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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Big news here yesterday: we’ve avoided compulsory redundancies - solely because some of our brilliant colleagues took voluntary redundancy … 1/3

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Why the VC and Exec Board of Exeter Uni needs the humanities: a very short thread. 1. When you tell us we’re ‘in scope’ for redundancy, we can parse your choice of violent language to show that the process you have triggered is predatory and combative. #DefendExeterUni

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I've signed and sent a letter - from authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, scholars and performers - to express our deep concern at @exeter.ac.uk’s troubling plans to make mass redundancies within the Humanities Dept @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social. I would love it if you read and shared widely.

Dear Vice Chancellor, Provost, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Humanities,
Arts and Social Sciences and Chair of Council (cc Director of Human Resources and Chief Financial
Officer)
We write, as authors, broadcasters, journalists, artists, publishers, academics and performers in the public
sphere, to express our deep concern at the University of Exeter’s plans to make redundancies within the
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS). The cuts come at a point when Exeter is not in
deficit, and they are not distributed equally across the university. With 114 of the proposed 153 FTE
academic redundancies falling within HASS, the University is dismantling areas of established excellence
and international renown in a Russell Group University whose reputation is known to be outstanding in the
Humanities. Several of the disciplines subject to the proposed cuts, including Classics and Ancient History,
English and Creative Writing, History, and Theology and Religion are among the UK’s strongest according
to league tables, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF),
and other recognised indicators, including QS World Rankings.
The extent of the proposed cuts is both shocking and misguided. Exeter is seeking to make up to 20
academics redundant in English and Creative Writing, out of a headcount of 62. In Languages and Visual
Culture upwards of 17 colleagues will be made redundant, decimating subjects including Art History and
Visual Culture, French, German, Italian, Hispanic Studies, Russian and Chinese. 5 posts will go or have
gone in Classics and Ancient History (2 academics have already left), out of a staff body of 20. In Theology
and Religion up to 5 academics will be made redundant out of a group of 13. In History over 17 colleagues
will be made redundant, out of a staff body of 53. In the Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies staff are
facing a headcount reduction of almost a third (6FTE out …

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Broadcaster, scientist, and author Adam Rutherford has just sent this letter to senior leaders of Exeter Uni on behalf of its glittering signatories, who include Stephen Fry, Alice Roberts, Rob Macfarlane, Samira Ahmed, Emily Wilson, Marina Warner, Natalie Haynes… #DefendExeterUni

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I’m so cross that Exeter is telling students & soon-to-be students that their degrees will not be impacted by the proposed cuts. It’s not true. Students and degree programmes will be impacted if there are no longer subject specialists doing the teaching. #DefendExeterUni

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Wake up, University VC and Council. It’s not too late to turn this around and champion your humanities staff and our world-class departments. #DefendExeterUni www.theguardian.com/education/20...

theguardian.com

Fury over Exeter University plan to scrap dozens of humanities posts

Rowan Williams and Mark Kermode join campaign against proposed cuts for arts and social sciences

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Fun(damental) fact: Exeter Uni’s finances are strong. We’ve large cash reserves (£200m in 24/25). Never had a budget deficit. The university’s claimed financial ‘crisis’ is manufactured.

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Callan Davies @callanjd.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Exeter made me a researcher, and I owe much to colleagues there past and present and so admire their scholarship and broader championship of our field. These cuts are evidently senseless, counterproductive, and cruel. I hope the union, petition, and other pressure…

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Siobhán Jolley @siobhanjolley.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Exeter is one of the best TRS departments in the UK, staffed by wonderful humans doing outstanding research and excellent teaching. The shortsightedness of this decision is staggering, and there’s not much about the state of higher education that can still shock me. Please share and sign.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

This is cultural suicide and intellectual vandalism. In an era where humanities-illiterate tech bros have unearned god-like powers, we need historians, philosophers, ethicists, classicists more than ever.

