We have a new article!

'Doing world politics and social media: Digital practice and open education in international relations' in @epsjournal.bsky.social

Written with the fantastic
@apapamichail.bsky.social, @mlebourdon.bsky.social & @louisepears.bsky.social

There is still time to sign up for this - rebellion is a really important topic at the moment!

Poster for an event: The symbolic life of rebellion: Reading affective economies of contestation. Online 25 March.

The next @cawpbisa.bsky.social event features the brilliant @crossdale.bsky.social! It is on 25 March at 2pm, online. To read more and register, follow the link below

www.bisa.ac.uk/members/work...

Sustainable Global Futures (delivered in partnership with UNITAR) MSc - University of Gloucestershire This course is delivered in partnership with UNITAR, graduate ready for a career driving meaningful long-term progress on sustainability challenges.

The course page can be found here, if you'd like to sign up or recommend it www.glos.ac.uk/courses/cour...

Thank you! It's taken a lot of work (from me, but mostly other people) to get this all arranged

It will be delivered online and part time, to best suit the needs of those who want to undertake distance learning, and fit this around work commitments

UoG joins forces with UNITAR to launch groundbreaking master’s programme in sustainability - University of Gloucestershire The MSc Sustainable Global Futures degree is the world's only course of its kind.

Exciting news!

The University of Gloucestershire has joined forces with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research to launch a Master’s programme in sustainability.

I am v excited to be part of this team. Do share with your networks!

www.glos.ac.uk/content/uog-...

Gender washing war: If asked what “arms manufacturer” first brings to mind, few people would likely answer “women’s rights.” And yet, each International Women’s Day (IWD), leading global arms manufacturers present themselves as working to help bring about gender equality. “Gender washing” refers to corporate social responsibility communications aimed at presenting a corporation as empowering to women and girls, even while their own products, supply chains, or employment practices harm them. In this article, we show how arms manufacturers use social media communications about IWD to gender wash their images, positioning themselves as progressive and caring. Bringing into conversation feminist work in Security Studies and International Political Economy, we identify new varieties of gender washing specific to war and martial violence: client military and government partnerships, and constructive silence. We also expand the global hierarchy of publics targeted by gender washing communications, reflecting the fact that unlike other transnational corporations, arms manufacturers are not concerned with garnering “brand loyalty” amongst the general public. Rather, they communicate both to and with Global North governments and militaries. Thus, what is at stake in these representations, we argue, is not simply the reputation of the individual corporations concerned, but a broader process of gender washing war.

Happy International Women’s Day! Please enjoy this article I wrote with Rosie Walters in 2024. We explore the IWD communications from arms manufacturers, arguing that these function as a form of gender washing (whereby discourses of progress obscure violence)

doi.org/10.1093/ips/...

I loved her, she was so fun! The world needs a new series of this!

UCU elections 2026: recommended votes. All information is available at https://ucucommons.org/election26/

From tomorrow, Friday 30 January, ballot papers will start to arrive by post for VP (HE and FE), and several key positions on our NEC.

We're supporting our own @markpendleton.bsky.social for VP (HE) and independent @suzitoole.bsky.social for VP (FE) & lots of other great people. Please share! #UCU

A balm for my weary soul!

miss piggy from the muppet show is wearing a pearl necklace and pink gloves and is asking a question . Alt: miss piggy from the muppet show is wearing a pearl necklace and pink gloves, saying "moi?"

Watching The Muppet Show and eating garlic bread: the perfect evening.

📢📢We are very excited to announce our first virtual seminar as a BISA working group! 📢📢

Join us for this excellent talk with
Dr Shadi Mokhtari on her current book project examining the human rights politics surrounding Iran’s 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but she was so great, I thought people would want to know

Thanks Jo, I really appreciate that (I've really agonised about sharing). UoG staff are pretty gutted, it's been a shock. She was a gem

Vicky was active in UCU and I am 99% sure I've spoken with some of you on here or X about her in the past. She was a historian, and may have known some of you that way. I'm really sorry that some people might have to find out here, but I wasn't sure how else they might find out.

I've thought a lot about whether or not to post this, because I wasn't sure it was my place, but it occurred to me that people may never know otherwise: I'm very sorry to say that my wonderful colleague Vicky Randall passed away unexpectedly recently @vrandall.bsky.social

kermit the frog is typing on a typewriter . Alt: Kermit the frog is typing on a typewriter

I'm doing a writing retreat and have reached my writing goal a day early! My chapter now stands at 8,025 words. I guess tomorrow can be an editing day now!

a frog and a pig are standing next to each other and saying well hello looooong john Alt: Kermit and Miss Piggy are standing next to each other and saying "well hello looooong John"

Starting 2026 as I mean to go on: by watching Muppets Treasure Island

two cartoon dogs are sitting at a table with a plate of spaghetti Alt: two cartoon dogs are sitting at a table with a plate of spaghetti

Happy new year from the UK! My next new year's resolution is to eat pasta shapes I have never tried before (suggestions welcome...)

It is a fantastic addition to the journal and a valuable contribution to the literature in this area - congratulations!

Please enjoy this outstanding fact

Out now! This new article, by @veronicabarfucci.bsky.social is well worth a read, I highly recommend it:

Militarizing Femininity on Social Media: Female Empowerment and Heteronormative Logics in the Representation of the Japan Self-Defense Forces

doi.org/10.1093/ips/...

150 citations for me!

Google Scholar tells me that I've just reached my 150th citation 😃

It is!

a man in a knight 's helmet is covering his face with his hand and saying i am no man . Alt: Eowyn, a woman, removes a knight's helmet saying "I am no man"

OK, not quite a new film, but this week I've rewatched all three Lord of the Rings films. Thoughts: Elijah Wood's performance was absolutely beautiful, he should have won an Oscar. Sam Gamgee was the MVP, helping his bestie however he could. This is probably my favourite moment, if forced to pick:

I think this post nails the actual problem, for researchers at least—AI hallucinations would simply not be a problem in academic work if we’d not normalized citation-as-signaling rather than actual engagement—you can only cite a fake paper if you’re not in the habit of reading the papers you cite

an elderly woman is sitting at a table and saying i 'll have what she 's having Alt: an older woman is sitting at a table and saying "I'll have what she's having"

Today's film, as I'm now on annual leave, is When Harry Met Sally. Overall pretty good, though not all of it has aged well. I loved seeing the older fashion and hairstyles, and if I'd known Carrie Fisher was in it, I would have watched it sooner

Huge congratulations!