Barry Eidlin

Egypt’s Failed Democratic Transition: Why the Labour Movement Matters | Section on Marxist Sociology For scholars, this means taking labour seriously, not as a background social force, but as a political actor.

Brand new at the Marxist Sociology Blog: a great piece from Gabriel Huland on the central role that labor must play in democratic transitions, using the failed transition in Egypt as a case study. Based on his recent article in the Global Labour Journal:
marxistsociology.org/2026/02/egyp...

It’s always worth hearing what @nickhwilson.bsky.social has to say about corruption and comparative historical sociology, and this new volume edited with Marco Garrido and Marina Zaloznaya looks great!

YouTube video by Next Gen Meme Love to all cats 🐱🤗❤️ #cat #cats #catvideos #catshorts #cute #cutebabies

@eidlin.bsky.social even more internet-famous now!

www.youtube.com/shorts/V3Z2e...

Excited to have @jamiemccallum.bsky.social come and talk about his research on “Unions Beyond the Workplace” at @mcgillarts.bsky.social later this month! Hope some of you can make it!

Who Could Strike in 2026? An overview of the biggest collective agreements set to expire this year

Inspired by the great work of the people at @labornotes.bsky.social , who do something similar for the US, @emmaarkell.bsky.social at @pressprogress.ca has written an article previewing the collective bargaining agreements set to expire across Canada in 2026:
pressprogress.ca/who-could-st...

Chotiner interviews are also worth a read when he is not skewering his subject before our very eyes. Case in point:

Thanks! A helpful visualization of what I was thinking

And for #1, if the canon has indeed shifted significantly, then what am I missing? Are we still following a standard 20-30-year nostalgia window?

Curious to hear others’ thoughts on this…

…and now back to cooking 🧑‍🍳 🎄 14/end

For #2, I’m wondering if it might be an example of a broader but still unusual phenomenon of “cultural time freezing,” similar to how you can still find radio stations that claim to play “the hits from the 80s, 90s, and today,” even though “today” now spans 25 years. 13/

Is it tied to the creation of the modern Christmas holiday, taking shape in the era of post-WWII consumerism? If so, was there a particular “freezing event” or group of people who played a key role in “freezing” the Christmas canon? 12/

Any of these answers would be interesting, and I’d be curious to hear others’ thoughts. At the moment I’m leaning towards #3, but even there, I have so many follow-up questions. 11/

3) The Christmas canon has indeed largely remained frozen in the 1940s, but this is a classic example of how canon formation works. Canons “freeze” at a certain moment in time, due to a confluence of events, and from that point on are hard to unfreeze. 10/

2) The Christmas canon has indeed largely remained frozen in the 1940s, and this is a pretty unusual phenomenon; or 9/

1) My perception is wrong, and the Christmas canon has indeed shifted considerably in the past 50 years; 8/

To my mind, there are three possible answers to the question, although I might have missed something: 7/

This is of course to be expected, as most new music doesn’t break through. But it does seem unusual to me that, for the most part, the Christmas canon seems to be frozen in the 1940s. 6/

This is of course not for lack of new Christmas music. To the contrary, every year there are dozens if not hundreds of new Christmas albums to choose from. But much of that music is covers of established Christmas classics, and the vast majority of the new material doesn’t break through. 5/

Overall what we consider “Christmas Classics” consists of 1) traditional 19th century Christmas carols and religious hymns; and 2) a distinct set of more “modern” Christmas songs largely written in the 1940s, some inching into the 1950s. 4/

There are a few exceptions, “All I Want For Christmas” and “Last Christmas” being the big ones, but even those are 30-40 years old now. 3/

Obviously Christmas music is all about nostalgia, but here the usual 20-30 year “nostalgia window” doesn’t apply. My *sense* is that the songs that were considered “Christmas Classics” when I was growing up in the 1980s are largely the same songs that would be in that category today. 2/

Queries of a sociologist on Christmas Day, as I’m listening to Christmas music while preparing dinner: why has the canon of Christmas classics barely changed in 50 years? 🧵 1/

Canada Impact+ Research Chair in Democratic and Community Resilience Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...

You can be an active part of Trump-induced US brain drain: come work with me at @mcgilluniversity.bsky.social ! The priority area in Democratic and Community Resilience is especially worth checking out:

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...

How One Teamsters Local Is Striking to Protect Immigrant Workers - The American Prospect The union wants bosses to turn away immigration authorities unless they show a signed judicial warrant, but resistance is fierce.

Teamsters Local 705 just confirmed that Bovino went with armed CBP agents to a Mauser picket line in Chicago this morning and "interrogated and laughed at our members while they were on the picket line." These workers went on strike to demand protections for immigrant workers, among other things.

Online Workshop: Running for Union Office Labor Notes and the Association for Union Democracy are co-hosting this workshop. One of the most important tools in the rank-and-file toolbox for transforming the labor movement is running for local ...

If you're thinking about running for union office, this event co-sponsored by @labornotes and the Association for Union Democracy will surely be of interest: shar.es/agKWkN

The Sting of Hornet Comrade When Korea's president staged a coup, feminists, queers, and K-pop fans swarmed the barricades to join the labor movement.

Fantastic piece from Youbin Kang in ⁦Lux Magazine‬⁩ exploring the intersecting solidarities of labour, queer, and feminist activists (bound together by K-Pop) that brought down the Yoon Suk-Yeol government last year 🫰✊🏳️‍🌈

lux-magazine.com/article/comr...

I was back on Shaye Ganam's show on 880CHED to talk about the Air Transat settlement and how it fits into the bigger picture of what's going on with labour in Canada:
dcs-spotify.megaphone.fm/CORU39830642...

Air Transat labour deal averts holiday travel disruption | Watch News Videos Online Watch Air Transat labour deal averts holiday travel disruption Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

How did Air Transat pilots reach a deal at the last minute, and what does this say about the collective bargaining climate in Canada more generally? I spoke with @globalnews.ca to discuss these issues.
globalnews.ca/video/115734...

Opinion: Air Transat deal was a great success for collective bargaining In the absence of threats of government intervention, the pilots’ strike notice worked as intended

We don’t know what’s in the tentative agreement between Air Transat and its pilots, but it’s clear that the lack of a threat of government intervention kept management at the table to hammer out an agreement. That’s how bargaining is supposed to work.

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

GS4P will continue to bring attention to the war crimes in Palestine and push the ISA to comply with the principles of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). With your help we can achieve the continuation of the ISS's suspension until it joins our efforts for Palestine's liberation! [8/8]

(2) Reach out to your national association and communicate strongly how important it is for them to vote in favor of the suspension [contact info for associations: www.isa-sociology.org/en/national-... - send them the link to the above document so they know what's at stake! [7/8]