Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 23/09/2026There should be an "opt out" for being sent peer review requests for submissions that involved the use of AI/LLMs. I'm getting an increasing flow of 'overview of the literature' review-style articles where the authors have just put everything through an LLM and submitted the output. 101
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I am nostalgic for the 2010s because I could login to my university library account *once* and access all the journals. Now, my phone buzzes with a two factor authentication request whenever I even dare look at a journal website. Pls make it stop. 033
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Current post-doc position: swineherd & chicken wrangler. The market is tough but AI hasn't automated this yet... 020
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 17/08/2026A second paper from my dissertation just published in @jofhsb.bsky.social. It's about the health care experiences of Americans who have migrated to Spain and how their movement reveals insights into the practice and politics of (health/)care. Open access here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 1100
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Reading Foucault's "Of Other Spaces" today, love this chunk about relationality. 010
Reposted by Simon FernRoyal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 31/07/2026"Details, in their singularity and idiosyncrasy, point to the capaciousness of human experience." New today in the Society's journal 'Transactions': Joe Moran 'On Detail in Historical Writing': bit.ly/44UMi8C Now available OA @joemoransblog.bsky.social @massobsarchive.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2 212763
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Can't wait for them to ask if there's a doctor on the flight so that I can get my comically large PhD diploma out of the tube 😎 020
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 02/06/2026I learned so much from the resources that Raúl Pacheco-Vega generously wrote and shared. Really saddened to see the news of his passing today. 2255
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 13/05/2026New in @russellsagefdn.bsky.social - "Place, History, and Food Apartheid: Reframing How Low-Income Black Mothers Make Ends Meet" We frame food insecurity in TX through racialised accumulation and disinvestment, spotlighting white supremacy in family and food inequalities. doi.org/10.7758/RSF....doi.orgPlace, History, and Food Apartheid: Reframing How Low-Income Black Mothers Make Ends MeetThirty years after Making Ends Meet , poor mothers continue to labor intensively to sustain their families. Following scholars emphasizing the fundamental causes of social inequalities, we address the... 141
Reposted by Simon FernBritish Sociological Association @britsoci.bsky.social · 06/05/2026Sociological Research Online journal is accepting abstracts for a special issue on creative methods relating to research design, methodological craft, data analysis and dissemination, and more. Read the full call below. Submit by 9 June. tinyurl.com/y22s4n7b 022
Reposted by Simon FernPablo Gracia @pablogracia.bsky.social · 30/04/2026APPLY & SHARE 📢 EOI for PhD in Sociology & Demography at @cedemografia.bsky.social @uab.cat in Barcelona Topics: Families, Inequalities, Life Course, Well-Being Supervisors: @maikevd.bsky.social & me Deadline: 12 May, 2026 Call👇 8d87235d-b140-4b6e-949c-c9606376b3fa.usrfiles.com/ugd/8d8723_a... 01014
Reposted by Simon FernXander Dunlap @drxdunlap.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Check it out! A new publication @geoopenaccess.bsky.social explicitly discussing the relationship between sacrifice zones, extractivism, green colonialism & the politics behind them🔥 @pollenetwork.bsky.social @eadi.bsky.social 065
Reposted by Simon FernCatherine Tan @catherinetan.bsky.social · 11/04/2026Do we need another form of capital? Probably not. Am I pushing one anyway? Yes, absolutely. I had to do so much chanting for this… so please read the first article to come out of my ethnography on American shamans (those who appropriate Indigenous healing). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....onlinelibrary.wiley.comFicto‐Primitive Capital: What Wellness Seekers Gain From Practicing Shamanism and Other Healing TraditionsBehind its worldly and socially conscious aesthetic, the wellness industry serves the health and fitness interests of North American and European consumers by commercializing non-Western and Indigeno... 193
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 15/04/2026Got a conditional acceptance on the second paper from my dissertation. It's about US citizens experiencing public healthcare abroad & elite migration. Looking forward to sharing when it's out. Celebrating with some morels from the market. 030
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 29/03/2026Just sent out my first post-phd job application. Went down to see & feed the beautiful lambs. 020
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 24/03/2026I *wish* US sociologists would clarify in their papers that they are talking about the USA, and what that means as a limitation. For all the endless discussion of "generalisability", I wish we'd talk about whether it's appropriate to generalise so broadly about social life from the American case. 020
