Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
@beckierutherford.bsky.social
Historian of disability, gender and sexuality in modern Britain | UKRI Research Fellow @voicesofmotherhood.bsky.social | Editor @historyworkshop.org.uk | erstwhile Warwick and IHR
Pinned
I've been thinking about this quote all day
"Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. The mass killing of Palestinians has also extinguished the knowledge, memories, experiences and indeed the histories that they carry as individuals. Genocide targets a people’s past as much as their present."
"Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. The mass killing of Palestinians has also extinguished the knowledge, memories, experiences and indeed the histories that they carry as individuals. Genocide targets a people’s past as much as their present."
Writing History in a Time of Genocide
Anne Irfan asks, what does it mean to write the history of a place as it is being destroyed before our very eyes?
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
I still think about this most days, especially as I and many others prepare to return to our universities for the start of a new academic year.
it was a pleasure to work with Hillary on this really interesting article which highlights her brilliant work curating the @makeupmuseum.org!
September 17, 2026 at 9:40 AM
it was a pleasure to work with Hillary on this really interesting article which highlights her brilliant work curating the @makeupmuseum.org!
"Including disabled people in the story of Britain, which is what the book grandly tries to do, is about showing that disabled people are always there and that disability isn’t some kind of modern trend."
Extremely timely reflections from @profdavidturner.bsky.social's new book project ...
Extremely timely reflections from @profdavidturner.bsky.social's new book project ...
David Turner: “Disabled people have always been part of history"
The historian on his landmark new book ‘Disability: A History of Resistance’
substack.com
September 17, 2026 at 8:26 AM
"Including disabled people in the story of Britain, which is what the book grandly tries to do, is about showing that disabled people are always there and that disability isn’t some kind of modern trend."
Extremely timely reflections from @profdavidturner.bsky.social's new book project ...
Extremely timely reflections from @profdavidturner.bsky.social's new book project ...
"Every response will help build the evidence needed to ensure Disabled people are not overlooked in future climate and heatwave planning."
Very important survey from @disrightsuk.bsky.social gathering disabled expertise on the impact of the climate crisis.
Very important survey from @disrightsuk.bsky.social gathering disabled expertise on the impact of the climate crisis.
DR UK launches survey on heatwaves and Disabled people
www.disabilityrightsuk.org
September 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM
"Every response will help build the evidence needed to ensure Disabled people are not overlooked in future climate and heatwave planning."
Very important survey from @disrightsuk.bsky.social gathering disabled expertise on the impact of the climate crisis.
Very important survey from @disrightsuk.bsky.social gathering disabled expertise on the impact of the climate crisis.
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
Applications now invited for the Society's next round of research funding: for Postgraduates, studying for a PhD, and Early Career Historians, within 5 years of completing a doctorate: bit.ly/4ywZi0S
Grants of £500-£1000 to pursue research. Closing date 4 December 2026 #Skystorians 1/2
Grants of £500-£1000 to pursue research. Closing date 4 December 2026 #Skystorians 1/2
Calls for research funding from the Royal Historical Society: December 2026 deadlines - RHS
The Society invites applications for the following three schemes — open to historians at a range of career stages — with closing dates from 4 December 2026. Postgraduate Research Support Grants, 2026-...
bit.ly
September 11, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Applications now invited for the Society's next round of research funding: for Postgraduates, studying for a PhD, and Early Career Historians, within 5 years of completing a doctorate: bit.ly/4ywZi0S
Grants of £500-£1000 to pursue research. Closing date 4 December 2026 #Skystorians 1/2
Grants of £500-£1000 to pursue research. Closing date 4 December 2026 #Skystorians 1/2
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
"Designed to provide access to public toilets for disabled people, the Radar Key reflects more than a material tool: it showcases wider debates around access, design, and spatial politics in modern Britain."
Kirstie Stage on the radical nature of the Radar Key.
Kirstie Stage on the radical nature of the Radar Key.
Radical Object: The Radar Key
The Radar Key is a small but crucial part of the history of disabled people demanding rights and independence in modern Britain. Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
September 10, 2026 at 12:52 PM
"Designed to provide access to public toilets for disabled people, the Radar Key reflects more than a material tool: it showcases wider debates around access, design, and spatial politics in modern Britain."
