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Stephen R. Millar

@stephenrmillar.bsky.social
367 followers 276 following 38 posts

Anthropologist in Belfast working on music, power, and conflict. 🚨NEW BOOK: ‘Performing Paramilitarism: Loyalist Songs, Conflict, and Culture War in Northern Ireland’.

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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Didn’t have appearing alongside @billybragg.bsky.social on my Saturday-morning bingo card ✊ www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
‘A maelstrom of his own making’: how Ed Sheeran’s tour turned into a full-blown culture war
Moment of reckoning for ‘Mr Nice Guy’ of music, who embraced Macklemore’s political cred only for pro-Palestine rapper to be dropped under pressure from billionaire
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Irish Studies at QUB @irishstudiesqub.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Institute of Irish Studies Seminar Series - Autumn 2026 21 September : 4.00pm (27 Univ. Sq. 01/003 and online) - Book launch: Dr Stephen R. Millar (QUB) ‘Performing Paramilitarism: Loyalist Songs, Conflict, and Culture War in Northern Ireland’ Register here: www.ticketsource.com/institute-of...
ticketsource.com
"Book launch: Dr Stephen R. Millar (QUB)" at Irish Studies Seminar Room, 27 University Square 01/003
Tickets are now available for Book launch: Dr Stephen R. Millar (QUB) at Irish Studies Seminar Room, 27 University Square 01/003, Belfast on Monday 21st September 2026 at 4:00PM. Click the link for fu...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
'Despite posting losses, five of the seven Russell Group universities increased spending on executive pay the same year – while the number of staff with £100,000 salaries rose at six of them. Leeds had the biggest rise in executive pay at 7.6 per cent, paying senior leaders a total of £3.4m.' Hmm
inews.co.uk
The seven elite universities losing millions of pounds… while bosses' pay rises
Russell Group universities are axing jobs and cutting courses as the sector faces a financial crisis fuelled by a drop in international students
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Launching my new book Performing Paramilitarism two weeks today! This will be a hybrid event, so please feel free to join in-person at Queen's or online.
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 05/09/2026
How could an associate professor in divinity at Cambridge be expected to know that lying is bad? thecritic.co.uk/mone...
Ah yes, James Orr. A lot of us had been hazy about what it is exactly that associate professors in a divinity department do all day. It doesn’t seem to involve a lot of work: Orr is often to be seen at Reform events in London, which take up the whole morning even for those of us with offices down the road. Now we know he was also sipping cocktails while discussing ways in which wealthy foreigners might be able to get round the laws that ban them donating to the party.