Reposted by Simon FernSociologists for Palestine @soc4pal.bsky.social · 17/03/2026Mary Romero, President of the ASA for its 110th session in 2019, when her theme was “Engaging Social Justice for a Better World” has announced she is boycotting this year's meeting in reaction to ASA leadership's decision. With her permission we share the full text of her letter here. 13716
Reposted by Simon FernBritish Sociological Association @britsoci.bsky.social · 13/03/2026Take part in an essential networking event for Medical Sociology academics and professionals – call for papers by 10 April for the BSA Medical Sociology Annual Conference 2026, 8-10 September, Northumbria University tinyurl.com/bde724d7 032
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Hannah Spencer: "Our strength will grow as more and more of us come together. [...] We have shown that we don't have to accept being turned against each other at all." We love to see a progressive working class Mancunian woman absolutely thrash a hate-mongering grifter. Solidarity forever. 001
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 13/02/2026Framing increased rates of autism as a risk in the context of environmental hazards is wildly offensive. This article is a strong example of why reporting on the social/health consequences of climate change needs to be sensitive, reflexive, and informed rather than sensationalist/reactionary bs. 010
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 05/02/2026re: Bad Bunny Grammy win. I had "LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAiI" and "Una Velita" on the syllabus for the course I taught last summer. Perfect songs for talking about how interconnected ecology, social life, and health are - and how they're all affected by coloniality (in PR & Hawai'i). 010
Reposted by Simon FernGeorge B. Radics @georgeradics.bsky.social · 24/01/2026It's been a long time coming. After several years of revisions, my book Emotional Filipinos is coming out on April 15th. Please share and retweet! It would really mean a lot to me. Preorder sales available here: ugapress.org/978082037545... 47015
Reposted by Simon FernBorder Criminologies @bordercrim.bsky.social · 23/01/2026📆 Join us in London/ online next Tuesday to hear from people at the forefront of the fight against the criminalisation of migration and solidarity! With Seán Binder, @captainsupportuk.bsky.social, @vickytaylor.bsky.social and @hallamtuck.bsky.social. Sign up ➡️ www.law.ox.ac.uk/content/even... 0107
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 19/01/2026If you've written a book proposal for an academic press in #sociology or #anthropology, I'd really appreciate reading it. I'm (tentatively) thinking of projects and how to phrase them. Thank you! (to grab your attention as you scroll, here's a pic of the feral kitten that lives in my parents' bar) 152
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 15/01/2026Submitted my dissertation to the university repository as 210 x 297mm (A4) page size rather than the specified 215.9 x 279.4mm (Letter) as a final act of rebellion. 020
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 28/12/2025Just got home to this exciting little stack of books I ordered from @argonautbooks.bsky.social (using up what was left of my research funds 😎). I haven't lived in Edinburgh for a while now, but the magic of the internet means you can still support your "local" independent stores at a distance! 040
Reposted by Simon FernMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19/12/202514 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such. 1355364
Reposted by Simon FernDr. Giulia Evolvi @giuliaevolvi.bsky.social · 17/12/2025Every time I read a study and I wonder "why don't they mention the country/context of this research? So confusing!" I then realize it's because the authors are from the U.S. 3242
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 16/12/2025I passed my defense yesterday, no corrections/revisions. My PhD was about immigrant experiences with healthcare and medical practice in Spain, as approached through different angles/positions, and rooted in medical #sociology / #STS work. Grateful to the *many* people who've helped along the way. 1211
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Revisiting some Foucault atm. Crazy how YouTube explainer videos used to be useful for getting an intro or refresher for complicated ideas and now it's just endless AI slop being generated for easy views/ad revenue. 121
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 10/11/2025A local chapter of Food Not Bombs in Bacolod City (Negros island, Philippines) is providing relief through a community kitchen, medicine, and hygiene kits following the devastating impact of typhoon Tino. You can donate via PayPal at: foodnotbombsasia@myyahoo.com 020
Reposted by Simon FernAustin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 07/10/2025If you have seen a pregnant, postpartum, or lactating woman in immigration custody, please let the Women's Refugee Commission know by submitting a report through the Detention Pregnancy Tracker. detentionpregnancytracker.comdetentionpregnancytracker.comWomen's Refugee Commission 02418