deplorable.is

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

@adamrutherford.bsky.social I know you know how valuable the humanities are. At Exeter, 500 of us are in scope for compulsory redundancy. Please could you share our petition, if you feel able? Thank you x

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Ola Wikander @olawikander.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Stop the gutting of theology/religion (and other humanities) at Exeter! c.org/ZYN4WwbKFr @proffrancesca.bsky.social

c.org

Sign the Petition

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

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Lily/Paper 🌈♿️🍉 @paperstainedink.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I was never able to do my PhD after I was accepted to Exeter years ago (chronic health issues). But the staff and academics there were so warm, so kind, and so damn clever that it is an absolute scandal that the university execs are trying to gut the very things that make Exeter great. Please sign 👇

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Seth L. Sanders @nabalkattu.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The UK is at risk of a self-imposed lobotomy, killing its ability to understand culture and tradition, including on matters of such broad interest as the Bible. #UniExeter should understand that the past as well as the future are at stake.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

So grateful for the vocal, public support of our colleagues at other universities. Thank you ❤️ #DefendExeterUni #DefendT&R

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Michael DeVries @michaeldevries.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Please take a moment to read and sign this petition on behalf of the Theology and Religion Department at @exeter.ac.uk. Their outstanding scholarship needs our support.

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George Morley @georgeisediting.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

My friend (& former author) @proffrancesca.bsky.social is set to lose her job, along with her colleagues across the humanities. That successive governments & now even the Russell Group cannot value these vital subjects is a disgrace. We need the humanities even more than ever.

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Natalie Haynes @nataliehaynes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

This is such a disappointing decision by Exeter: I was recommending them as a beacon of classics and the humanities to a would-be student only last week, because they have so many brilliant scholars doing great work. I hope they rethink.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I’d love it if you’d sign this. It might not prevent me and my colleagues losing our jobs, but it will draw attention to the ideological vandalism being perpetrated by the wealthy execs running our university. Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter - sign the petition below! c.org/NpvY4sR9gH

c.org

Sign the Petition

Stop Redundancies at the University of Exeter

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Mark Aldrich @markaldrich.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

The #UniExeter is set to cut a large % of staff--mostly in Humanities, of course. One would think that Exeter considers @proffrancesca.bsky.social a valued asset as a public intellectual whose work is profound & will be influential & who makes any institution she is part of look worthwhile.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Guess what? I’m at risk of redundancy. My job - and those of my colleagues in my department and across our wider faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences - is one of those currently targeted for cuts. I received a personal letter today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

University of Exeter in talks to cut about 150 members of staff

The university says it is consulting with colleagues over "limited and specific potential changes".

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Dan McClellan @maklelan.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Sharing one of my favorite episodes of the Data Over Dogma Podcast, featuring Prof. Francesca Stavrakopoulou! youtu.be/VpqRJGnsnNQ

youtu.be

Discussing God's Wife with Prof. Francesca Stavrakopoulou!

YouTube video by Dan McClellan

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Shane McKee @shaneir.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

This was a really good episode of @empirepoduk.bsky.social with @proffrancesca.bsky.social on the "invention" of Yahwistic monotheism in the Babylonian exile - the religious view that much later evolved into the "Abrahamic" faiths.

open.spotify.com

367. Ancient Egypt: The Origin of Abrahamic Religions? (Ep 7)

Empire: World History · Episode

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

This podcast was fun to do - from Freud and Akhenaten to Asherah and the Bible, we covered a lot. Thread and links to episode below 👇

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Fancy a literary evening out in London, thinking about historical non-fiction and its usefulness (or not)? I’ll be at this ‘Winner of Winners’ event with m’good pal Diarmaid MacCulloch and other starry writers like him. www.englishpen.org/posts/events...

englishpen.org

Historians on 25 Years of Historical Non-Fiction: The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize

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Henry Gee 亨利·纪 @endofthepier.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Special offer for May only: my award-winning tome 'A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth' is available on Kindle for just 99 of your English pence. www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Short-H...

