nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Very much looking forwards to this conversation with @bethhurd.bsky.social on borders, politics and religion, at St John's College, @durham.ac.uk on Tuesday 13 October. 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Well done Reece on what looks like another superb contribution to understanding border violence in north America. 110
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I have always loved the name of our geography department's student football team: own the caricature! 030
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Some creative pieces on this blog, about finding the geopolitical in unusual places. www.at-commons.com/loc-geopolit...at-commons.comLocating the Geopolitical · Anthropological Theory 021
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Very excited to finally see the cover for my forthcoming McGill-Queen's University Press book in their 'Outspoken' series edited by Santiago Zabala! It's a think piece on how to make sense of - and do something about - violent borders in our world today. 065
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 04/09/2026What does it mean to 'belong' in a borderland that has been subject to increasing control and division? Ritapriya Nandy provides a superb ethnographic account in this fantastic article @ritapriya.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comIn-between borders: mapping belonging and citizenship in the Bengal borderlandRecent academic discourses highlight borders as dynamic forces influencing life beyond territorial demarcations. This paper examines belonging and citizenship by looking at the case of Bengali-spea... 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 31/07/2026This is why you should not outsource map-making to AI - always check it yourself! www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...nytimes.comU.S. Government Mislabels Map of African Countries at AIDS ConferenceNigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara, among other errors. The department said it had been “hastily altered.” 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 22/07/2026To what extent can one person's scholarship influence the subsequent engagement between two countries? In his new article Stuart Horsman tackles this question in relation to UK-Iranian relations www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1...tandfonline.comFaint footprints? Sir John Malcolm’s impact on British historical and political thinking towards Iran: Iran: Vol 0, No 0 - Get AccessBrowse all journals 000
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialGerard Toal @critgeopolitics.bsky.social · 17/07/2026At a moment when the US is bombing civilian infrastructures across Iran, it is poignant to recall Yves Lacoste's exposure of the US's bombing of Vietnam's waterways in 1972. "far from any military objective" www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/w...nytimes.comYves Lacoste, Who Exposed U.S. Bombing of Vietnam’s Waterways, Dies at 96He used a geographer’s tools to demonstrate that North Vietnamese civilian infrastructure had been deliberately attacked, threatening millions of lives. 021
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Graduation is my favourite day of the academic calendar- this year with the wonderful poet and Chancellor of Newcastle University, Imtiaz Dharker. @ncl-geography.bsky.social @hassfacultyncl.bsky.social 031
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Comedy gold. I watched Trump's speech and couldn't stop laughing. And who were those unfortunates in the background who had to pretend to be interested and comprehending?! 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Can geography fieldtrips help us teach students to be hopeful? We think so. And we think this is important. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comTeaching hopeful political geographies through field tripsFieldwork is a pedagogical tool that sets geography apart from most other cognate social science and humanities disciplines. How can it be used to teach hope? This paper discusses this using the ex... 000
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialGeography at Durham @geogdurham.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Our colleague @benandersongeog.bsky.social has just published this piece in 'The Conversation': 'The politics of feeling: why did ‘boring’ prime minister Keir Starmer provoke such visceral reactions?': theconversation.com/the-politics...theconversation.comThe politics of feeling: why did ‘boring’ prime minister Keir Starmer provoke such visceral reactions?In the post-2008 world, the political climate is often determined by emotion rather than ideology. 011
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Is religious illiteracy a problem in geographical education? The queston I pose in my new Geography article www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comIs religious illiteracy a problem in geographical education?This paper questions how competent physical and human geographers are at handling religion when they encounter it in passing. It specifically asks whether religious illiteracy is a problem in geogr... 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 03/07/2026What can Indiana Jones teach Putin and Trump? My guest substack post on military hubris and religious virtue signalling johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/virtue-sig...johnheathershaw.substack.comVirtue Signalling and Military HubrisNot long after defeat in Afghanistan, America has failed to win another war. Russia struggles in Ukraine. In a guest post, Nick Megoran asks why great powers struggle to win wars. 110
