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J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)

@jbartashius.bsky.social
1.5K followers 969 following 45 posts

religion & film/gender/migration. pubs on stranger things/lady bird/fight club. bylines: @japantimes@kyotojournal@civilbeat @religiondispatches@deepkyoto buymeacoffee.com/jbartashius

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Reposted by J Barts, PhD (he/him/his)
LAL @lindli.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
my favorite Mother’s Day tradition Open those pockets, people! Let’s get some mamas out of jail today!
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Zora Neale Hurtin’ 📚🔮✨ @alexaesperanzaa.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
I’ve donated to this org a few times and I encourage y’all to do the same! 💐🫶🏾
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J Barts, PhD (he/him/his) @jbartashius.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I wrote a piece on evangelical/(CN) fascination with Fight Club and its use in men’s ministries. Popular Culture Studies Journal (Open Access) 4808e3e5-69ae-4499-8d1e-e17cb416c2bc.filesusr.com/ugd/aced74_e...
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Juan Cole @jricole.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Mutual aid a Lifeline for the million people Israel Displaced in Lebanon
dlvr.it
Mutual aid a Lifeline for the million people Israel Displaced in Lebanon
Food, clothing and shelter provided by mutual aid efforts in Lebanon are vital as Israel’s war triggers a growing humanitarian crisis
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Josh Shepperd @joshshepperd.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
What if we just went back to reading a bunch of books and thinking about them together, and that was the class? With syllabi no longer than three pages.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 31/03/2026
👀
engadget.com
Proton adds a secure video conferencing service called Meet to its toolbox
Proton continues to build up its suite of apps to take on Microsoft and Google.
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Prof. J @historyprofj.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Yesterday I found out a student at my institution penned an open letter to the Board of Trustees complaining about a professor using AI to run their class. The student argued they're being denied the professor's expertise.
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Another instance that makes me think that the term for academics rushing into AI is “scabs.” I know many feel no ill intentions. They think they’re forward looking. But they’re failing to look around *right now,* & thus betraying colleagues & those who never got to be colleagues.
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Judith Weisenfeld @jlweisenfeld.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
NYU Center for Religion and New Media April 8, 2026 at 6pm EST on Zoom Editors from Religion Dispatches (Megan Goodwin), Arc: Religion, Politics, Etc. (Mark Oppenheimer), and The Revealer (Brett Krutzsch), will discuss how to publish articles about religion for broad readerships.
wp.nyu.edu
Writing for Religion Publications: A Zoom Event
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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 14/03/2026
AI job losses free up time for unemployed mobs to burn down tech CEO‘s houses
thebeaverton.com
AI job losses free up time for unemployed mobs to burn down tech CEO‘s houses
PALO ALTO, CA - With Silicon Valley boasting that artificial intelligence could replace millions of jobs around the world, currently laid-off workers have reported having more free time to form angry ...
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Michael Baysa @mbaysa.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Postdoc on American Religion at Indiana University www.aarsbl.org/listing/amer... #aarsbl #religiousstudies
aarsbl.org
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Association for Asian Studies @asianstudies.org · 12/03/2026
In 30 minutes, please join us in Ballroom C of the Vancouver Convention Centre for our #AAS2026 Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address by Professor Hyun Mee Kim of Yonsei University. Many thanks to Harvard-Yenching Institute for sponsoring Professor Kim's talk!
Announcement for AAS 2026 keynote by Hyun Mee Kim on feminist democracy in South Korea, March 12 at VCC Ballroom C.
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Matt Seybold @mattseybold.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water and people buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for. The demand that we see for that..." - Sam Altman These bros are not okay.
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Linda Holmes @lindaholmes.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Another tough day for team “there’s no point in complaining about AI, just accept it.”
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Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 11/03/2026
I'm suing Grammarly over its paid AI feature that presented editing suggestions as if they came from me - and many other writers and journalists - without consent. State law requires consent before someone's name can be used for commercial purposes. www.wired.com/story/gramma...
wired.com
Grammarly Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit Over Its AI ‘Expert Review’ Feature