The associate professor of divinity was filmed explaining to an undercover reporter that so long as everyone kept their mouths shut, there was no way that the authorities would ever find out. Orr spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow in theology, ethics and public life at Oxford, and it would be fascinating to know at what point he developed this theory of What the Electoral Commission Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Them. Perhaps he was off sick the day they opened the gospel of Luke: “What you have said in the dark will be h
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Suddenly, I’m not so hungry anymore edconway.substack.com/p/the-30000-...
edconway.substack.com
The 30,000-mile fish finger
There’s a good chance the cod on your child’s plate has been around the world and back. Not that you’d learn any of that from the label...
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
It's the Scottish (and even more so the Welsh) universities that one fears for most. As the system is configured now, they have no chance of continuing to provide good teaching and research. Many will not survive at all. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Scotland's universities face 'bleak' future as £200m funding gap revealed
A new report paints a 'bleak' picture of falling income from Scottish students and an over-reliance on international tuition fees.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Went to see #Odyssey the way Christopher Nolan intended - in a small Greek cinema, with Greek subtitles, and a ten-minute cigarette break in the middle 😅
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
🚨Just received copies of my new book Performing Paramilitarism, a deep dive into loyalist ideology via its song scene which speaks to some of the events happening in N. Ireland over the last few weeks. 📚It lists at £12.45 on google books, £19.16 on Kindle and £22.99 in paperback.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Deconstructed pie and beans…
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Eoghan Sweeney @eoghan.eurosky.social · 28/06/2026
I don't want to hear another word about how much white European visitors are enjoying ranch dressing while team officials, Africa's top referee, and now one of the world's most celebrated fans are turned away from the World Cup. The USA is an utterly unfit host — it's as simple as that
aljazeera.com
DR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup
Michel Kuka Mboladinga is iconic for his motionless tribute at DRC games, but a US World Cup repeat has been denied.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Pleased to share the first media article about my new book Performing Paramilitarism that connects this month’s violence in Belfast to a broader culture war within loyalism: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/feature...
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
‘The Orange Order were keen for me to stay away from these songs’: Inside the controversial world of the loyalist song scene
Queen’s University academic Dr Stephen R Millar on his new book which explores the scene — and why the Orange Order wasn’t keen on its subject matter
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I’m reselling #MountEerie tickets for the sold-out gig in Dublin because I can’t make it. Anyone interested can access here: secure.ticketmaster.co.uk/rs/18006478E...
secure.ticketmaster.co.uk
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Stan Ó hOireachtaigh 🍉 @stane.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
We - University of Leeds School of Music - have a PhD scholarship available, open to researchers from Black/ Asian/ other minoritised ethnic backgrounds. Open to UK/ Home eligible applicants. If you want to know more, DM me and I'll try and help. phd.leeds.ac.uk/funding/385-...
phd.leeds.ac.uk
School of Music Opportunity Research Scholarship
Project opportunity - School of Music Opportunity Research Scholarship at the University of Leeds
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Just back from the anti-racist demo in Belfast. Great turnout! ✊
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Belfast Telegraph @belfasttelegraph.co.uk · 13/06/2026
Anti-racism protests are being held in Belfast and Derry this afternoon.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Large crowds gather for anti-racism rallies in Belfast and Derry: ‘We are the majority’
Live updates below as police confirm number of people charged over period of disorder
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Depressing news out of Belfast this week, but for anyone interested in learning more about loyalism, conflict, and culture war my new book 'Performing Paramilitarism' gives an ethnographic account of what's driving some of this stuff: global.oup.com/academic/pro...
global.oup.com
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UCU @ QUB @ucuatqub.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
People are organising in Belfast to support those effected by last night’s racist violence. Whether you are near or far, please consider donating! chuffed.org/project/1854...
chuffed.org
Support people and groups impacted by racist attacks
We are raising funds to support people who have been attacked, displaced and traumatised in racist attacks in Belfast.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Trump is like a caricature villain from a 1980s video game www.msn.com/en-us/politi...
msn.com
Confirmed: Trump admin threatened to overthrow the papacy
Pope Leo XIV chronicler Christopher Hale says he has confirmed that Trump’s Pentagon threatened to declare war on the Vatican. “In January, behind closed doors at the Pentagon, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby summoned Cardinal Christophe Pierre — Pope Leo XIV’s then-ambassador to the United States — and delivered a lecture,” said H...
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
RUBIO: “Imagine if Iran spent billions on its people instead of weapons... They’d have a much different country.”🤔😕 Unreal. @marcorubio Do you even hear yourselves? Your shameless hypocrisy is killing us
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
www.lexacademic.com/blog/ai-and-...
lexacademic.com
AI and ‘the ick’ | Lex Academic Blog - Lex Academic®
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Quit ChatGPT: right now! Your subscription is bankrolling authoritarianism | Rutger Bregman
As a historian, I’ve studied the major consumer boycotts of history. We can take down ChatGPT and send a powerful signal to Silicon Valley, says author and historian Rutger Bregman
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Happy Friday, everyone! 💚 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Green party wins Gorton and Denton byelection, pushing Labour to third place in blow to Keir Starmer
Hannah Spencer elected as party’s first MP in northern England, as Labour sees a 25.3% drop in vote compared to 2024
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I wish those involved all the best with this film, but was surprised no one acknowledged Harvey Andrews, whose song (and story) this is clearly riffing on… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Nostalgie: Belfast-based short film Bafta longlisted
Kathryn Ferguson, the director of a Belfast-based short film, says she was a
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Interested in learning how anthropology reshapes debates in policy, heritage and human rights? Check out our online seminar for the MA in Anthropology at Queen's. Takes place tomorrow (19th Feb) at 3pm. More details here: www.qub.ac.uk/Study/AHSS/w...
qub.ac.uk
MA Anthropology | Study | Queen's University Belfast
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Just started my journey to Cork to give a presentation at UCC tomorrow morning. If anyone is interested in music and culture war in Northern Ireland, it’d be lovely to see you! www.ucc.ie/en/fmt/music...
ucc.ie
Events | University College Cork
Learn, Study and Research in UCC, Ireland's first 5 star university. Our tradition of independent thinking will prepare you for the world and the workplace in a vibrant, modern, green campus.
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Tom Hulme @tomhulme.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
*drum roll* Here is the cover for my book, which will be published by @cornellupress.bsky.social on 15 April 2026! I thought it would be nice to share a bit of info on who these men were and how their lives and interests inspired the design...
A book cover, showing the title 'Belfastmen: An Intimate History of Life before Gay Liberation' by Tom Hulme. It is lavender coloured with yellow text, and shows two men sat on a bench, c. 1935.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
👇🏽
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Aaron Parnas @aaronparnas.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen. Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 08/11/2025
🔴 BREAKING: 14 people have been injured in settler attacks south of Nablus, including residents, journalists, and foreign activists, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported. Israeli settlers, in the month of October, carried out at least 264 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank — the highest...
🔴 BREAKING: Fourteen people have been injured in settler attacks south of Nablus, including residents, journalists, and foreign activists, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported.

