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Gillian Mathys

@gillianmathys.bsky.social
1.1K followers 772 following 468 posts

Historian of African Great Lakes | Associate Professor history @ugent | associate editor @CJAS_RCEA | Academic mom. I got very lucky. www.cambridge.org/core/books/fractu…

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Cédric Mas @cedricmas.eurosky.social · 29/09/2026
Le maintien de l’ordre à la Française en 2026 Mesdames Messieurs. (Rassurez-vous, si la victime a le moindre casier judiciaire, il sortira dans l’heure dans la presse aux ordres).
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Yvan Guichaoua @yguichaoua.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Amnesty International releases an in-depth and essential investigation about atrocities perpetrated by the Malian army and Wagner at the border with Mauritania. This is horrific and corroborates previous journalistic reports
amnesty.org
"NUL N'EST ÉPARGNÉ" Crimes de Guerre Commis par l'Armée Malienne et les Forces Armées Etrangères le long de la Frontière Mauritanienne - Amnesty International"NUL N'EST ÉPARGNÉ" Crimes de Guerre Commis par l'Armée Malienne et les Forces Armées Etrangères le long de la Frontière Mauritanienne - Amnesty International
Ce rapport documente des violations du droit international et du droit malien qui ont été commises par des membres des Forces armées maliennes et des membres de la société militaire de sécurité privée Wagner dans le contexte d’opérations militaires conjointes entre juin 2023 et décembre 2025. L’intensification des operations militaires durant cette période a eu […]
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In Medias Malone @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As a professor, most of what I do is log in to things
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Nu Cofnas in een interview in @hln.be vrij spel kreeg om zonder tegenspraak zijn race science te verspreiden en weer zijn "de savanne versus de rijstvelden"-verhaaltje bovenhaalde (dat ik ook bespreek in mijn stuk in Apache), hier een goede post ver waarom dit onzin is: x.com/Evolving_Mol...
x.com
Will (@Evolving_Moloch) on X
I've complained about this before but I found the claims about African Americans being adapted to hunting and gathering on the savanna and East Asians having a 'culture of doing homework' due (at leas...
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What he says...de pers is alleen maar geïnteresseerd in wat clicks oplevert. Het is misschien omdat ik er nu wat dichter opsta, maar het werd me voorheen nog nooit zo duidelijk. Een beetje rel schoppen op X, en veel kans dat je een uitnodiging krijgt.
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Rien Emmery @rienemmery.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
N.a.v. de kwestie Freddy Mortier zie ik veel gejeremieer dat "vrije meningsuiting dood is aan de UGent!" etc. Maar mensen in een publiek die hun mening willen uiten, hebben weinig opties naast uitjouwen of de zaal verlaten. Vrije meningsuiting geldt niet alleen voor machtige mannen met microfoons.
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A longread on why Cofnas is doing pseudoscience, by yours truly. Many thanks to @forbetterscience.bsky.social for hosting the text!
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Although I would really recommend people reading @forbetterscience.bsky.social's intro and outro (and do check the whole website if you hadn't heard of it before), this link might be useful if you're debating someone and you want to immediately link to the section on pseudoscience
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JogchumV @jogchumv.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Heremans verkocht gisteren in De Afspraak nogal wat juridische onzin. Een paar punten 🧵 1. “Er is een arrest van het Europees Hof dat deze zaak definitief regelt!” Euh, nee. Ik kan alleen maar gokken dat Heremans Mikyas t. België bedoelt, maar dan leest ze die uitspraak toch wel erg -eh- bijzonder
vrt.be
De afspraak - maandag 14 september 2026 om 20:35 | VRT MAX
Socialemediaverbod voor jongeren? Europa wil met de KIDS Act strengere regels invoeren om minderjarigen online beter te beschermen. Vooruit-voorzitter Conner Rousseau gaat een stap verder en pleit vo...
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I take them without water even.
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
'The enormous scale of Britain’s centuries-long trafficking of enslaved African people, supported by parliament and the monarchy, has been laid bare by new research.' Expect kickback, and continued confusion among commentators between the slave trade and slavery, & their abolitions. #Skystorians
theguardian.com
Monarchs, MPs and merchants: the register laying bare Britain’s slave-trading past
Exclusive: New research identifies thousands who profited from trafficking enslaved Africans and traces some financial links to institutions still operating today
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
In an interview with De Tijd, the rector of Ghent University calls the Cofnas matter a "distraction" and a "side issue". The 4500 (and counting) people that signed our international open letter tend to disagree: forms.gle/yyDhHwYtBQQy...
