everglades, filled it with tents, barbed wire, and migrants — then laughed about the alligators guarding it. 010
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishNatalia Trujillo @nataliatrujillo.bsky.social · 04/07/2025I was glad to present my paper at this excellent workshop. Thanks to @cintranatalia.bsky.social @marianaborges.bsky.social and Antje for organising it, and to @fransplains.bsky.social for her generous insights. Congratulations to all presenters for such engaging and rigorous work! 373
Reposted by Dr Fran MelhuishMax Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 03/07/2025Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, concludes that Trump's NIH/HHS "in their haste to appease the Executive, simply moved too fast and broke things, including the law" by cutting grants arbitrarily and capriciously.storage.courtlistener.com 124843
Dr Fran Melhuish @fransplains.bsky.social · 01/07/2025Aka we can only imagine the future through competing visions of frontier masculinity 000