iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

After the May hack and amidst ongoing concerns about protecting student IP, I completely ditched Canvas this term. Recommended! Everything is on paper or distributed via email. My grad seminar shares a Zotero library. Who needs an LMS? (Yes, I know some unis require it; no, this is not a dig at OP.)

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Penn Religious Studies @upennrels.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Happening this week! The Foucault Century 2026 Boardman Symposium Sep 24–25, 2026 Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (A Zoom streaming option is available for Friday, Sept. 25) Free registration is available here: www.library.upenn.edu/events/fouca...

The Foucault Century
2026 Boardman Symposium
Sep 24–25, 2026
Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, 6th Floor, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center

Free registration is available here:
https://www.library.upenn.edu/events/foucault-century
Registration is separate for each day. Please register for either or both days you will be attending.

Speakers

Sabeen Ahmed
Amy Allen
Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson
Niki Kasumi Clements
Penelope Deutscher
David Halperin
Amy Hollywood
Lynne Huffer
Daniele Lorenzini
Donovan Schaefer

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I just agreed to review an article, opened it, saw it was written by Claude, and immediately wrote to the editor rescinding my agreement to review. Should have been an automatic desk rejection IMO.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Please see below for an exciting job opportunity in Jewish studies at Penn. The successful applicant will join one of three departments (French, Italian, and German Studies; Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures; or Religious Studies) while actively contributing to the Jewish Studies program.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Very excited for this talk by a leading ethnographer of contemporary Japanese Buddhism at Penn on Thursday! Population decline, waste, material religion, and more! In-person and online options.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Fellow authors, when you get that email from Anthropic marked "Settlement Claim Notice," be sure to carefully check who has laid claim to your copyrighted work. To add insult to injury, apparently 5 jerks out there thought it would be a good idea to steal my settlement $ after Anthropic stole my IP.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

“This shows that large US corporations really do have leeway and the ability to sort of do noncompliance to executive branch pressure and end up fine.” www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

theguardian.com

US firms that kept DEI policies despite ‘go woke, go broke’ threats thrived

Exclusive: Companies that kept policies did just as well financially, even after Trump’s executive order, as those that didn’t

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I thought with this book by Finbarr Curtis a lot, both while writing this review and in the months since. Can’t stop thinking about it, TBH. Great book; recommended! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Cover of Finbarr Curtis’s book Going Low depicts a dumpster fire.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Mourning Sonny Rollins (RIP), but also celebrating Miles Davis, who would have been 100 today.

Two turntables, with Side A of Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue on Deck 1. The album sleeve is displayed over the rotary mixer between the decks.

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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

“That’s where billionaires like yourself come in. For a mere $10 million gift, you can help us remake the intellectual landscape by endowing a prestigious chair in an underrepresented subfield, such as geocentric astronomy, high-energy phlogiston physics, or patriotic history.“ 😂

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Thrilled that we can finally share this great news! So proud of Dr. Sokolow’s excellent work so far, and so excited to see what this next chapter brings.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

There's a new Dr. in the house! Dr. Sokolow's dissertation is a sophisticated reframing of the history of Buddhism in the US, a novel take on prison religion, and a compelling investigation of intersections between race, religion, and governance in the contemporary US. Stay tuned for the book!

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Looks like today is a good day to remember my 2025 Halloween costume.

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Jeffrey Vagle @jvagle.me · 21/02/2026

“Everyone thinks universities have to do what donors want because they pay the bills. But that gets it backward, and not just at Hopkins.” I highly recommend reading this piece. www.publicbooks.org/the-misuses-...

publicbooks.org

The Misuses of the University - Public Books

Have the funds that might have trained the next generation of scholars at the nation’s first research university have been blown on ostentatious new buildings?

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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

While MLPS was a victory, moral and tangibly, for ICE resisters, don't call it 'a retreat.' The dystopia is just getting started Thousands of new agents. 150 new offices in every state. And the nationwide gulag archipelago. The fight has just begun My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...

inquirer.com

No, ICE isn’t ‘retreating.’ It’s loading up to invade your town. | Will Bunch

A much-hyped ICE pullback from Minneapolis is a blip in a looming nationwide surge of arrests, concentration camps.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

I learned so much from reading this paper! It complicates a commonplace claim about unique zones of vulnerability to hazards while still offering an alternative vision of justice and care. Recommended for people thinking about environmental harms, environmental justice, and disability.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Starting the year off with an ab workout thanks to LOLing at this string of zingers. Just ruthless.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

This story was both exactly what I thought it was based on the title and nothing like what I expected. Recommended! www.bostonreview.net/articles/a-b...

bostonreview.net

A Brief History of AI Psychosis - Boston Review

A short story.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

A pleasure to talk about our edited volume with Raditya for this recent podcast!

