Claire L Jones
@claireljones.bsky.social
Medical historian of modern Britain/curator (thinks/writes about: condoms, toothbrushes & lately, urine; secretary of Society for the Social History of Medicine @sshmedicine.bsky.social); music & horror film fan; singer; runner; mum; find me at the beach ⛱
Reposted by Claire L Jones
The idea of being ‘proud’ of being English is barking to me. It’s the very definition of an accident of birth. I had no choice or role in it. I’m proud of things I’ve actually achieved.
September 23, 2026 at 7:30 PM
The idea of being ‘proud’ of being English is barking to me. It’s the very definition of an accident of birth. I had no choice or role in it. I’m proud of things I’ve actually achieved.
Ridiculous country
YouGov most important issues tracker, 19-21 September 2026
Immigration: 51% (+2 from 12-14 Sep)
Economy: 48% (+2)
Defence: 30% (-2)
Health: 26% (-1)
Welfare: 20% (-1)
Crime: 19% (=)
Environment: 19% (=)
Tax: 15% (+1)
Housing: 15% (-2)
Brexit: 12% (=)
yougov.com/en-gb/tracke...
Immigration: 51% (+2 from 12-14 Sep)
Economy: 48% (+2)
Defence: 30% (-2)
Health: 26% (-1)
Welfare: 20% (-1)
Crime: 19% (=)
Environment: 19% (=)
Tax: 15% (+1)
Housing: 15% (-2)
Brexit: 12% (=)
yougov.com/en-gb/tracke...
September 22, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Ridiculous country
Reposted by Claire L Jones
A revelatory portrait of Shakespeare’s life before he achieved fame.
@loughnrv.bsky.social's Shakespeare at Thirty publishes 20 October.
Enter to win 1 of 10 free copies at Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
#Shakespeare #Literature
@loughnrv.bsky.social's Shakespeare at Thirty publishes 20 October.
Enter to win 1 of 10 free copies at Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
#Shakespeare #Literature
September 21, 2026 at 12:38 PM
A revelatory portrait of Shakespeare’s life before he achieved fame.
@loughnrv.bsky.social's Shakespeare at Thirty publishes 20 October.
Enter to win 1 of 10 free copies at Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
#Shakespeare #Literature
@loughnrv.bsky.social's Shakespeare at Thirty publishes 20 October.
Enter to win 1 of 10 free copies at Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...
#Shakespeare #Literature
Reposted by Claire L Jones
📣New issue now available online 📣
10 articles (7 open access) & 15 book reviews.
Article topics include: asylums, T.B., death data, AIDS policy, & public hospitals with research exploring Britain, Denmark, Spain, Turkey and the Mediterranean covering 15-17th, 19th & 20th centuries!
10 articles (7 open access) & 15 book reviews.
Article topics include: asylums, T.B., death data, AIDS policy, & public hospitals with research exploring Britain, Denmark, Spain, Turkey and the Mediterranean covering 15-17th, 19th & 20th centuries!
Volume 39 Issue 3 | Social History of Medicine | Oxford Academic
The official journal of the Society for the Social History of Medicine. Publishes research concerned with all aspects of health, illness, and medical treatment in the past. Articles treat the social h...
academic.oup.com
September 21, 2026 at 9:42 AM
📣New issue now available online 📣
10 articles (7 open access) & 15 book reviews.
Article topics include: asylums, T.B., death data, AIDS policy, & public hospitals with research exploring Britain, Denmark, Spain, Turkey and the Mediterranean covering 15-17th, 19th & 20th centuries!
10 articles (7 open access) & 15 book reviews.
Article topics include: asylums, T.B., death data, AIDS policy, & public hospitals with research exploring Britain, Denmark, Spain, Turkey and the Mediterranean covering 15-17th, 19th & 20th centuries!
I was persuaded into buying axolotls. The stress of looking after them! I feel like I have a new born again
September 21, 2026 at 6:25 AM
I was persuaded into buying axolotls. The stress of looking after them! I feel like I have a new born again
Preach!
'This exercise sets out clearly that, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the cost of teaching in a university is not covered by the tuition fee. It also demonstrates that the savings that providers have made in order to address this gap have hit academic staff particularly hard'.
September 18, 2026 at 7:05 AM
Preach!
Reposted by Claire L Jones
Good thread (suspect this will happen more and more)
Just found myself in the weird position of turning down an academic job offer. I’ve decided not to apply for them before (recently enquiring about a research role I was told the ‘research budget’ came out of your salary) but never encountered t&cs so awful and exploitative that I’ve declined one
September 17, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Good thread (suspect this will happen more and more)
Reposted by Claire L Jones
"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 ...
Reposted by Claire L Jones
Obviously the toolkit will be available then! Join us to discuss the toolkit, how to use it, and what's next for The Ethics of Medical Photography Network!