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 29/06/2026We can successfully fight back against the neoliberal university managers. Newcastle UCU's success proves it: @isrfoundation.bsky.social @vickyblake.bsky.social @hassfacultyncl.bsky.social @ncl-geography.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk isrf.org/blog/target-...isrf.orgTarget culture and how to defeat it 031
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 27/06/2026'What is perhaps remarkable about the Exeter cuts is that they are targeted at some of the university’s most successful departments, many of which turn over a profit even after they have made enormous and increasing contributions to the central university budget.' Read, rage and weep.johnheathershaw.substack.comThe Crisis in Britain’s UniversitiesThe cuts that have been proposed at the University of Exeter demonstrates the crisis of purpose in Britain’s universities. Should not universities also be places to prepare for "eternal dwellings"? 10307179
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 26/06/2026theconversation.com/uzbekistans-... Let's celebrate the first Central Asian team to make the World Cup (even if the football itself wasn't all we hoped for...)theconversation.comUzbekistan’s World Cup appearance is a moment of pride and shows off central Asia’s peaceful developmentOnce described as the ‘Balkans of central Asia’, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have managed ethnic and territorial tensions with great success. 020
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 25/06/2026John's email raises a question for all academics: what has been the equivalent figure for the increase in your institution of staff earning over £100K in recent years? 020
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialDr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 24/06/2026If you asked me, off the top of my head, to name a non-Oxbridge university in England synonymous with excellence in the Humanities - I would probably think of Exeter first. This feels like a very deliberate, targeted and ideological Bonfire of the Humanities 11367131
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 25/06/2026Strong agree. Don't let the heat go to your head. Instead of being insistently stupid, investigate some smart data today:thebritishacademy.ac.ukSHAPE Observatory: Graduates and skillsUnderstanding SHAPE graduate trends, the skills graduates develop, and how they contribute to the economy and society 02112
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 25/06/2026What happens when borders reopen? In our world of walls and tighter migration controls, Central Asia's experiences offer some hope and sanity. Our research on this has just been assigned an issue and page range so no reason not to cite it accurately now :-) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comWhat Happens When Borders Reopen? Dematerialising the Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan BoundaryBorder studies have recently been focussed on what happens when borders close, leaving the question of border reopenings both largely unexplored and unconceptualized. We argue here for a new focus ... 021
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Although I think the process he describes began before Michael Gove. 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Depressing but accurate analysis. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVtu...youtube.comUK universities are being killed by deliberately designed neoliberal government policy.YouTube video by Richard J Murphy 100
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 16/06/2026journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Wonderful piece by Almira Tabaeva on decolonising gendered histories of Uzbekistan by paying attention to the way that women make and transmit their own stories and understandings of social change over the generations.journals.sagepub.comSage Journals: Discover world-class researchSubscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher. 011
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 02/06/2026A thoughtful reflection on those mandatory teaching course that university lecturers have to undertake, and the insidious negative effects of the Bologna process. isrf.org/blog/pedagog...isrf.orgPedagogical State Apparatus 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 27/05/2026Delighted to endorse this wonderful research agenda on Critical Security Studies by Anna Schliehe and Kathrin Hörschelmann 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Thoughtful ISRF despatch from the ever-insightful Glen O'Hara. isrf.org/blog/whats-t... @isrfoundation.bsky.socialisrf.orgWhat’s the future for our universities? 022
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 09/05/2026Podcast on origins of Canvas system, used in universities across the world: theamericanvandal.substack.com?utm_source=n...theamericanvandal.substack.comThe American Vandal | Matt Seybold | SubstackNewsletter of The American Vandal Podcast, as well as host Matt Seybold. Get episodes, bibliographies, transcripts, commentaries, and other updates delivered direct to your inbox. Click to read The Am... 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 22/04/2026The RGS-IBG research and higher education team are now on Bluesky! 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 21/04/2026open.substack.com/pub/johnheat... - text of great talk by @jheathershaw.bsky.social Heathershawopen.substack.comHow do we seek security in apocalyptic times?My talk to the Tearfund conference, Building Just and Sustainable Peace, Lambeth Palace, London, 26 March 2026. 