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Still waiting for the 200 articles on James Orr and/or Dan Ariely. And the pundits falling over each other to analyse what these cases teach us about academia or even present-day culture in general.
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Kasper Nollet @kaspernollet.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Scoop: de omstreden dading die minister van Mobiliteit Annick De Ridder (N-VA) sloot met de luchthavenuitbater Egis is in strijd met Europese en Vlaamse wetgeving. Dat blijkt uit documenten die Apache kon verifiëren. apache.be/2026/09/10/r...
apache.be
De Ridder schond Europese en Vlaamse wetgeving met omstreden luchthavendeal
De schikking met de luchthaven blijkt onrechtmatige vorderingen te bevatten.
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Aangezien iedereen deze week toch onderwijs expert is, ik heb soms de indruk dat studenten in het eerste jaar minder "plantrekkers" zijn dan vroeger, meer verwachten dat alle kennis hapklaar is, dat "begrip" iets is dat de docent je kan geven 1/
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Relmans @krisremels.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Pro memorie: toen Dries Van Langenhove eerder dit jaar veroordeeld werd voor haatspraak was dat voor Theo een aanslag op de vrijheid van meningsuiting en moest de wet ingeperkt worden.
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Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I wonder why it's so hard to convince so many Germans that people primarily vote for the AfD because of hate: I think it's because they are ashamed that their colleagues and relatives harbour such views. But that denial is lethal. As a friend told me, "their shame will kill us."
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 08/09/2026
Excellent thread - liberal democracy needs unabashed defenders right now, and we are basically letting it die through social embarrassment.
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Robert Heinze @rheinze.myatproto.social · 06/09/2026
It is a bit crazy the role apartheid countries play in contemporary fascism. I know enough about SA, Namibia and „Rhodesia“ to know about the continuities of fascism there, and I knew a bit about their international connections, but the way those have catapulted into the mainstream is shocking.
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Roland Meyer @bildoperationen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Ich will keine Bilder von fröhlichen Nazis sehen, ich will keine Bilder von feiernden Nazis sehen, ich will keine Bilder von triumphierenden Nazis sehen. Jedes dieser Bilder ist Werbung für den Faschismus – und als solche gemeint, egal ob von WELT, ZEIT oder Tagesschau
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
"Nie wieder" did not even manage to last a century
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Bieke Purnelle @biekepurnelle.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Blijkbaar deelt Cofnas nepdiagrammen die "aantonen" welke organisaties campagne voeren tegen hem. Waaronder de onze. Heel bijzonder, vermits wij niets, nada, nougabollen te maken hebben met deze campagne, nog nooit iets over hem hebben gepubliceerd. Vast een betrouwbare wetenschapper, deze meneer. 😡
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Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Thanks @lottelambrecht.bsky.social for the interview in the Belgian @standaard.be. We discuss the complex relationship between DNA, behavior, and society, racist pseudoscience from people like Nathan Cofnas & Emil Kirkegaard, and polygenic embryo selection. English: drive.google.com/file/d/1jSpH...
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Wetenschappers die wetenschappers in andere velden venijnig aanvallen, maar niet lijken te weten dat de "memory" in "memory studies" voor "herinnering" staan in de brede zin en niet voor "geheugen", ik vind daar iets van
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Koen Van Laer @koenvanlaer.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
In case you're wondering about public discourse on Cofnas in Belgium: it is now argued in an opinion piece that it's good that Cofnas expresses his views, as this allows the younger generation to relive the vibrant societal debates we had after The Bell Curve was published. Yes, really.
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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 31/08/2026
Normalise saying 'fascist propaganda' instead of 'culture wars'
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
bsky.app/profile/ptrb... /67
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Perfect samengevat
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Pieter T. L. Beck @ptrbck.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Inderdaad zeer kwalijk dat er aan de faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte blijkbaar een soort consensus bestaat dat racisme niet gepast is. Dank aan Maarten en Patrick om dit aan te kaarten. Ik hoop dat ze het hier niet bij laten en ook andere problematische vormen van consensus aankaarten /1
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Over het whitewashen van de inhoud van Cofnas zijn werk. Nee, het maakt geen deel uit van het wetenschappelijke debat. Het is racistische pseudowetenschap
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Prof Stephen Serjeant @stephenserjeant.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Academic colleagues, please read & consider signing 🧪🔭
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Maybe we can call it Schrödinger's Cofnas. Is he suspended? Is he reinstated? I don't know, both seem to be true, as this communication from Ghent University is not necessarily that clear
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Jacqueline L. Hazelton @drjlhazelton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
@wearehighered.bsky.social
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This case is so important the US ambassador seems to have lied about it (?) --I don't know, it genuinely feels like a circus-- so please, sign our open letter and resist US imperialism or something.