Really excited to announce the online launch of The Ethics of Medical Photography Toolkit, the result of two years of work between academics, archives and museums. Register here forms.gle/PYBjxGNDitDp... to join us on Friday 16 Oct at 3 pm BST online #histmed #photohist #ethics #medhums
September 16, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Obviously the toolkit will be available then! Join us to discuss the toolkit, how to use it, and what's next for The Ethics of Medical Photography Network!
Reposted by Claire L Jones
The arts industry in the UK: we contribute so much money to the economy but we are dying, please help
Lisa Nandy:
Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum
Lisa Nandy: I'm listening
Lisa Nandy:
Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum
Lisa Nandy: I'm listening
September 16, 2026 at 8:06 AM
The arts industry in the UK: we contribute so much money to the economy but we are dying, please help
Lisa Nandy:
Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum
Lisa Nandy: I'm listening
Lisa Nandy:
Village Parish Council: we held a pretend referendum
Lisa Nandy: I'm listening
This is really upsetting. I want to give this woman a hug
“The mobilisation of the far-right which we have witnessed this weekend is very much being felt here in this village”
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
September 16, 2026 at 7:42 AM
This is really upsetting. I want to give this woman a hug
Reposted by Claire L Jones
True story.
BREAKING: Wyld Stallyns will no longer be opening for Ed Sheeran
September 15, 2026 at 11:47 PM
True story.
Reposted by Claire L Jones
📣 Excellent new resource for academics, ECRs, PGRs & students interested in #historyofexperience. Fully OA & drawing on rich experience of colleagues in @hexhistory.bsky.social it includes oral history, ego documents, institutional records, fiction & photos. #skystorians 📣
Sources and Methods for the History of Experience
This open access book explores what kinds of sources and methodologies are needed for a history of experience.
link.springer.com
September 15, 2026 at 7:41 PM
📣 Excellent new resource for academics, ECRs, PGRs & students interested in #historyofexperience. Fully OA & drawing on rich experience of colleagues in @hexhistory.bsky.social it includes oral history, ego documents, institutional records, fiction & photos. #skystorians 📣
Reposted by Claire L Jones
Looking for some light lunch reading? Rachel Rich and I wrote a bit about how 18th c British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful. theconversation.com/british-food... #HistFood @uclpress.bsky.social +
British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful in the 18th century – despite what you might think
The King’s table was full of flavours from the British empire and beyond.
theconversation.com
September 15, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Looking for some light lunch reading? Rachel Rich and I wrote a bit about how 18th c British food was complex, multicultural and flavourful. theconversation.com/british-food... #HistFood @uclpress.bsky.social +
This is completely bonkers! It cannot be allowed to happen!
***URGENT PLEASE SHARE*** University of Brighton management have announced today that they ‘give notice of termination of all collective agreements’. This is a fundamental erasure of workers' rights. Management have announced the termination of all contractual documents, which includes:
UCU members at Brighton University face the threat of derecognition. We have called an emergency rally tomorrow at 1:15pm.
It would be amazing to see as many #TUC26 delegates as possible in attendance.
58-67 Grand Parade, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 0JY
It would be amazing to see as many #TUC26 delegates as possible in attendance.
58-67 Grand Parade, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN2 0JY
September 14, 2026 at 9:41 PM
This is completely bonkers! It cannot be allowed to happen!
Reposted by Claire L Jones
Last week was World Suicide Prevention Day. I saw lots of well meaning posts elsewhere on social media, about how ‘asking someone if they are okay’, or ‘sending them a song because it reminded you of them’, is suicide prevention. But it’s really not and it’s dangerous to pretend it is
September 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Last week was World Suicide Prevention Day. I saw lots of well meaning posts elsewhere on social media, about how ‘asking someone if they are okay’, or ‘sending them a song because it reminded you of them’, is suicide prevention. But it’s really not and it’s dangerous to pretend it is
Reposted by Claire L Jones
This is utterly idiotic.
We don't know what skills future workforces will need. We do know that will change & that students perform best if they study something they're actually interested in.
And for the pig-ignorant in the back row, fewer than 50% of STEM graduates ever go into STEM employment.
We don't know what skills future workforces will need. We do know that will change & that students perform best if they study something they're actually interested in.
And for the pig-ignorant in the back row, fewer than 50% of STEM graduates ever go into STEM employment.
Can you futureproof your career by choosing an AI-resistant degree?
Humans will have to compete with AI-powered virtual employees in the near future. Here are our tips for the last human holdouts
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2026 at 6:19 AM
This is utterly idiotic.
We don't know what skills future workforces will need. We do know that will change & that students perform best if they study something they're actually interested in.
And for the pig-ignorant in the back row, fewer than 50% of STEM graduates ever go into STEM employment.
We don't know what skills future workforces will need. We do know that will change & that students perform best if they study something they're actually interested in.
And for the pig-ignorant in the back row, fewer than 50% of STEM graduates ever go into STEM employment.
Reposted by Claire L Jones
if you’ve ever wondered why historians are very reluctant to talk about how their own experiences / backgrounds relate to their writing, i wrote a book about some who have tried, and how we all can be more self-conscious & analytical about it. i used myself as a case study. it is free to download!