Kirstie Stage on the radical nature of the Radar Key.
Kirstie Stage on the radical nature of the Radar Key.
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
Exciting Update!
Our website now includes pages on each of the eight projects we are currently working on 👀
👉 Disabled motherhood
👉 Genetic screening
👉 Grandmothers
👉 Maternal and child welfare associations
(1/3)
Our website now includes pages on each of the eight projects we are currently working on 👀
👉 Disabled motherhood
👉 Genetic screening
👉 Grandmothers
👉 Maternal and child welfare associations
(1/3)
September 10, 2026 at 7:41 AM
Exciting Update!
Our website now includes pages on each of the eight projects we are currently working on 👀
👉 Disabled motherhood
👉 Genetic screening
👉 Grandmothers
👉 Maternal and child welfare associations
(1/3)
Our website now includes pages on each of the eight projects we are currently working on 👀
👉 Disabled motherhood
👉 Genetic screening
👉 Grandmothers
👉 Maternal and child welfare associations
(1/3)
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
The Radar Key grants access to public toilets and is a small but crucial part of the history of disabled people demanding rights and independence in modern Britain.
Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
Radical Object: The Radar Key
The Radar Key is a small but crucial part of the history of disabled people demanding rights and independence in modern Britain. Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
September 10, 2026 at 7:02 AM
The Radar Key grants access to public toilets and is a small but crucial part of the history of disabled people demanding rights and independence in modern Britain.
Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
Kirstie Stage explores the little-known history of this radical object.
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
Hi folks,
Putting out a message here to ask if there are any UK orgs *you* represent, or may know of, that would be interested in hosting a talk about my new book in 2027. I am keen to share the incredible history of Black women radicals with basically anyone who will listen!
Putting out a message here to ask if there are any UK orgs *you* represent, or may know of, that would be interested in hosting a talk about my new book in 2027. I am keen to share the incredible history of Black women radicals with basically anyone who will listen!
September 7, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Hi folks,
Putting out a message here to ask if there are any UK orgs *you* represent, or may know of, that would be interested in hosting a talk about my new book in 2027. I am keen to share the incredible history of Black women radicals with basically anyone who will listen!
Putting out a message here to ask if there are any UK orgs *you* represent, or may know of, that would be interested in hosting a talk about my new book in 2027. I am keen to share the incredible history of Black women radicals with basically anyone who will listen!
I still think about this most days, especially as I and many others prepare to return to our universities for the start of a new academic year.
I've been thinking about this quote all day
"Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. The mass killing of Palestinians has also extinguished the knowledge, memories, experiences and indeed the histories that they carry as individuals. Genocide targets a people’s past as much as their present."
"Every university in Gaza has been destroyed. The mass killing of Palestinians has also extinguished the knowledge, memories, experiences and indeed the histories that they carry as individuals. Genocide targets a people’s past as much as their present."
Writing History in a Time of Genocide
Anne Irfan asks, what does it mean to write the history of a place as it is being destroyed before our very eyes?
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
September 8, 2026 at 11:03 AM
I still think about this most days, especially as I and many others prepare to return to our universities for the start of a new academic year.
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
Two of our team are very much looking forward to attending @caring-communities.bsky.social 'Rethinking Histories of Care, Class, and Kinship, 1800-present' conference in Newcastle later this week. We'll be taking part in this excellent panel, and are also excited to hear others' brilliant research!
September 2, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Two of our team are very much looking forward to attending @caring-communities.bsky.social 'Rethinking Histories of Care, Class, and Kinship, 1800-present' conference in Newcastle later this week. We'll be taking part in this excellent panel, and are also excited to hear others' brilliant research!
My time at History Workshop is sadly coming to an end but it's been a huge joy to publish two final additions to Reimagining Disability (the series I launched in 2024 which now has 11 articles/podcasts in total)
Firstly @hspandler.bsky.social's brilliant piece on the politics of madzines...
Firstly @hspandler.bsky.social's brilliant piece on the politics of madzines...