The feature, which Grammarly shut down Wednesday, presented editing suggestions as if they came from established authors and academics—without their consent.
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Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 11/03/2026
Lots of folks asking how to join the class. My lawyers' emails and contact-form here. As well as the complaint if you want to take a look. prf-law.com/current-case...
prf-law.com
Class Action Alleges That Grammarly Misappropriated the Names of Journalists and Authors Through its “Expert Review” That Lets Users Get Feedback on Writing From Experts — PRF Law
Lawsuit alleges that Grammarly violated state privacy laws that protect people from having their names and identities used for commercial purposes without their prior consent Contact : Peter Romer...
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Bright Wall/Dark Room @brightwalldarkroom.com · 24/02/2025
The original starter pack we created a few months ago for those looking to find more movie thoughts/words/writers in their feed...
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American Academy of Religion @aarweb.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
On Tuesday, March 3 at 12 PM ET, join us for “Representing Religion in Museums,” the second webinAAR in our “Religion and America at 250” series that engages central questions around the intersection of religion, America, and the 250th anniversary of the United States: aarweb.org/event/repres...
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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Coming up on Friday, I'll be speaking at Harvard about my recent work on religion/politics intersections in Japan. If you're in Boston/Cambridge, come on down: rijs.fas.harvard.edu/ja/node/1423
rijs.fas.harvard.edu
Religion and Politics in Japan Today: How Nippon Kaigi and Soka Gakkai Inform Elections and Policymaking | Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
Faced with political upheaval, aging support bases, rising regional security concerns, and harsh economic realities, how are influential religion-linked activists now seeking to shape Japan? What are ...
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Debt Collective 🟥 @debtcollective.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
New: A federal court declined to approve a settlement between the Dept of Ed and the State of Missouri. This means that the SAVE plan is immediately and fully effective. We're calling on the DOE to retroactively apply credits to debtors and immediately process cancellation.
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Tammy Lai-Ming Ho @myetcetera.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Join us for the book talk by Dr. Ting Guo (Assistant Professor of Language Studies, University of Toronto) on 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑚, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎 (2025). 📆 Tuesday 10 March ⏰ 2:00-2:45pm 🎞️ Auditorium, Asian Centre, UBC Registration: hksi.ubc.ca/events/event...
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Hi friends. As I previously noted, the U. of Iowa is planning to get rid of African American studies; Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, & the Classical Languages major—along with others. If you wish, please sign the classics petition: www.change.org/p/keep-the-c.... I will add more as I find out.
change.org
Sign the Petition
Keep the Classical Languages Major at the University of Iowa
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Also at Berkeley, on Wednesday, catch me talking about my 14 years of experience in Opting Out of Big Tech, and why the world needs more of this right now! besi.berkeley.edu/event/how-to...
besi.berkeley.edu
How to opt out: Lessons from 14 years of evading surveillance capitalism
Please join us for this talk with sociologist of science and technology Janet Vertesi. Additional details to come.
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Donovan Schaefer @feelingtheory.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
1-year VAP in visual studies starting in fall, Haverford College.
haverford.edu
Visiting Assistant Professor of Visual Studies (One-Year Appointment)
Haverford College Seeks a Visiting Assistant Professor of Visual Studies (One-Year Appointment).
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Donovan Schaefer @feelingtheory.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
AAR/SBL folks: We're very excited about our CFP for the Science, Technology, and Religion unit this year! Have a look and consider submitting something by the March 6 deadline! @aarweb.bsky.social @sblsite.bsky.social
*Enemies of the Future: As part of the 2026 AAR theme of Future/s, explorations of Luddism, anti-tech, anti-AI, intentionally low-tech, and anti-modern religion (e.g., Anabaptism).
*Techno-futures: As part of the AAR 2026 presidential theme of Future/s, considerations of the transformative role of technology in creating new material forms, new scientific horizons, and new religious iterations. Does the science/religion dynamic change as technology changes?
*Funding Structures, Funding Collapse: Studies of the transformed landscape of funding for science in the second Trump presidency and its implications for religion as well as how science and religion funding have built the field.
*Prediction and Uncertainty: Considerations of science and prediction, of unpredictability, divination, prophecy, the affects of certainty/uncertainty, despair and hope, optimism/pessimism, and speculation.
