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James Opp

@jamesopp.bsky.social
686 followers 287 following 57 posts

History, photographic studies, 80s pop culture, and slurpees. Carleton University jamesopp.com

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Reposted by James Opp
NiCHE Canada @nichecanada.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Listen to "Indigenous History & the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada – What’s Old is News" - @activehist.bsky.social - activehistory.ca/blog/2026/07... Read "A Failure to Commemorate" by @alanmaceachern.bsky.social - niche-canada.org/2026/08/18/a... #cdnhist #HSMBC #parkscanada
activehistory.ca
Indigenous History & the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada – What’s Old is News
By Sean Graham This week, I talk with Cody Groat, author of Always Part of the Land: The Federal Commemoration of Indigenous Histories. We discuss the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada&#…
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David B Hobbs @deebeehobbs.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Alberta is introducing a new funding model to directly punish students who are majoring in the humanities, more or less because the starvation model didn’t do enough to discourage majors: thegauntlet.ca/documents-sh...
thegauntlet.ca
Documents show proposed new tuition framework for Alberta’s students
Proposed tuition framework presented to student leaders in late August, may have considerable impact on arts education here in Alberta.
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Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada @cndhistassoc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Theme: “Feeling/Not Feeling Canadian: A Workshop Exploring Histories of Emotion in Canada”. Deadline: November 30, 2026. #history #cdnhist
cha-shc.ca
CFP: Exploring Histories of Emotion in Canada Workshop | Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada
An event entitled "Feeling/Not Feeling Canadian: A Workshop Exploring Histories of Emotion in Canada" will take place from June 16-17, 2027 at the University of Winnipeg. The deadline to submit a prop...
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staring blankly into the abyss @irmsby.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This is how you do it.
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Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Here is my letter to the MacDonald Laurier Institute on the subject of their appalling research. Use as you will. I recommend sending something of your own, though. And if you know anyone associated with MLI - and Board directors, say - send it to them, too.
docs.google.com
Alex Usher email to Brian Lee Crowley
(text of an email sent to Brian Lee Crowley of the MacDonald Laurier Institute on September 2, 2026) Dear Brian, I am writing to you and your board with respect to the publication “The equity excelle...
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Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History @bhmpi.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
⏰ Final week to submit your proposal for “Photographic Communities: How People Collaborate with Images”, a photo-historical seminar at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome, taking place March 15–19, 2027. ⏳Deadline: August 31, 2026. 🔗More info & application: www.biblhertz.it/en/opportuni...
(Photo by Massimo Piersanti of a group of several Italian participants around Achille Bonito Oliva at the 7th Paris Biennale, 1971, credit: Rome, MAXXI, Fondo Incontri Internazionali d’Arte)
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Nina Lager Vestberg @lagernina.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Fancy an excuse to come to Stockholm in September? Open seminar on PICTURE CULTURES with various folks involved in the project Selling Pictures: Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020 (IFFS/VR). Speaker list in the comments!
A poster of various AI-generated cats accompanied by the following invitation to an
OPEN SEMINAR
PICTURE CULTURES

17 Sept. 09.30–16.00

Klockan Konferens

Olof Palmes gata 29-31

Welcome to a seminar where researchers as well as the advisory board involved in the project Selling Pictures: Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020 (IFFS/Vetenskapsrådet) will present recent and ongoing research on various of aspects of how mass-produced and mass-reproduced pictures can be interpreted, datafied and studied.

Speakers:

Realism revisited. The persistence of photography in the age of AI 
–Estelle Blaschke

What Did the Victorians See? Using Multimodal AI to Analyze 72,000 News Illustrations
–Thomas Smits