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Not to pick on the author of this piece, who did important journalistic work with a range of relevant parties, but the assumption that doctrine is anterior to political stances is so flawed. 1/? www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...

theguardian.com

The dangerous rise of Buddhist extremism: ‘Attaining nirvana can wait’

The long read: Still largely viewed as a peaceful philosophy, across much of south-east Asia, the religion has been weaponised to serve nationalist goals

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de’on @justkeepskeeting.pro · 25/11/2025

this is mesmerizing

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kia speaks @kiaspeaks.us · 21/11/2025

My favorite piece of content today.

actuallychloehayes
› millennials 20h
serious question for the millennials... my older cousin said she used to 'burn' cds for her crush. like... with
?
was that a ritual? did it work? you guys were literally practicing witchcraft just to get a text back. i'm scared of y'all.
Q 2.9K

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Lupita Nihongo @otsumamiboy.blacksky.app · 21/11/2025

I love that type of energy that's like, "Every now & then I just gotta pop back out & remind y'all I'm one of the baddest people walking." This Erykah Badu did that.

youtube.com

Erykah Badu - ...& On (LIVE) | Spotify Anniversary

YouTube video by Erykah Badu

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

It was a privilege to contribute to this forum in Religious Studies Review on Leslie Ribovich's book _Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools_. Exciting conversations in the field of religion and education are afoot! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/17480922...

Paradoxes of Education: A Symposium on Without a Prayer
An Author's Response by Leslie Ribovich
The Enduring Question of Purpose by Stephanie Mota Thurston
It's All Connected by Jolyon Thomas
Disciplining Histories by Michael Graziano
Editor's Introduction by Charles McCrary

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Public lecture on "The Religion of Anime" Coming up on Wednesday! Still time to register for those who are interested. usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-6396204

Poster for US-JET Alumni Association Event depicts headshots of 3 men (Yuri Lowenthal, Roland Kelts, Jolyon Thomas) before a stylized image of a torii gate floating in the clouds. The main colors are pinks, lavenders, and purples.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been all about DIY Halloween costumes that are both dark and goofy. This year I went as the space shuttle Challenger, in a tip of the hat to one of the more horrifying public memory events of my childhood. 🎃

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

I'm delivering a public lecture and leading a roundtable discussion on the religion of anime on Nov. 12 at 7:00 PM ET. Flyer with registration information below. This is hosted by the US JET Alumni Association, but is open to the public for a small fee. usjetaa.wildapricot.org/event-6396204

Promotion flyer for US JET Alumni Association event, "The Religion of Anime," featuring headshots of 3 men (Yuri Lowenthal, Roland Kelts, and Jolyon Thomas) in bottom right. A torii gate stands before a rising sun amidst the clouds in the background in shades of pink and lavender. QR code on the flyer matches the link in the post. The event is on 12 November at 7:00 PM ET via Zoom.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

I’m somewhat skeptical of the area studies enterprise because there is no central question, but I love seeing attempts to rethink the area studies project via other disciplines. (And despite my skepticism, I think the deep knowledge area studies provides is indispensable/irreplaceable.)

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Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

We now enter the most dangerous phase, but also the one with the greatest opportunity. The U.S. has thousands of colleges, some run by red state governments, so it's too much to hope that NONE sign up for this federal takeover. But it matters WHO signs up. The administration is taking a risk.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Excellent summary of the big politics news out of Japan today.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Very proud of Kirby’s work in this open-access article. It marks a novel intervention in the prison religion literature and a unique angle on the “Buddhism in America” lit.

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Jolyon Thomas @jolyonbt.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

This is great. “And so all universities have to do now is do nothing—no accepting the compact, no counter-offers, nothing—and the government will be left with no more power to coerce and control the First Amendment-protected activities of major American universities than it has today.”

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

I wrote about why the regrettable conclusions of Ezra Klein pissed me off so badly in the last couple weeks. On moral cowardice in an era that calls for clarity, and a popular political instinct to try to solve divisions of abuse by ignoring causes. www.the-reframe.com/eventually-y...

the-reframe.com

Eventually You're Going to Have to Stand for Something

On accepting the fascist offer and being better than Ezra.

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