French man, 86, issues historic apology for family’s role in transatlantic slavery Pierre Guillon de Prince believed to be first in France to formally apologise for ancestors’ connections to slavery

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

UK job cuts hit English and modern languages staff hardest ‘Vicious cycle’ of course closures means system ‘gradually losing breadth and depth of expertise’

"The issue is the system, not the subject.”

Professor Charles Forsdick FBA on higher education funding cuts hitting language courses hardest and the wider risks to skills, research and opportunity in Times Higher Education:

bit.ly/4tFzJbD

UK job cuts hit English and modern languages staff hardest ‘Vicious cycle’ of course closures means system ‘gradually losing breadth and depth of expertise’

UK job cuts hit English and modern languages staff hardest.

‘Vicious cycle’ of course closures means system ‘gradually losing breadth and depth of expertise’

www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-job-...

My story in the @heraldscotland.bsky.social
On how poet Kenneth White, who left his house in France to the local council on the proviso they use it for writers residencies, has had his legacy overturne

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/2...

Petition against the move
www.change.org/p/non-%C3%A0...

Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher and sociologist, dies aged 96 Habermas’ political consensus-building theory argued formation of public opinion vital for democracies to survive

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother The long read: Once violently defended from extinction, Welsh is still a part of daily life. By learning my family’s language, I hoped to join their conversation

Where Duolingo falls down: how I learned to speak Welsh with my mother

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Thomas Malton the Younger, 1748–1804, King's Parade, Cambridge, between 1798 and 1799, Oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1996.22.25.

1/ Explore the NEW website for the Legacies of Enslavement Special Initiative ⬇️

A central online hub for all research, collaboration and public engagement exploring @cam.ac.uk's historical links to slavery & the wider afterlives of enslavement and colonialism.

🔗 www.hist.cam.ac.uk/news/new-web...

"As always, Ros Schwartz rises to the challenge of providing an elegant translation. #VeniceRequiem was a thought-provoking read that made a great start to my African reading this year" - About my novel, translated by @rosschwa.bsky.social @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social annabookbel.net/two-shorter-...

What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English Linguists say reaction to Irish TD’s remarks reflects shared regional English roots and enduring impact of empire

What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English

www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ma...

SHAPE Conference 2026 The British Academy's annual SHAPE conference will be held in London on 4 March 2026.

The Arts and Humanities Alliance is proud to sponsor the 2026 @britishacademy.bsky.social SHAPE conference. Our session is Myth busting for the public with @ritagardner.bsky.social @jennyrichards.bsky.social & @sebgordon1.bsky.social
Chair @emmacayley.bsky.social www.eventbrite.com/e/shape-conf...

‘When universities mattered: Higher education in a country addicted to the plough’ by Stephen Garton There was a time when Australian universities mattered. Should they again?

www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/c...

“If Australia has no one doing deep doctoral-level research on China, Russia, Indonesia, and a host of other polities and cultures, how will we grasp the nuances of these nations to craft our foreign policy and safeguard our national security?”

‘I felt betrayed, naked’: did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story? The long read: His novel was praised for giving a voice to the victims of Algeria’s brutal civil war. But one woman has accused Kamel Daoud of having stolen her story – and the ensuing legal battle ha...

Who has a right to tell someone’s story? Interesting read on Kamel Daoud’s novel Houris and the woman whose lived experience may have been stolen. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

Dissonance patrimoniale, réparation mémorielle : la « Table de désorientation », un contre-monument décolonial à Nancy

theconversation.com/dissonance-p...

My cultural awakening: an Eddie Izzard routine inspired me to learn French – and get a job with the EU Being able to understand the comedian talking in French in his Dress to Kill show led to me learning several languages and working on the continent

www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

Forthcoming in April: "The Essential Senghor: African Philosophy and Black Aesthetics", edited by Doyle D. Calhoun, Alioune B. Fall, and Cheikh Thiam @dukepress.bsky.social. Includes Senghor’s critical & philosophical writings spanning from 1937 to 1985 www.dukeupress.edu/the-essentia... #Senghor