What Are Artificial Intelligence Models Models Of?
–Fabian Offert

Picturing Baskerville’s Punches
–Caroline Archer Parré

Proto-photographic Reproductive Phantasmagoria
–Wolfgang Brückle

Pictorial Economy and Commoditization 1820–2020
–Nina Lager Vestberg & Anna Näslund
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ActiveHistory.ca @activehist.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Edward Dunsworth continues exploring the use of AI in classrooms and describes how he attempted to "teach against AI" in one of his undergraduate courses in Fall 2025. Take a look at another Active History series exploring AI use here: activehistory.ca/generative-a...
activehistory.ca
Teaching Against AI: Notes from the Field
Edward Dunsworth While a small but vocal minority of historians have embraced the use of generative artificial intelligence in their research and teaching,[1] many of us find ourselves trying to ho…
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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
academics should be slow, steady, scholars who produce solid, original contributions to specialized fields of research but also: if you want security you'd better be a personable star who can explain everything to anybody in a few small words and serve as the face of your institution's PR campaign
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Kristine Alexander @kalexand.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The registration page for the Canadian Committee on Women's & Gender History conference "Critical Feminist Histories in Canada" (2-4 October 2026 at Queen's University) is now live! More info, including a draft program, is available at the link below.
ccwgh-cchfg.com
2026 Conference Registration | CCWGH-CCHFG
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Mark Williams @mrfw17thc.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
It's real, and due out in March! 'Imaginative Pasts', which has been a joy to edit with Tracey Loughran, aims to reckon - and play - with the role of the imagination in historical research and writing. #skystorians #earlymodern manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526187154/
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Jen Evans @jennifervevans.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Save the date: Friday September 14th we will host a vernissage for Faces Of Exile, the travelling exhibit on men charged with same-sex infractions in Mussolini's Italy. With a roundtable featuring me, Patrizia Gentile, Alessio Ponzio, and Antonio Cazorla Sanchez.
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History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · 04/08/2026
What can photographs tell us about anti-racist activism in twentieth-century London? Julian Ehsan on recording community histories through the Bengali Photo Archive and the extraordinary work of Lloyd Gee.
historyworkshop.org.uk
Activism, Identity, and the Bengali Photo Archive
What can photographs tell us about anti-racist activism in twentieth-century London? Julian Ehsan on the Bengali Photo Archive.
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Suzanne Rent @suzannerent.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
AI-generated fake historic images are destroying our past, present, and future Morning File by me www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file...
halifaxexaminer.ca
AI-generated fake historic images are destroying our past, present, and future - Halifax Examiner
"There have always been plagiarists, careless and lazy researchers, and bad actors. AI in its current incarnation and its rapid, seemingly thoughtless, dissemination just takes it to a whole new level...
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TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 25/07/2026
At libraries around the country, "Avoiding AI" workshops have elicited unprecedented demand.
techcrunch.com
Librarians are hosting viral 'Avoiding AI' workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech | TechCrunch
At libraries around the country, "Avoiding AI" workshops have elicited unprecedented demand.
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Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada @cndhistassoc.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
The call for papers for the CHA’s 2027 annual meeting is now online! Please consider submitting a proposal and joining us in Winnipeg this coming June. #CHASHC2027 #Winnipeg #history #cdnhist
event.fourwaves.com
CHA Annual Meeting 2027 | Réunion annuelle 2027 de la SHC
Join CHA Annual Meeting 2027 | Réunion annuelle 2027 de la SHC, June 14-16, 2027. Learn more on Fourwaves.
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The Hill Times @hilltimes.com · 21/07/2026
‘A disaster’ for access, expert says as cuts push Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work www.hilltimes.com/2026/07/21/a...
hilltimes.com
‘A disaster’ for access, expert says as cuts push Library and Archives to end proactive declassification work - The Hill Times
'It's just another tragedy in the access story,' says historian Timothy Sayle of the decision to axe the three-year-old program, and part of a 'broader pattern of underfunding access to information…
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Jim Clifford @jimclifford.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
The Archive is Not a Toy: The Hidden Problems of a ‘Vintage’ AI By @historyjacob.bsky.social, Chloë Farr, and Jessica Jack #digitalhistory #digitalhumanities #llm #al activehistory.ca/blog/2026/07...
activehistory.ca
The Archive is Not a Toy: The Hidden Problems of a ‘Vintage’ AI
talkie’s poor representation of history is a side effect of a larger problem. The model was conceptually built as an experimental tool to see if language models can accurately predict the future, a…
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Bruce Arthur @brucearthur.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
They say a perfect Ottawa post doesn't exist, and yet
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NiCHE Canada @nichecanada.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Our next NiCHE Conversation will be on Friday, July 10th, at 12:30pm EDT on Instagram Live @tinaadcock.bsky.social will join @jessicamdewitt.bsky.social to chat about knowledge production and masculinity in her book, A Cold Colonialism. Follow NiCHE on Insta here: www.instagram.com/niche.canada
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University of Manitoba Press @umanitobapress.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Happy pub date to Sarah Carter's CROPPED. This long-awaited work exposes the stranglehold the DIA had on First Nations’ land, resources, and livelihoods and shows the deep roots of First Nations agricultural knowledge.
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Kristine Alexander @kalexand.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Looking for a change of scene, intellectual community, and a place to write? The Wilson Institute for Canadian History at @mcmasteruniversity.bsky.social has just launched a Visiting Scholars Program! More info here: wilson.humanities.mcmaster.ca/discover/our...
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Centre for Culture & Everyday Life @cceluliverpool.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to Liverpool tomorrow for our conference, The Invisible Image: Photography and the Unseen!
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Crystal Fleming is on sabbatical @alwaystheself.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I'm attending a digital humanities event in Montreal. There was a keynote on AI and something about the talk made me wonder if it had been written by Claude. I said as much in the Q&A. As I posed the question, the speaker shifted, looking slightly uncomfortable. What he said next shocked the room +
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
At the end of the term I asked my college creative wriing students to submit anonymous thoughts on AI. No real surprises: Mood ranges from resignation to despair, capitulation from embittered erosion of standards to total, feelings of betrayal from deep to furious. 1/