From the Personal to the Political and Back Again?
Hel Spandler explores the evolution of madzines and considers why they should be recognised as a form of activism.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
August 28, 2026 at 7:52 AM
My time at History Workshop is sadly coming to an end but it's been a huge joy to publish two final additions to Reimagining Disability (the series I launched in 2024 which now has 11 articles/podcasts in total)
Firstly @hspandler.bsky.social's brilliant piece on the politics of madzines...
Firstly @hspandler.bsky.social's brilliant piece on the politics of madzines...
"The aim is to help us understand the challenges that may lie ahead, the roads once travelled or missed, and the ones we might carve out and take, in trying to overcome the many obstacles we face."
Very excited to see this new series launched by my brilliant colleague @marralsham.bsky.social 💫
Very excited to see this new series launched by my brilliant colleague @marralsham.bsky.social 💫
How have different radical and internationalist traditions attempted to overcome forms of domination and move towards alternative, emancipatory futures?
Marral Shamshiri, our current managing editor, introduces new History Workshop series called 'Radical Horizons'.
Marral Shamshiri, our current managing editor, introduces new History Workshop series called 'Radical Horizons'.
Radical Horizons
This article is the introduction to a new History Workshop series called ‘Radical Horizons’.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
August 25, 2026 at 8:15 AM
"The aim is to help us understand the challenges that may lie ahead, the roads once travelled or missed, and the ones we might carve out and take, in trying to overcome the many obstacles we face."
Very excited to see this new series launched by my brilliant colleague @marralsham.bsky.social 💫
Very excited to see this new series launched by my brilliant colleague @marralsham.bsky.social 💫
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
🎟️ Wanting to make your events more accessible? Our Resources page has links to guides and toolkits covering theatre, music, literature and hybrid events.
disabilityarts.online/resources/gu...
disabilityarts.online/resources/gu...
July 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM
🎟️ Wanting to make your events more accessible? Our Resources page has links to guides and toolkits covering theatre, music, literature and hybrid events.
disabilityarts.online/resources/gu...
disabilityarts.online/resources/gu...
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
I've spent almost 3 years with this wonderful team and am happy to answer any questions about how it all works - if you're thinking of applying for this role please feel free to email or message me!
📣 Call for Applications 📣
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe. This is a part-time, paid role. Application deadline: 7 August 2026.
Please share widely!
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe. This is a part-time, paid role. Application deadline: 7 August 2026.
Please share widely!
Call for Applications: Editorial Fellowship at History Workshop, 2026
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
June 29, 2026 at 8:02 AM
I've spent almost 3 years with this wonderful team and am happy to answer any questions about how it all works - if you're thinking of applying for this role please feel free to email or message me!
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
We had a brilliant time presenting our research at the 50th Social History Society conference last week!
Thank you to everyone who attended our panel and thanks for having us @socialhistsoc.bsky.social 😊 #SHS2026
Thank you to everyone who attended our panel and thanks for having us @socialhistsoc.bsky.social 😊 #SHS2026
July 6, 2026 at 11:07 AM
We had a brilliant time presenting our research at the 50th Social History Society conference last week!
Thank you to everyone who attended our panel and thanks for having us @socialhistsoc.bsky.social 😊 #SHS2026
Thank you to everyone who attended our panel and thanks for having us @socialhistsoc.bsky.social 😊 #SHS2026
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
We are dismayed to learn about further proposed HE cuts, this time at the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Exeter.
In solidarity, please join us by signing and sharing the two urgent petitions below. 🚨🖊️ 1/3
In solidarity, please join us by signing and sharing the two urgent petitions below. 🚨🖊️ 1/3
July 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM
We are dismayed to learn about further proposed HE cuts, this time at the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Exeter.
In solidarity, please join us by signing and sharing the two urgent petitions below. 🚨🖊️ 1/3
In solidarity, please join us by signing and sharing the two urgent petitions below. 🚨🖊️ 1/3
I've spent almost 3 years with this wonderful team and am happy to answer any questions about how it all works - if you're thinking of applying for this role please feel free to email or message me!
📣 Call for Applications 📣
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe. This is a part-time, paid role. Application deadline: 7 August 2026.