September 13, 2026 at 8:17 AM
if you’ve ever wondered why historians are very reluctant to talk about how their own experiences / backgrounds relate to their writing, i wrote a book about some who have tried, and how we all can be more self-conscious & analytical about it. i used myself as a case study. it is free to download!
Things I was frightened of as a child:
- Ghostwatch
And that was pretty much it. Omg Ghostwatch
- Ghostwatch
And that was pretty much it. Omg Ghostwatch
Things I was frightened of as a child:
-Rattlesnakes
-Quicksand
-The Terminator
-That one episode of the Twilight Zone where the girl falls under her bed into another dimension
-June bugs (those things fly right into your face)
-The Night Stalker
-Rattlesnakes
-Quicksand
-The Terminator
-That one episode of the Twilight Zone where the girl falls under her bed into another dimension
-June bugs (those things fly right into your face)
-The Night Stalker
Things I was frightened of as a child:
-the dark
-sharks
-killer bees
-Freddy Krueger
-home invasions
-the Bermuda Triangle
-ghosts
-mean girls
-the dark
-sharks
-killer bees
-Freddy Krueger
-home invasions
-the Bermuda Triangle
-ghosts
-mean girls
September 12, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Things I was frightened of as a child:
- Ghostwatch
And that was pretty much it. Omg Ghostwatch
- Ghostwatch
And that was pretty much it. Omg Ghostwatch
Reposted by Claire L Jones
A serious democratic society simply cannot allow this.
That's £72 million from just two men. (Both, until lately, based overseas).
The average UK earner (full-time) would have to work for over 1,800 years to raise that much.
It's a nuclear strike on any pretence at the equality of political power
That's £72 million from just two men. (Both, until lately, based overseas).
The average UK earner (full-time) would have to work for over 1,800 years to raise that much.
It's a nuclear strike on any pretence at the equality of political power
Harborne has given Reform £36 million to match Delo's £36 million. The Telegraph describes it as a "show of force" from Reform's donors.
The two men's £72 million is greater than all of the spending by all political parties on the 2024 GE
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
The two men's £72 million is greater than all of the spending by all political parties on the 2024 GE
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
www.telegraph.co.uk
September 12, 2026 at 11:52 AM
A serious democratic society simply cannot allow this.
That's £72 million from just two men. (Both, until lately, based overseas).
The average UK earner (full-time) would have to work for over 1,800 years to raise that much.
It's a nuclear strike on any pretence at the equality of political power
That's £72 million from just two men. (Both, until lately, based overseas).
The average UK earner (full-time) would have to work for over 1,800 years to raise that much.
It's a nuclear strike on any pretence at the equality of political power
When I joined Kent 10 years ago, it was in the top 20.....is this my fault?!
www.theguardian.com/education/ng...
www.theguardian.com/education/ng...
The Guardian University Guide 2027 – the rankings
Find a course at one of the top universities in the country
www.theguardian.com
September 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM
When I joined Kent 10 years ago, it was in the top 20.....is this my fault?!
www.theguardian.com/education/ng...
www.theguardian.com/education/ng...
Reposted by Claire L Jones
“Family planning services played a role in the stabilisation of the vision of the modern reproductive subject, [in which] modernity was based on White middle-class values of responsibility & rationality, in which married women controlled their fertility according to their economic situation”
Race, Population and the Family Planning Association in Britain (1950s–1970s) | Contemporary European History | Cambridge Core
Race, Population and the Family Planning Association in Britain (1950s–1970s) - Volume 35
www.cambridge.org
September 11, 2026 at 8:14 AM
“Family planning services played a role in the stabilisation of the vision of the modern reproductive subject, [in which] modernity was based on White middle-class values of responsibility & rationality, in which married women controlled their fertility according to their economic situation”
Can we please have someone, indeed anyone, anyone at all in any sphere of life, who knows what they are talking about? Please, I'm begging you
A cheery message from the new minister responsible for research funding for the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences (and the subjects that the majority of UK taught undergraduate and Masters students study).
Science and maths degrees offer most value to the nation, says minister
Chris McDonald told a room full of vice-chancellors that science, engineering and mathematics ‘offer the greatest personal, social and economic value’
www.thetimes.com
September 11, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Can we please have someone, indeed anyone, anyone at all in any sphere of life, who knows what they are talking about? Please, I'm begging you
Reposted by Claire L Jones
'a record 13,220 UK 18 year olds met the conditions of their firm offer and then decided not to attend university this year.'
Data from the 28th day of clearing shows some concerning trends
There are very much winners and losers today
wonkhe.com
September 11, 2026 at 7:20 AM
'a record 13,220 UK 18 year olds met the conditions of their firm offer and then decided not to attend university this year.'
No shit the post-1945 order has collapsed. And look at the state of it
God, it must have been so hard for you sitting there for those five years collecting all that lovely money and increasing your profile, Amol.
September 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM
No shit the post-1945 order has collapsed. And look at the state of it