*Revisiting When Prophecy Fails and Cognitive Dissonance: Considerations of new research emerging in the past decade challenging or reframing Festinger et al.’s influential 1956 book *When Prophecy Fails* and Festinger’s follow-up volume *Cognitive Dissonance.* 
*Genealogies of Science and Religion (for a possible cosponsored session between the Science, Technology, and Religion and Cultural History of the Study of Religion units): Where does science and religion—as a subfield—come from? What are the origin points, lineages, inflections, institutional politics, and material conditions of knowledge production that have led to the current field? Proposals may consider the Pitts Digital Collection repository of “American Academy of Religion Program Books” and/or explore the history of the STR unit (founded as “Theology and Science” in 1987) and related subdivisions of AAR/SBL. We welcome proposals from all scholarly ranks including graduate, contingent, and early-career scholars.
AI-generated proposals will not be considered.
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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
By the way, if you're in TV or film, have pitched Warner or Paramount or really any studio, & believe that the Warner-Paramount deal will harm your ability to work or diminish your pay, go to this website and share your story. That's the evidence needed for a state AG case: blockthemerger.com
blockthemerger.com
Block The Merger | Protect Independent Film
Block the WBD Merger. Protect independent film, local cinemas, and public-interest storytelling.
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ISA Research Committee 22 – Religion @isa-rc22.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Virtual book launch: Religion and Nonreligion in Same-Sex Marriage Debates: Emerging Imaginaries (edited by Juan Marco Vaggione, Paula Montero & Lori G. Beaman; De Gruyter, 2026). @nonreligioncf.bsky.social Date: March 9, 2026 Time: 1:00 pm ET Register here: uottawa-ca.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
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Peggy March @rebelgeo.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
thehighwire.com/news/metas-i...
thehighwire.com
Meta’s Internal Research Shows Its Platforms Are Addictive and Harmful, Still It Targets Teens - The HighWire
Meta’s executives continue to deny its platforms are addictive despite its own internal research that concludes otherwise.
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Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 24/02/2026
Gen Z is reviving DVDs and Blu-rays, with local video rental shops reporting record months and membership numbers as young people embrace physical media. Read more: www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
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404 Media @404media.co · 24/02/2026
NEW: A hobbyist has created Nearby Glasses, an app that warns you if someone close by is wearing smart glasses. 404 Media spoke to the creator who said he was inspired by our coverage that uncovers how men are wearing Meta's Ray-Bans to covertly film massage parlor workers.
404media.co
This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby
The creator of Nearby Glasses made the app after reading 404 Media's coverage of how people are using Meta's Ray-Bans smartglasses to film people without their knowledge or consent. “I consider it to ...
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Gothic Studies @gothicstudies.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Gothic Studies is recruiting! We seek a new assistant editor 🧛‍♂️
Advert for assistant editor post
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Gretchen Felker-Martin PRE ORDER CHIMERA 2.16.27 🍉 @scumbelievable.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Bombing keeps Sama'a's young daughters up most nights. They have known more death and fear at their tender age than many of us will know in our entire lives. Please give what you can to help. chuffed.org/project/157569
chuffed.org
Help Baha and his family rebuild their home and meet their d
Lying on my back feeling helpless and powerless, I decided to tell you my story from the beginning.
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Dr. Ji Y. Son @cogscimom.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I would like to thank Companion AI for helping promote my latest in @mcsweeneys.net. I had worried my satire was too dark. This Einstein product reassures me that it was optimistic sunshine. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the...
mcsweeneys.net
The Next Innovation in Higher Education: Vibe-Teaching™
As the associate vice provost for the Office of Asynchronous Online Courses for Student-Centered High-Impact Learning (OAOCSCHIL, an office we crea...
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Dr. Giulia Evolvi @giuliaevolvi.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Do you want to submit a paper to the digital religion panel I’m co-organizing? Let’s go to #EUARE2026 in Rome! secure.onlinecongress.it/Olc/Client/P...
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
An academic union ready to strike over AI? How I wish I could be part of it.
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Nancy Ammerman @ntammerman.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
