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greggiven.bsky.social
"A happy, footnote-drugged maniac who disturbs the book mites in a dull volume, a foot thick, to find a reference to an even duller one."
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Prolific Poster

Featuring Adrián Emmanuel Hernández-Acosta and Siobhan M Kelly! Be still my heart

Now would be a great time for STEM, humanities, and social science academics to realize that they need to unite in defense of academic freedom and adequate researching and working conditions for all of us, irrespective of discipline.

Wow it must be a paper conference week for me because I'm ready to commit physical violence against whoever coded the recent MS Word commenting system such that the keyboard shortcut for "post comment" is command-return, but command-period 86's an unposted comment in a completely irrevocable manner.

Everyone--EVERYONE--in higher education has to understand that this is Trump's plan for you, too: federal control over scholarship, curricula, discipline, admissions--everything. They want you to submit. Your only other option is to stand up, together.

This is where I will be today. If you work in higher education, I hope you do something similar.

The NEH staff is the most thoughtful group of people I've ever worked with. With their small budget they have done so much. Thank you NEH, incl @neh-odh.bsky.social. @ach.bsky.social

The goal is to make universities feel "existential terror." It's working.

UNIVERSITY KEYWORDS has a cover! I cannot wait to share this book — we can all learn so much about the present struggle in US higher ed from its contributors and get straight to the work of fighting back.

Can you help me? There was a conference announcement circulating a few weeks ago---ancient studies content, and the announcement came with a Fayyum portrait as the central image. Anyone remember where, or could drop a link below? #ancientsky

Grateful to Amy Smith Carmen for the inspiration to get creative on my Religion midterm exam. I am so excited to read the responses!

LUTNICK: EFFECT, DURATION, & SCOPE OF TARIFFS "INTRINSICALLY UNKNOWABLE" DUE TO "INHERENT SUBJECTIVITY OF CONSCIOUS EXPERIENCE." US COMMERCE SECRETARY DENOUNCES REPORTS THAT QUALIA ARE UNIVERSAL AS "PROFOUNDLY SPURIOUS".

lol for $20,000/month you could get half a dozen *actual* PhDs on 24-hour retainer

Also re: students coming to our defense, this fire right here: "Whatever pedagogical benefits that may result from [time caps] would surely be furthered if Harvard expanded this practice to all faculty. If it’s good for some teachers to be limited to eight years, why shouldn’t professors be too?"

Tremendously meaningful and affirming to see so many students turn out yesterday in defense of our jobs. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Coming soon!

I recently looked back at an article by Getatchew Haile, whom I was fortunate to read Gəʕəz with numerous times years ago. If you're into Gəʕəz and you don't know Getatchew's work and influence, this Festschrift in his honor (2017) is a place to start www.harrassowitz-verlag.de/Studies_in_E...

The Marco Institute is looking for instructors for its 2025 Summer Language Program! We're expanding this year, and looking to offer Beginner Syriac as well as Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced medieval Latin! Visit tiny.utk.edu/SummerLangua... for more info! Deadline is March 23!

Announcing a new project on translating the apocryphal hypomnemata of Symeon Metaphrastes. Details here: www.tonyburke.ca/the-apocryph...

One of the factors in the dynamic Erik describes is who gets to define work and productivity. Musk considers his every move and meme to constitute valuable “work” while he dismisses the labor of federal employees as nothing but “waste.” Because of his wealth, his definition is widely taken as truth.

My review of Virginia Burrus's Earthquakes and Gardens is now up at SLA. I always find Burrus's writing generates new and unexpected modes of thinking about the past, and this book is certainly a perfect example of her creative-critical work.

this looks awesome online.ucpress.edu/SLA/article/...

Coming this August from @brepols.bsky.social Discipline, Authority, and Text in Late Ancient Religion Nineteen essays to honor David Brakke written by his former students, his grad school friends, and various other co-conspirators www.brepols.net/products/IS-...

York University has announced the temporary suspension of admission in 20 programs, including Religious Studies (in which I teach). The administration cannot shut down programs directly but they can starve them, which is clearly the intention. (1/5)

Our upcoming Boardman Symposium is gonna be 🔥. www.library.upenn.edu/events/ameri...

BOSTON IS A UNION TOWN!!!

Happening TODAY: Workers impacted by federal funding cuts are rallying in 15+ cities to say—hands off our healthcare, research, and jobs! Find an action near you: https://buff.ly/4i56CZn

TODAY!!! if you're at Harvard -- met us at 2pm in the science center at clover or in the NRB cafeteria to travel together!

some Syriac words for bodily effluvia etc. ܬܘܢ̈ܐ, ܬܝ̈ܢܐ, ܬܝܢܬܐ tunē, tyånē, tyåntå piss ܚܪܝܐ ḥeryå shit ܥܘܪܛܐ ʕurråṭå fart ܟܦܣܐ kep̄så menstruation ܙܪܥܐ zarʕå semen ܕܘܥܬܐ duʕtå sweat ܕܡܐ dmå blood ܦܘܘܩܐ, ܦܘܩܬܐ, ܦܘܗܪܐ puwwåqå, <pwqtʔ> [poqtå, pwåqtå, pawqtå all attested], puhhårå hiccup(s), burp, yawn

Four-year postdoc!

The list of instructors for the advanced course is bananas. Powerhouse! www.copticsummerschool.org/coptic-advan...

Welcome my union to bsky w/ a follow, and if you're in Boston come rally with us tomorrow!

This event at @upennrels.bsky.social on March 20-21 on the Scopes trial at 100 looks fantastic and there's a virtual option for March 21. www.library.upenn.edu/events/ameri...

rare successful peasants' revolt:

JOB: Tenure-track position at Spelman College in African American Religions with subfields including (but not limited to) womanist theology/ethics, African religious traditions in the diaspora, queer studies in religion, decolonial studies in religion, and/or science and religion. Deadline: 3/10

The Department of History at the University of Washington is hiring a 9 month distinguished lecturer in ancient or medieval mediterranean history. 4 classes over 3 quarters, salary $100–115k, plus benefits. Review begins April 1st, feel free to email me with any questions apply.interfolio.com/161510

Heads up #ancientsky and please RS: ReMeDHe is accepting nominations for the Heidi Marx Prize for the best article published in the last 3 years on medicine, health, and healing in the ancient Mediterranean Deadline is firm at March 1 Details here: www.remedhe.com/the-heidi-ma...

Got questions about joining your union in a right to work state? Check out our FAQ! #KyForHigherEd #UCW

We all – workers, students, communities – must come together to defend our institutions and protect our local economies. Join us on Feb 13 for a National Strategy Call and Feb 19 for in-person actions across the country! More info: www.labor4highered.org

some prepositions in Gəʕəz (from my in-progress grammar), with examples – these mostly from Jubilees (ed. VanderKam) short phrases: ውስተ፡ጽልመት፡ wəstä ṣälmät into the darkness En 10.4 እስከ፡ዛቲ፡ዕለት። ʔəskä zati ʕəlät until today Jub 45:16 …