Reposted by Simon FernChanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 03/10/2025🚨🚨 My dear friend and fellow academic, the Palestinian American sociologist @emanabdelhadi.bsky.social has been taken by the Cook County Sheriff near Chicago. They have not mirandized her. Please signal boost. All eyes on Broadview for Eman and the community she was defending 🚨🚨 1614861119
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 12/09/2025Lovely few days at the British Sociological Association's medical sociology conference. Wonderful range of presentations and such a supportive space. I shared some recent work about experiences of care and bordering, based on interviews with immigrant mothers in Catalonia (Spain). #MedSoc25 040
Reposted by Simon Fernriceanthro.bsky.social @riceanthro.bsky.social · 30/08/2025The Anthropology Brown Bag Calendar is up! Join us this fall semester and listen to our favorite anthropologists in our favorite room, Sewall 570. Links and descriptions will be provided before each meeting. Stay tuned! ✨ 011
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 28/08/2025I got my mum a wildlife camera for her 60th, and now I get to enjoy a live feed of our local hedgehogs crunching kibble. 040
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 27/08/2025Some wisdom from a diss' interviewee: "I don't know, at the moment, like, just be nice or something. Because recently, I've been feeling like, being kind is really important. Even when somebody's mean towards you. I feel like the energy that being kind radiates is better. And, like, more positive." 000
Reposted by Simon FernCentre for Research on social InequalitieS @cris-sciencespo.bsky.social · 26/08/2025Call for applications: 12-month postdoctoral contract (Sciences Po - INED, TIERED Project) for a research project studying the mediating role of environmental risks in the relationship between migration status and health at birth in France (e.g., heat, pollution). www.sciencespo.fr/cris/files/P...sciencespo.fr 045
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 24/08/2025I <3 library - "walk around the stacks and grab whatever looks good" is a valid literature review strategy. 052
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 22/08/2025Writing in the library atm, a new student and his grandma were looking around the reading room I'm in. They had got a bit lost and thought this was everything. I showed them to the central stacks and grandma's face lit up at the sight of all the books. I love libraries so much, they're magical. 031
Reposted by Simon FernIMISCOE PhD Network @imiscoe-phdnetwork.bsky.social · 14/08/2025🚨 Call for Papers for the 2026 IMISCOE Spring Conference “Governing and Experiencing Migration in Contentious Times” 📅 16-18 March 2026 @ Liège, Belgium & Online 📢 Deadline: 5 September 2025, 23:59 CEST. 📍 More info & submission: www.imiscoe.org/events/2393-...imiscoe.org2026 IMISCOE Spring Conference - IMISCOEIMISCOE is the largest European network of scholars in the area of migration and integration. The focus is on comparative research and joint research projects. 011
Reposted by Simon FernASA SKAT @asaskat.bsky.social · 13/08/2025🏆 SKAT #ASA2025 Awards! Congratulations to the following recipients: Hacker-Mullins Student Paper Award Xiaogao Zhou: “Care in transition: Global norms, transnational adaptation, and family-centered gender-affirming care in China” 🔗: doi.org/10.1016/j.so... 1132
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 13/08/2025I committed to not overfilling my single underseat bag with hoarded books at the conference this year. I failed in that commitment. So here are the six books I picked up in Chicago, from #ASA2025 and @pilsencommbooks.bsky.social 062
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 11/08/2025At the most elite roundtable at this conference rn #ASA2025 170
Reposted by Simon FernRene Almeling @ralmeling.bsky.social · 10/08/2025#ASA2025 Four(!) regular sessions on reproduction. Starting at 8am and going all day. Hope to see you there! 0102
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 09/08/2025If you're at the @asanews.bsky.social conference in Chicago and wondering what to do bright and early tomorrow, join us for this wonderful session! Five papers by a fantastic collection of scholars, all about food systems and inequality. #sociology #ASA2025 #food 2104
Simon Fern @simonfern.bsky.social · 06/08/2025The Onion giving an unironically legit teardown of much food insecurity / obesity panic research. 120
Reposted by Simon FernCordelia Freeman @cordyf.bsky.social · 23/06/2025The decimation of life in Gaza is a reproductive genocide. It was a privilege to work with Hala Shoman on our commentary 'No justice in a genocide: sexual and reproductive health and rights in Gaza' in Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....tandfonline.comNo justice in a genocide: sexual and reproductive health and rights in GazaSince October 2023, Gaza, Palestine, has been the site of a humanitarian crisis due to violence from Israel, with numerous violations currently undermining sexual and reproductive health and rights... 1108
Reposted by Simon FernSaima Nasar @saimanasar.bsky.social · 08/07/2025I am working on 'The Asian Mother and Baby Campaign' which ran from 1984-1986. I would love to interview any linkworkers who were employed by the campaign or any women who were supported by linkworkers. Please spread the word or get in touch if this is you! My email is saima.nasar@bristol.ac.uk 23445