Please share widely!
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe. This is a part-time, paid role. Application deadline: 7 August 2026.
Please share widely!
Call for Applications: Editorial Fellowship at History Workshop, 2026
History Workshop is seeking to appoint one Editorial Fellow in 2026, with specialism in pre-1800 CE history from any part of the globe.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
June 29, 2026 at 8:02 AM
I've spent almost 3 years with this wonderful team and am happy to answer any questions about how it all works - if you're thinking of applying for this role please feel free to email or message me!
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
We're very excited to be sharing our research at this conference next week!
Our panel is on Friday afternoon, chaired by @girlinthewrongera.bsky.social and we'll be presenting on three different strands of our project.
First up is Anna Muggeridge whose paper is titled…
Our panel is on Friday afternoon, chaired by @girlinthewrongera.bsky.social and we'll be presenting on three different strands of our project.
First up is Anna Muggeridge whose paper is titled…
📣Are you ready to get your disco on?
After our conference's anniversary gala dinner (2 July), we will be having a 70s-themed disco to celebrate our 50th anniversary!
Flares, long-collars and tie-dye encouraged!!🪩
After our conference's anniversary gala dinner (2 July), we will be having a 70s-themed disco to celebrate our 50th anniversary!
Flares, long-collars and tie-dye encouraged!!🪩
June 23, 2026 at 7:49 AM
We're very excited to be sharing our research at this conference next week!
Our panel is on Friday afternoon, chaired by @girlinthewrongera.bsky.social and we'll be presenting on three different strands of our project.
First up is Anna Muggeridge whose paper is titled…
Our panel is on Friday afternoon, chaired by @girlinthewrongera.bsky.social and we'll be presenting on three different strands of our project.
First up is Anna Muggeridge whose paper is titled…
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
CFP alert: We are thrilled to announce the Call for Presenters for a hybrid event in collaboration with @britishlibrary.bsky.social! This will be taking place on 27th November 2026, with presentations happening both in-person and online.
Deadline to submit your ideas is: 31st July 2026! #DisHist
Deadline to submit your ideas is: 31st July 2026! #DisHist
June 3, 2026 at 5:01 PM
CFP alert: We are thrilled to announce the Call for Presenters for a hybrid event in collaboration with @britishlibrary.bsky.social! This will be taking place on 27th November 2026, with presentations happening both in-person and online.
Deadline to submit your ideas is: 31st July 2026! #DisHist
Deadline to submit your ideas is: 31st July 2026! #DisHist
This is a thoughtful and incredibly useful synthesis of the growing historiography on motherhood - a brilliant addition to any reading list on modern British history!
📣Out now on #firstview!
Anna Muggeridge @worcesteruni.bsky.social and Ruth Davidson @ruthdav.bsky.social on 'Revisiting the Politics of Motherhood in Modern British History'
#Motherhood #Political #Maternal #History #Identity 20thc 🗃️👩🍼
👉Read open access here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Anna Muggeridge @worcesteruni.bsky.social and Ruth Davidson @ruthdav.bsky.social on 'Revisiting the Politics of Motherhood in Modern British History'
#Motherhood #Political #Maternal #History #Identity 20thc 🗃️👩🍼
👉Read open access here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
June 8, 2026 at 9:28 AM
This is a thoughtful and incredibly useful synthesis of the growing historiography on motherhood - a brilliant addition to any reading list on modern British history!
Being a part of this #MBS2026 panel was a real treat!
Many thanks to my fellow speakers @drrochellerowe.bsky.social @oliviawyatt1999.bsky.social Aleph Ross @leilarsellers.bsky.social @benjamin-bland.bsky.social and @evemworth.bsky.social and our fantastic chair @tsasson.bsky.social
Many thanks to my fellow speakers @drrochellerowe.bsky.social @oliviawyatt1999.bsky.social Aleph Ross @leilarsellers.bsky.social @benjamin-bland.bsky.social and @evemworth.bsky.social and our fantastic chair @tsasson.bsky.social
Discussion of passing in relation to race, class, disability, gender & ethnicity raises very pertinent final questions for #mbs26: how modern is the sense of self that underpins ideas of passing? Is the language of presenting more useful? How can we explore sonic and embodied aspects?