Israeli settlers, in the month of October, carried out at least 264 attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank — the highest monthly total since the UN began documenting in 2006, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Nour Odeh 🇵🇸🍉 #FreePalestine
@nour_odeh
Israeli settlers attacked Beita near Nablus while residents picked olives with Israeli & int’l peace activists there to help & offer protection. The residents, activists, & journalists were assaulted as the army watched on. Settler attacks are at a 20-year high.
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dr. thrasher, an american writer in ex(archia)(xile) @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
1/ Was proud to be among 300 former NYT opinion contributors who pledge to boycott writing for the New York Times opinion section until our demands about Palestine are met www.boycottdivestunsubscribe.com/opinion-boyc...
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Grouchy Marx @grouchymarx69.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
If you are engaging with the discussion on Aston Villa v Maccabi TA and its wider implications, do read this substack by Owen Jones. It's really informative, particularly the later sections. I learnt a few things which are worth knowing. open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...
open.substack.com
Maccabi Tel Aviv hooligans: lies, smears - and the truth
Tel Aviv's police ban the city's derby after Maccabi hooligans rioted. You cannot make this sh*t up.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
jacobin.com/2025/10/demo...
jacobin.com
Why Americans Hate the Democratic Party
Most voters aren’t rejecting Democrats over the culture war. They’re rejecting them because they don’t deliver.
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 11/10/2025
The latest from ICE in Chicago: Video below ⬇️
Suzie rizzio via X (@Suzierizzo1): "ICE agents just snatched a Journalist & were Speeding away when they hit a woman’s vehicle that was going to work & doing nothing wrong! They almost left the scene after slamming into her,but then snatched her out of her car at gunpoint and took her with them! 🤬"
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Dr Mary McAuliffe @drmarymcauliffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30... Remember this video for the centenary of Easter Rising 2016 - ‘ahistorical sh*te’ (D Ferriter)- defended by the then Heritage Minister! No mention of Pearse, Skinnider etc-but included the Queen, U2. Is this a president we want,one who evades #aras25 #speirgorm
irishexaminer.com
Heritage Minister happy with controversial 2016 video
The Arts and Heritage Minister said she is happy with the backlash against the official 1916 commemoration video, because it started a conversation.
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Evi Chatzipanagiotidou @evichatzi.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Wonderful to receive the hard copies from @edinburghup.bsky.social today! Long in the making and so many people to thank in #cyprus, the #diaspora, @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social, @edinburghup.bsky.social and more!
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Rosalie ✨ @littlerecordgirl.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Forever thinking about the Irn Bru Dreamcast I saw at Retro Games at the Barras.
Photo of an orange modded Creamcast in a window. It has an Irn Bru logo on the console and a matching orange controller.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
“Nationalism and patriotism are so embedded within the discourses of nearly all of the major political parties that it’s impossible for politicians to tell the general public that they aren’t allowed to wrap themselves in the same symbols.”
theconversation.com
I’ve researched the politics of flags in Northern Ireland for decades – here’s what England needs to understand
I’ve contributed to at least six reports assessing the tensions around flags.
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Evan Spooklog @backlogreviewer.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
It was better when the internet was a thing you did on the computer, not a presence that lived in your pocket
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Brendan Hark! T'is nearly Halloween. @brendanjharkin.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
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Owen Jones @owenjones.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
Absolutely incredible. The Berlin police justified repeatedly brutally punching this Irish activist in the face and breaking their arm... ...because they said they were acting like Nazis. Yes, violently attacking protesters opposed to genocide has definitely rebutted that one!
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Belfast Telegraph @belfasttelegraph.co.uk · 12/07/2025
Effigies of rap trio Kneecap and an Irish language slogan urging people to “kill your local Kneecap” have been burnt on a bonfire.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Kneecap effigies and Irish language signage destroyed as controversial Village bonfire goes ahead
Effigies of rap trio Kneecap and an Irish language slogan urging people to “kill your local Kneecap” have been burnt on a bonfire.
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Alan Rusbridger @arusbridger.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
I am FoI'ing the BBC on some issues to do with Israel-Gaza. DG Tim Davie told MPs on Mar 4: “Part of what I have tried to do for the BBC is to be a guardian of true impartiality through thick and thin, and that requires being completely transparent.“ But the BBC has so far withheld this information
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Cold War Steve @coldwarsteve.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
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Armando Iannucci @aiannucci.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Surely if you had all the money in the world, the job would actually be quite easy?
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James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
It feels like it ought to be possible for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to avoid giving a running commentary on a music festival.
bbc.co.uk
Starmer criticises 'appalling' Bob Vylan IDF chants
The prime minister describes the punk duo's chants calling for death to Israel's military as
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Stuart Braithwaite @plasmatron.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Because the mainstream press don’t give a shit about the genocide but go bananas for anything at all culture wars. The UK government are pathetic.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
For anyone interested in music and conflict in Ireland, here's a link to a radio programme I did with Radio Télévision Suisse: www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
rts.ch
Musique au poing (3/5) : Je joue comme je suis
La musique a longtemps servi et sert encore aujourd'hui différencier les deux communautés qui se partagent l'Irlande du Nord britannique. D'une part les Protestants, qui sont majoritairement pour le m...
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Rothaí @rothaiocht.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
I left Ireland and moved to New York in 1997. Decades on, what the US has become has broken my immigrant heart. It also baffled me, until I began to piece together Gen X memories of apartheid South Africa.
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Stephen R. Millar @stephenrmillar.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
After posting this I watched the full two-hour interview, which was actually really interesting: youtu.be/smemFVe0l5E?...
youtu.be
Tucker Confronts Ted Cruz on His Support for Regime Change in Iran
YouTube video by Tucker Carlson
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