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James Opp @jamesopp.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
The idea that Natalie Zemon Davis’ work was/is NOT political (and therefore somehow less threatening than Hartman) is absurd - NZD’s approach was explicitly feminist in how she read her sources and she was criticized exactly for ‘imposing narrative form’ on the accounts by conservative critics.
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Steffen Siegel @steffensiegel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Following the seminars held in 2019, 2023, and 2025, we are delighted to host, for the fourth time, a week-long photo-historical seminar at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome in March 2027. Here is the call: biblhertz.iwww.mpg.de/3792978/2606... The application deadline is August 31, 2026.
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NiCHE Canada @nichecanada.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Call for Papers – Dwelling in Place A New NiCHE Series Edited by Nicole Miller Proposal Deadline: June 30, 2026 Final posts should be 500-1200 words at the intersections of architecture and environmental history niche-canada.org/2026/05/30/c... #envhist #histarch #architecture #builtenvironment
niche-canada.org
Call for Papers - Dwelling in Place NiCHE Series
NiCHE invites submissions for the upcoming series Dwelling in Place. Final posts should be 500-1200 words at the intersections of architecture and environmental history.
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Not (A.) I. @aerialeverything.cryptoanarchy.network · 24/05/2026
Lots to be said re: egregious behaviour of the gallery, but I've a few comments on art historical nocturnes and how the GenAI print *disregards* the tradition. www.engadget.com/2180105/anse...
engadget.com
Ansel Adams' trust says AI-colorized version of his work was exhibited without permission - Engadget
The AI-generated version of ‘Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico’ was on display at AIPAD’s The Photography show.
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CSN-RÉC @csnrec.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
New Publication Beyond the Rink: Behind the Images of Residential School Hockey Authors: Alexandra Giancarlo, Janice Forsyth and Braden Te Hiwi csn-rec.ca/news/85094-n... @umanitobapress.bsky.social
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 12/05/2026
folx, I’ve been working on AI "ethics" for almost a decade now & hate to tell you there’s no such thing as "ethical AI" the only "ethical principle" that works is regulating the shit out of the industry & to take back control of our autonomy, fundamental rights, freedoms & right to exist w/out AI
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Christina Riggs @christinajriggs.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
📸📷📜🗃️
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David William with a 'This IS my costume' pin @nrvscrcts.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
"Canadian poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur’s books have sold millions of copies and been translated into 43 languages. They have also now been banned by four school divisions in Alberta." #abpoli #cdnpoli
theijf.org
41 Alberta school divisions banned books to comply with provincial order
Documents reveal how the book ban has been applied in the province’s schools
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Simon Hammann @simonhammann.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Don't be shy to take on a little two-week side project. These five months will be the most precious three years of your academic journey.
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 24/04/2026
"Under the memo, graduate students will be permanently barred from writing theses or dissertations centered on LGBTQ+ topics"
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Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada @cndhistassoc.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
We are thrilled to announce that the CHA’s next Annual Meeting will be held June 14-16, 2027, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We hope to see you there! #CHASHC2027 #Winnipeg #cdnhist #history
cha-shc.ca
Announcement: CHA Annual Meeting 2027 | Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada
The Canadian Historical Association is delighted to announce that its 2027 annual meeting will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anisininew, Ininiwak/Nehethowuk, Nakoda,...
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Mary Grace #EndTheDeathPenaltyEverywhere @emgeekay.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Library and Archives Canada will eliminate 152 employee positions and 9 executive positions. 70 indeterminate positions were eliminated in 2025 prior to the announcement of the most recent budget cuts.
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NEW FEELING @newfeelingcoop.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Across the Blackfoot Confederacy, heavy music has become a conduit for release and repair. Reid Blakley traces how community-led festivals in Canada and the US are transforming pain into connection, mentorship, and healing. www.newfeeling.ca/singing-heavy-son…
newfeeling.ca
Singing Heavy Songs
How heavy music heals and unites Indigenous people on both sides of a border.
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Geoff Belknap @curatorgeoff.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
For those interested in photo history, attached is a CFP for a study day on the history photomechanical images in Italy. Proposals are due by the May 22 to cristiana.sorrentino@unifi.it & francesca.strobino@labafirenze.com The study day will be held at the University of Urbino on October 1st.
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James Opp @jamesopp.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
CUPE 4600 got language related to AI in their most recent contract - including the right to not submit their work as graders to LLMs.
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Duke University Press @dukepress.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Today on our blog we look at all the great new books coming from DUP this month, including "Inventing Nadar" by @emilygdoucet.bsky.social. See them all: buff.ly/cb6xrFO
Cover of Inventing Nadar: A History of Photographic Firsts by Emily Doucet. A sepia colored old photograph of Paris from above showing a landscape of buildings and a fading horizon. Landmarks such as the “Arc de Triomphe” and “Les Ternes” are marked in a red script. The title is centered at the top in white. “Inventing’ is in a sans serif font and ‘Nadar’ is written larger in an italicized script. The subtitle is below in a white serif font with the author’s name directly below.
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James Opp @jamesopp.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I really notice how race shapes the conversation / engagement, especially when the presenter isn’t an ‘authority’. It feels like some viewers invest themselves in ‘guiding’ a ‘musical journey’ in a deeply paternalistic way.
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The ArQuives @arquives.ca · 30/03/2026
From Marginalization to Visibility: 2SLGBTQ+ Archives and Public Memory is a queer and trans history and archives hybrid conference takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 15-17, 2026. Presentations are in both English and French. arquives.ca/fmv2026
Booking is now open for From Marginalization to Visibility: 2SLGBTQ+ Archives and Public Memory. The queer and trans history and archives hybrid conference takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 15-17, 2026. Visit arquives.ca/fmv2026 for more information.
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Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Because why bother to leave something as important as making an immigration decision for someone to human beings when you can ask an AI to summarise it wrongly for you? its not as if it would negatively impact people already privileged by their citizenship, race, class status, amirite. Bravo, Canada
Kémy Adé was shocked by the immigration refusal letter she received.