American #religion is changing, and we need more than hot takes and simple graphs. @USCCRCC is launching a multi-pronged effort to get better stories out there. Including journalism fellowships. dornsife.usc.edu/crcc/stories...
dornsife.usc.edu
Stories of Change in American Religion - Center for Religion and Civic Culture
USC Dornsife Site
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Bright Wall/Dark Room @brightwalldarkroom.com · 21/02/2026
If you feel like directly supporting things that are made by real humans with love & care—with no ads, hot takes, or AI—a reminder that we're still dealing with the effects of this, and that literally every subscription gets us that much closer to ensuring we can keep doing this for awhile!
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Aike Rots @aikerots.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Job alert! We are looking for talented PhD researchers to write a dissertation on Benzaiten worship in modern Japan or Mazu pilgrimages in Taiwan, as part of the ERC project "Maritime Goddesses: Transnational Connections, Blue Environments, and Ritual Care in East- and Southeast Asia" (MARGO).
share.google
TWO DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS IN EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS (296038) | University of Oslo
Job title: TWO DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS IN EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS (296038), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Monday, April 6, 2026
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Judith Weisenfeld @jlweisenfeld.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Job: 2-year Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies at Rhodes College. Review of applications begins March 9, 2026.
rhodes.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies
Job Title: Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies Department: Africana Studies Job Description: The Religious Studies Department and Africana Studies Program at Rhodes ...
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Trevor Henderson 🍉 (commissions closed) @slimyswampghost.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
every shot-on-video, made-with-a-camcorder horror movie that's just some teenage friend group fucking around in the woods with some fake blood and a monster mask contains more artistic merit, human joy and creative light than anything AI has ever made or will ever, ever make
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
New wonderful thing I just discovered (and it seems there's one in Portland and possibly other places, too) A great place to donate tech and access low-cost refurbished tech:
freegeekchi.org
About
Welcome to FreeGeek of Chicago! We are very glad to see you! Years ago, a wonderful store opened in Portland, Oregon, called FreeGeek, as a place that took in used electronics to be recycled and re…
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Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies @thecjbs.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Postdoctoral Fellowship Position: Department for the Study of Religion & The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies  buddhiststudies.utoronto.ca/2026/02/01/p...
buddhiststudies.utoronto.ca
Postdoctoral Fellowship Position: Department for the Study of Religion & The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies   - Learn | Explore | Connect
The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies (Ho Centre) and the Department for the Study of Religion (DSR) at the University of Toronto invite applications for a one-year postdoct...
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Bright Wall/Dark Room @brightwalldarkroom.com · 06/02/2026
OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: The world is a lot right now, so we’re going a different direction for our next issue & are looking for essays on films you go to when the world overwhelms you, the one you can count on, your comedy happy place. Deadline: 2/21 Details: brightwalldarkroom.com/submissions
Comedy Happy Place (Actual Title TBD) -
Ends on Sat, Feb 21, 2026

***

“Humor is just another defense against the universe.” 
- Mel Brooks

For our upcoming March/April issue, in full recognition of the fact that the universe is a LOT right now, we're going full-on defense mechanism; we're going escapism; we're going coping; we're going with medicine; we're going funny.

We want to hear about what makes you laugh, the movie or actor or director you go to when the world overwhelms you, the one you can count on, your
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Martha Lincoln @heavyredaction.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
The California State University system spent $16.9 million last year giving ChatGPT to all students, faculty, and staff. We are asking the CSU chancellor not to renew the contract with OpenAI when it expires. Anyone can sign the petition — link below!
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
I want to say a bit more about our initiative to hire scholars to 3yr Research Associate positions. None of us know what the twinning of humanities research support and employment will look like in another 5(?) years. But we do know that we need it. As a matter of social and cultural health. 1/
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Bertha Chin (she/her) @berthac.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
A few more days left to submit your abstract!! #fanstudies #transculturalfandoms
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