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I am confused by some implying that "academic freedom" means the liberty to say whatever you want, in the way you want it, without any responsibility. If that would be the case, we really have to get rid of IRBs and ethical committees. An example: 1/n
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Christine Deslaurier @kirisina.eurosky.social · 27/08/2026
De bon matin j'ai lu cette lettre des collègues de l'Université de Gand, et ouvert un à un tous les liens insérés, pour lire et écouter Cofnas (dont je trouve de surcroît l'expression verbale particulièrement pénible à écouter). Nausée persistante depuis, mais je conseille quand même l'exercice.
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Gabrielle Hecht 🇵🇷 • she/elle/ella/cis⚔️ • AOC 4USpresident @gabriellehecht.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
There are now over 3000 signatures on this letter, including mine. Please consider adding yours.
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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I'll again note that the folks willing to sign a letter supporting a raging eugenicist (purportedly in defense of his academic freedom to be racist) aren't nearly as motivated when it comes to *actual* threats to academic freedom, like this.
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Scott MacEachern @scottmaceachern.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I assume there will be immediately be letters protesting this and signed by the academic great and good, and editorials strongly condemning it in CHE and Insidehighered.
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Nanjala @nanjala.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This letter is long but worth reading through. Consider signing, especially if you’re an academic.
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Gabrielle Hecht 🇵🇷 • she/elle/ella/cis⚔️ • AOC 4USpresident @gabriellehecht.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Signed. Especially appreciate this bit at the end: “Cofnas is not an isolated case nor an anomaly…A broader network provides the architecture for legitimizing & actively (re)affirming racist & white supremacist conceptions through attempts to infiltrate academic research and journals. /
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Nous avons maintenant aussi une version française en ligne.
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Brilliant thread from an expert on academic freedom & race science 👇 Academic freedom is "the freedom to exercise authority in guiding your own courses & research programs so long as you are exercising your authority within the bounds of professional competence"; it also comes with responsibilities
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Ghent University members are asking for support, so its institution can investigate Cofnas as its regulations require, and because: "appeals to absolutist academic freedom as a guise for pursuing racist and pseudoscientific research threaten the integrity and credibility of research as a whole"
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If you do not do it for me, do it for @ptrbck.bsky.social --or actually, do it because it matters beyond this individual case
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If I learned one thing from the last days then it is that there are wildly different ideas about how absolute academic freedom should be within academia. But if it should be so absolute, then I also wonder why we do have codes of ethical conduct, ethics review boards and so on.
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
And share widely!
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Gillian Mathys @gillianmathys.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
We started an open letter countering some of the incorrect framing about the suspension of Nathan Cofnas. It is a long letter, but we think it is needed to explain the issues. Please sign in support: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Open letter on the suspension of Nathan Cofnas at Ghent University
We, colleagues of Nathan Cofnas - supported by many colleagues internationally - want to respond to the negative and incorrect framing of Ghent University’s decision to suspend Nathan Cofnas. With th...
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 02/06/2024
The myth of value-free science is an important part of why scientific racism is so hard to eradicate. Many scientists will protect scientific racism as long as those who produce it claim to be doing legitimate science, despite its blatantly political conclusions. Please read 👇
irisvanrooijcogsci.com
The myth of value-free science*
Perhaps one of the most persistent myths in science—one that also pervades public perception of science—is that it provides a value-free method to arrive at objective Truth, with a big ‘T’. This myth ...
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Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
When Oswald Mosley reappeared in Britain in the 1950s (after a period of self-exile in Ireland), he tried to gain a foothold in universities by taking parts on debates (usually at Oxford or Cambridge). I wrote this about those who opposed Mosley on campus. hatfulofhistory.com/2021/06/06/w...
hatfulofhistory.com
When the fascists went to university (and the campaigns to keep them out)
Recently there have been several mentions of Oswald Mosley being invited to speak at universities in the early 1960s. One from a piece in The Times opining for the ‘lost days of campus free s…
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