June 8, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Being a part of this #MBS2026 panel was a real treat!
Many thanks to my fellow speakers @drrochellerowe.bsky.social @oliviawyatt1999.bsky.social Aleph Ross @leilarsellers.bsky.social @benjamin-bland.bsky.social and @evemworth.bsky.social and our fantastic chair @tsasson.bsky.social
Many thanks to my fellow speakers @drrochellerowe.bsky.social @oliviawyatt1999.bsky.social Aleph Ross @leilarsellers.bsky.social @benjamin-bland.bsky.social and @evemworth.bsky.social and our fantastic chair @tsasson.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
Deviants and Trailblazers is now out! 🎉
If you're looking for a long-form, joined-up history of trans activism and trans rights in the UK going all the way back to the 1940s, this is it! D&T covers many events, groups, and people never before chronicled.
www.plutobooks.com/product/devi...
If you're looking for a long-form, joined-up history of trans activism and trans rights in the UK going all the way back to the 1940s, this is it! D&T covers many events, groups, and people never before chronicled.
www.plutobooks.com/product/devi...
May 8, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Deviants and Trailblazers is now out! 🎉
If you're looking for a long-form, joined-up history of trans activism and trans rights in the UK going all the way back to the 1940s, this is it! D&T covers many events, groups, and people never before chronicled.
www.plutobooks.com/product/devi...
If you're looking for a long-form, joined-up history of trans activism and trans rights in the UK going all the way back to the 1940s, this is it! D&T covers many events, groups, and people never before chronicled.
www.plutobooks.com/product/devi...
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
OTD in 2020, Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the world following the murder of George Floyd.
To mark this date we have chosen some pieces from our archive which explore and celebrate Black history. First up is Emma-Lee Amponsah's reflection on Black Cultural Memory.
To mark this date we have chosen some pieces from our archive which explore and celebrate Black history. First up is Emma-Lee Amponsah's reflection on Black Cultural Memory.
On Black Cultural Memory
In the years since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Emma-Lee Amponsah reflects on the shared global experience of Black Cultural Memory.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
May 26, 2026 at 9:17 AM
OTD in 2020, Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the world following the murder of George Floyd.
To mark this date we have chosen some pieces from our archive which explore and celebrate Black history. First up is Emma-Lee Amponsah's reflection on Black Cultural Memory.
To mark this date we have chosen some pieces from our archive which explore and celebrate Black history. First up is Emma-Lee Amponsah's reflection on Black Cultural Memory.
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
A smashing opportunity if you're looking for funding to do a doctorate and into #DisHist! 👇👇
For the project DisFriend, I am looking for two PhD candidates: www.academictransfer.com/nl/jobs/3610...
Two PhD Positions (0.9 FTE) in the transnational history of friendship and disability
2 PhD Positions in the transnational history of friendship and disability The Institute for History at the University of Leiden invites applications for: Two PhD Positions (0.9 FTE) in the transnation...
www.academictransfer.com
May 20, 2026 at 2:10 PM
A smashing opportunity if you're looking for funding to do a doctorate and into #DisHist! 👇👇
Reposted by Dr Beckie Rutherford (she/her)
The Society is pleased to publish today the Shortlist of its 2026 Early Career Article Prize: bit.ly/4wEuVoW
This year's list includes eight articles published in 2025 and follows an open call for submissions. Our two winners for this prize will be announced in July #Skystorians 1/2
This year's list includes eight articles published in 2025 and follows an open call for submissions. Our two winners for this prize will be announced in July #Skystorians 1/2
May 19, 2026 at 7:59 AM
The Society is pleased to publish today the Shortlist of its 2026 Early Career Article Prize: bit.ly/4wEuVoW
This year's list includes eight articles published in 2025 and follows an open call for submissions. Our two winners for this prize will be announced in July #Skystorians 1/2
This year's list includes eight articles published in 2025 and follows an open call for submissions. Our two winners for this prize will be announced in July #Skystorians 1/2