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

Great early career job opportunities here 👇

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Religion and Theology degrees are among those humanities programmes scheduled for closure at the University of Cardiff. Please consider signing this petition in protest. chng.it/JC8MgNQyp7

chng.it

Sign the Petition

Save Our Religion And Theology Degree!

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DoSSE Project @dosse-project.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

WE ARE HIRING - TWO RESEARCH ASSOCIATES FOR 15 MONTHS We are looking for someone who can use their expertise in ancient languages such as Coptic, Syriac, or Middle Persian to investigate late antique / early medieval sources for domestic slavery. Apply here: jobs.le.ac.uk/vacancies/11...

jobs.le.ac.uk

Research Associate (Domestic Slavery in Late Antiquity) - 2 positions available in Leicester | University of Leicester Recruitment Team

View details and apply for this Research Associate (Domestic Slavery in Late Antiquity) - 2 positions available vacancy in Leicester. Working as part of a collaborative and innovative researc...

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

And as for the prayers and blessings - I have no (clean) words.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

This inauguration is one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

I’m trying so hard not to comment on Melania’s hat #inauguration

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 20/01/2025

Greek and Croatian translations, both beautifully produced. Big thank you to the translators and publishers.

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

As night follows day, every dead sheep in the area will be blamed on them, though Eurasian lynx are specialist roe deer predators, and avoid open areas, where sheep graze. This is what happened when a lynx escaped in Wales: all dog attacks became "lynx attacks". www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

theguardian.com

Two lynx on the loose in the Scottish Highlands

Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) says the animals were at large within its grounds after a suspected ‘illegal release’

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

I’ve only been back at work for two days and I’m already behind with emails.

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Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

The Proustian rush of Hamlyn Children’s Bible in Colour - what’s your favourite?

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Henry Gee 亨利·纪 @endofthepier.bsky.social · 04/01/2025

‘A serious but nonetheless entertaining look at the human race’s long-term prospects’ Kirkus Reviews looks kindly on ‘The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire’ www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

kirkusreviews.com

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE HUMAN EMPIRE | Kirkus Reviews

A wide-ranging look at the human past and the possibility of our species’ extinction.

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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 03/01/2025

my students in the last decade have become teachers, barristers, lawyers, civil servants, midwives, ICU nurses, journalists, accountants, academics, advertising execs, museum curators, TV producers… because we give them broad skills. If I had to train them to do *a job* they’d all be historians.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

Ah, a screenshot from the old days when bantz was a thing and Twitter was Twitter.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

I’ve known Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley since our doctoral days (she remains a very important person to me). And she’s *always* stuck her own neck out to defend those who are vulnerable, marginalised, or traumatised. She’s always been completely ace. www.thetimes.com/article/a57c...

thetimes.com

Next Archbishop of Canterbury ‘must break up the old boys’ club’

The Bishop of Newcastle, the Right Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, led calls for Justin Welby to resign. She says the Church of England needs a radical overhaul

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Serge Costa @sergecosta80.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

A little late. But can't wait to get stuck in. If @proffrancesca.bsky.social writes half as well as she speaks publicly, this will be a belter.

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

End-of-term present from one of my students, who was clearly paying attention in lectures when I explained (and then repeatedly referred to) the gods’ ‘Ready-Brek radiance’. If you know, you know (hi 80s kids)!

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Henry Gee 亨利·纪 @endofthepier.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Hom sap is on a rapid one-way slide to extinction. But not before you get a chance to read all about it. 'Put this at the head of your reading lists immediately people. Before it’s too late -- Eric Idle. Pre-Order here: www.panmacmillan.com/authors/henr...

panmacmillan.com

The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire by Henry Gee

Find out more about The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire by Henry Gee

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

A complaint via email from a YouTube viewer. Can’t think why I didn’t mention temple prostitution … 🙄

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Francesca Stavrakopoulou @proffrancesca.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Yes, I said that too (live TV on a Sunday morning can be very triggering 😂)

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