Send proposal form (title, 250–300 word abstract, short bio) to emilio.zucchetti@rhul.ac.uk

Themes include:
– receptions of Marx + Gramsci
– precapitalist modes of production
– hegemony/subalternity
– global/comparative approaches
– critical reuses in literature, language, culture.

We invite papers on Marxian + Gramscian approaches to antiquity, late antiquity, archaeology, philology, political theory, and other precapitalist worlds. Early‑career scholars are especially welcome.

CCC 2026 at Maynooth Uni. Host site for the 2026 Celtic Conference in Classics, at Maynooth University

Still a few days left to submit to our CCC panel “Gramsci, Marx, and the Precapitalist World: Histories, Forms, Afterlives” (Maynooth, 14–17 July 2026). Deadline: 6th March 2026; in-person contributions only.
Call + panel outline: cccmaynooth2026.mailerpage.io/panels

Many many congratulations! Looking forward to reading the monograph :)

I invite colleagues and students to let @ou.edu that the entire academic community stands with Mel Curth, academic freedom and academic judgment. The grotesque decision made by the University endangers all of us and the principle of academic freedom itself.

Myth, History and Archaeology: Peter Wiseman in conversation with Christopher Smith and Liv Yarrow Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience.

Join the ICS in collaboration with the British School at Rome for an upcoming event:
Myth, History and Archaeology: Peter Wiseman in conversation with Christopher Smith and Liv Yarrow

Monday 19 January
6-8pm
Full details here: ics.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

Pleasure was all mine!

I loved all these opportunities to yap about my special interests, and I am still occasionally amazed that this is part of my job. Now winding down for winter break (with some teaching, marking, and celebrations with our students still ahead!) before a few months to focus on research.

Then back to Gramsci and the political use of his name in Valditara’s rhetoric about education, Latin and grammar. Huge thanks to Bev Back @henryhbclarke.bsky.social and the Leeds classicists for having me. It was great to meet them in person after we had been teaching together during the pandemic.

Then off to Naples for the brilliant “Economy and Power in the Ancient World” conference, where I talked about the Lex Gabinia (a never-studied-before topic, as all Roman historians would tell you 😆). So many lovely colleagues like @lordscribonius.bsky.social (but many are not on here)

It’s been a chaotic and exciting month: three talks squeezed between teaching and everything else. Kicked off on Nov 4th at Sapienza (online), talking Gramsci, normative grammar, and Latin education in today’s school debates in Italy.

Inviting all the classicists, archaeologists and historians who care about Palestinian colleagues/students/heritage to donate a little something to @gmandreou.bsky.social's fundraiser for Gazan students in archaeology and history: everydayorientalism.wordpress.com/2025/05/19/h...

I'm sure it was cited in the discussion, but Israeli scholar Maya Wind has an excellent chapter on Archaeology in her "Towers of Ivory and Steel" (2024) that is really worth reading. Particularly recommended to senior olleagues who have decided to write emails before studying and thinking.

❤️❤️❤️

This guide from CAGE International should be required reading for anyone out and about for 🇵🇸 in the UK today ✊🏻

Read here: www.cage.ngo/articles/kno...

One can assume Sarah Pomeroy doesn't mind being identified given she is not shy to send horrendously anti-Palestinian emails to the huge number of folks on the Classics list, on the heel of Francesca Albanese's UN report naming archaeology as core to the ideological architecture of apartheid

Solidarity to @luxmea.bsky.social and all organisers of the Forum.

If you're a historian and you divide between slogan and fact, you're probably not a good historian. That's all I'm going to say about the jenn-o-cyde cheerleaders on professional mailing lists.

Quite apart from the ridiculously offensive paternalism of these people who seem to think they are personally in control of my own academic freedom, this is the worst aspect of that list.

The past is political. If it were not there would be no reason for any of us to care about it at all.

. @uniteucu.bsky.social's dispute needs to be resolved.

It needs to be resolved bc Congress voted for @ucu.org.uk leadership to do so.

It needs to be resolved bc it's the right thing to do.

It needs to be revolved bc not resolving it makes things harder for branches in dispute.

Solidarity!

Royal Holloway UCU is now on bluesky! @rhucu.bsky.social

Extract from email to members threatening disciplinary action if they mention strikes in future out of office replies.

It gets worse…

Members back at work today after taking lawful strike action are now being threaten with disciplinary procedures if their auto-replies mention the reason for their absence during future strikes.

In what trade union world is this acceptable?

We Are The 632: University of Dundee staff speak out YouTube video by Dundee UCU

632 job cuts have been proposed by the executive team at the University of Dundee.

Today we launch our first full-length video that highlights the devastating impact this news is having on staff, and how this will affect Dundee.

Please share to amplify our voice. #WeAreThe632

youtu.be/oXkCu-bruiI

UCU leadership once again undermining the ballot and launching a weird internal democracy survey through the single most undemocratic instrument we have, the bloody e-ballot

Text of multiple choice q In general, how satisfied are you with how your branch operates? • Very satisfied • Somewhat satisfied • No opinion either way • Not very satisfied • Not satisfied at all

In midst of heavy redundancies, with branch reps working into night & weekends, it’s v difficult to see how this q doesn’t:

- position union members as passive consumers right when we need action
- treat unpaid work of volunteers as something to be performance managed

Is this trade unionism?

list of banned keywords

🚨BREAKING. From a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a list of keywords that can cause a grant to be pulled. I will be sharing screenshots of these keywords along with a decision tree. Please share widely. This is a crisis for academic freedom & science.

Asking students about the challenges they face Lee Dibben, Liz Gloyn, Zena Kamash and Emilio Zucchetti explain how engaging with students who are neurodivergent or living with a mental health condition can identify simple and effective interventio...

Just in case this got lost on Friday, sharing again this WonkHE piece on Phase 1 of the project that I'm running with @emizuc.bsky.social, @zenakamash.bsky.social and Lee Dibben on supporting students in the Classics dept living with neurodivergence and/or mental illness. It is good, important work.

Asking students about the challenges they face Lee Dibben, Liz Gloyn, Zena Kamash and Emilio Zucchetti explain how engaging with students who are neurodivergent or living with a mental health condition can identify simple and effective interventio...

@lizgloyn.bsky.social @zenakamash.bsky.social, Lee Dibben and I have published an account of Phase 1 of our MINOTAUR project on @wonkhe.bsky.social today. It's work that we are very proud of; the project is now in its Phase 2, also thanks to support by @cucd.bsky.social wonkhe.com/blogs/asking...

First panel at #RomRep70 : Bertrand Augier snd Gaelle Perrot talked about their CRRITIC project and Ed Bispham guided us in a reading of the Pro Cluentio reflecting on what it can tell us about ancient narratives of the 70s #romanhistory #ancienthistory @rhulclassics.bsky.social