In rejecting her permanent residence application, the Immigration Department cited her current job duties, which included wiring and assembling control circuits, building control and robot panels, programming and troubleshooting. The department said these duties didn’t match the Canadian work experience she claimed.

Well, no, they didn’t. Adé is a post-doctoral research fellow and guest teacher at McMaster University — and those skills are not part of her repertoire. Nor are they what she submitted in her immigration application a year ago.

“I saw this language about this job description that has nothing to do with me,” said the health scientist from France, who has a PhD from Sorbonne University in the immunology of aging. “I was disoriented how this could happen.”

Canada rejected her permanent residence application. Her job duties were made up — by Immigration’s AI reviewer
Immigration Department decision, which openly said it used Generative AI, cites job duties of applicant that bear no relation to her actual tasks.

Updated March 25, 2026 at 4:56 p.m.
March 25, 2026
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Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada @cndhistassoc.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Deadline: April 10, 2026. #cdnhist
cha-shc.ca
CFP: Critical Feminist Histories in Canada | Canadian Historical Association | Société historique du Canada
This conference is hosted by the Canadian Committee on Women’s and Gender History and will take place at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, from October 2-4, 2026. The deadline to submit proposa...
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Justin Carville @justinmcarville.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
Photography Ethics Symposium, Queens University Belfast, June 3-4 2026 Program and registration here; docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Colin Coates @ccoates.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
On the impact of federal government cuts to institutions linked to heritage research and preservation for Indigenous scholars and communities, please read the excellent Mary Jane Logan McCallum: shekonneechie.ca.
shekonneechie.ca
Shekon Neechie
An Indigenous History Site
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