Graphic to promote the journal 'French Studies': Navy blue text reads ‘Publishing articles and reviews spanning all areas of the subject, including language and linguistics, literature, thought and the history of ideas, and cultural studies’. Journal cover for French Studies sits to the right of the text. The cover is a warm cream with a rich red uppercase font for the journal's title. A red line sits under the title and under that the table of contents is listed in a small black font. The Liverpool University Press logo sits in the left corner, it features a dark red minimalist swoosh which represents the Liver Bird, text underneath reads Liverpool University Press founded 1899. The Society for French Studies logo sits alongside. The logo is made up of a coral-coloured circle, a blue square, and a gold triangle which overlap to create a purple colour. In the background sits a soft lilac graphic with light grey lines running in different directions.

We are pleased to share that David Evans is the new General Editor of French Studies, succeeding Martin Crowley after seven years. We thank Martin for his leadership.
An interview with Crowley & Evans in French Studies Bulletin is free to read this January➡️bit.ly/FS-Editor
@frenchstudies.bsky.social

A moment that changed me: in the bombed-out ruins of an apartment block, I saw a book I’d translated The sight of my work, torn and singed but still legible, made me realise the importance of translating and protecting stories – so they remain when everything else falls away

“To translate is not just to haul stories across languages, but to help them remain when everything else falls away. It is a quiet, stubborn refusal to disappear.”

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

WEEKEND READING: The 2025 Immigration White Paper and its impact on international teacher recruitment and retention in MFL and Physics - HEPI This blog was kindly authored by Juliette Claro, Lecturer in Education at St Mary’s University Twickenham and Co-chair of the UCET Special Interest Group in Supporting International Trainee Teachers i...

'One of the most consequential changes [in the September 2025 Immigration White Paper] is the reduction of the Graduate Visa route from 24 to 18 months, which directly undermines the ability of international trainees to complete their Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction.'

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams From Britain’s medieval buildings to western pop and contemporary art, these creations showcase our interwoven stories, says former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research Wealth of datasets compiled as private passions are now a goldmine for those hunting for their ancestors

Over 24 years, Louise Cocker has captured almost half a million Norfolk Gravestones. ‘As a result, she has produced a remarkable dataset… which experts consider one of the most comprehensive photographic records of gravestones and memorials in England.’
www.theguardian.com/education/20...

How the French fell in love with family-driven memoirs and autofiction | Anne-Laure Pineau Matriarchs, absent fathers and troubled childhoods: 2025 was the year French literature focused on family, says writer Anne-Laure Pineau

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ukrainian refugee leaves UK sixth-form college that urged her ‘to study Russian’ Kateryna Endeberia says teachers made the ‘hurtful’ request when she had difficulty with other subjects

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a crime France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 to 1962 is marked by mass killings and large-scale deportation

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Thrilled to share that "Venice Requiem", the #translation of my #novel by Ros Schwartz is coming out on Feb. 5 with @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social ! Deeply grateful to Ros for her exceptional work & to my publisher Pete Aryton. Many thanks to @oliviasnaije.bsky.social & Raphaël Thierry! bit.ly/4pFcEUY

Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic More than 1,000 words used as far back as 325BC to be collected for insight into past linguistic landscape

Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Actually - based on substantial evidence - perhaps an even better headline would be

“Glasgow is a super smart city. Fact.”

Majority also speak Scots as mother tongue and first language

Read UNESCO report to find out why bilingualism is best for everyone

unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p...

Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon? | Alexander Hurst It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing t...

Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon?

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

UK aims to secure agreement to rejoin Erasmus student exchange scheme Britain quit EU programme after Brexit, when Boris Johnson claimed it did not offer good value for money

UK aims to secure agreement to rejoin Erasmus student exchange scheme

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Shaping a Brighter Future The first event in our Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, delivered by Hetan Shah, Chief Executive, The British Academy

Are you worried about the devastating cuts we are seeing to arts, humanities & social sciences in UK universities? Last call for my lecture in Leicester this Thurs 27th Nov on the value of these subjects and how they support UK security, cohesion and prosperity www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-a-...

The uncompromising politics of Jimmy Cliff The reggae singer used his music to speak out at issues that mattered.

The uncompromising politics of Jimmy Cliff

theconversation.com/the-uncompro...