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 10/02/2026How do we learn enough about university finance and governance to unruin our great institutions? Great question posed by Chris Newfield of @isrfoundation.bsky.social - isrf.org/blog/the-uni... - and some thoughtful answers.isrf.orgThe University UnruinedWhat are the practical means by which academic staff can get direct control over budgets and programme planning? 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 10/02/2026I read this online when it first came out - a great contribution! 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 30/01/2026@reecejones.bsky.social - thanks for this important intervention. 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 30/01/2026In 1997 Zbigniew Brzezinski infamously described the Ferghana Valley as a weak point in the unstable and fractured ‘Eurasian Balkans’ of Central Asia, itself at the heart of “the global zone of percolating violence.” Central Asian states have proved him wrong: uza.uz/en/posts/fer...uza.uzFergana Valley has the potential to become a model of cross-border cooperation, peaceful resolution of complex issues, and sustainable developmentThis assessment was shared by Murad Uzakov, Head of the Center for Regional Studies at the Institute for Strategic and R 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 30/01/2026Superb post from an expert voice on the US border patrol. 020
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 20/01/2026dissentmagazine.org/article/the-... - great piece on the rise and fall of an academic fielddissentmagazine.orgThe Demise of Conflict Studies - Dissent MagazineAn entire industry specializing in mediation, peacekeeping, disarmament, and transitional justice has become largely obsolete. 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 16/01/2026Some embarrassment for West Yorkshire's mayor yesterday when she relied on AI for an unusual map of the 'northern powerhouse' railway system... www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...manchestereveningnews.co.uk'Warrington via Manchester Airpont please': Inaccurate railway map deleted"Good to see Manchester Piccadilly back west of the Pennines again" 010
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 15/01/2026Great News! UEF is one of the great centres of border studies, and Alex is one of the field's great scholars - a match made in heaven! www.uef.fi/en/article/p...uef.fiProfessor Alexander Diener from the US to strengthen the University of Eastern Finland’s expertise in border studiesThe Research Council of Finland has awarded 2.5 million euros in funding for Alexander Diener’s professorship and the establishment of a new research group. 010
Reposted by @nickmegoran.bsky.socialPolGRG @polgrg.bsky.social · 14/01/2026Attending the 2026 RGS-IBG Annual Conference? 🤔 Don't miss our call for Session Sponsorship! We welcome paper sessions & panels, but also practitioner forums, discussions, workshops, and other innovative formats. More info 👇polgrg.wordpress.comCall for Session Sponsorship (RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2026)The Political Geography Research Group (PolGRG) of the RGS-IBG is pleased to extend an invitation to sponsor sessions at the next RGS-IBG Annual International Conference. The de… 001
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 14/01/2026"What Happened When My Yale Students Gave Up Their Phones for Four Weeks?" Thoughtful article for all educators. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...nytimes.com 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 08/12/2025If the UK government keeps making it harder and more expensive for overseas students to study here, they will go elsewhere: Uzbekistan in many ways is a more attractive option for Indian students than the UK kun.uz/en/97387923kun.uzUzbekistan sees 51% rise in international students in 2025Uzbekistan saw a significant rise in the number of international students in the first ten months of 2025, according to data from the National Statistics Committee. 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 08/12/2025Nice new piece on 'Radio geopolitics' by my colleague Alison Williams. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.com‘Good Contact in Spite of Static’: Advocating a Radio Geopolitics Assemblage Approach Through Analysing the Lindberghs’ 1931 North Pacific FlightIn the summer of 1931 famed US aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, flew their Sirius aircraft from Washington DC, westward across northern Canada, Alaska and the Bering Strait to Japan an... 021
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 01/12/2025In the meantime, wet December morning photographs of three of my favourite parts of campus… 000
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 01/12/2025I have no idea how much longer I’ll stay here, but I always thank God that he has called me to work at Newcastle University as a geographer. 100
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 01/12/2025In the big picture, I remain convinced that universities are crucial to the flourishing of good human societies on planet Earth, and am excited to be part of that global community. 100
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 01/12/2025my research on borders, peaceful coexistence, and geopolitics in Central Asia and elsewhere fascinates and enthrals me; and I appreciate having so many great colleagues to do that with. Thank you, all my past and present students and colleagues. 100
nickmegoran.bsky.social @nickmegoran.bsky.social · 01/12/2025I find it utterly exhilarating to teach our smart and engaged undergraduate students; it's an honour to work with the next generation of scholars in PhD supervision; 100