Elspeth Van Veeren

A Brief History of Men are Becoming Less Manly

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I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

Oh this may be the sexiest shit I've ever seen

☎️ Call For Papers ☎️
🔹International Symposium: Far Right, Gender and Femonationalism🔹
Mid-March 2026, Lausanne

CRAPUL and CEG (UNIL) invite scholars to submit proposals for a three-day symposium on far-right politics and gender.

👉 Full CFP text: urlr.me/35GyhK
⏰ Deadline : 30th October 2025

The word ‘populism’ is a gift to the far right – four reasons why we should stop using it Extremists benefit when we use euphemisms that confer on them an air of legitimacy.

This short piece co-authored with Alex Yates shows why the misuse of populism plays right in the hands of the far right

(Annoyingly, the app is not allowing me to tag colleagues, but follow them!)

theconversation.com/the-word-pop...

Is International Studies ready for what comes next? New thinking, new directions The BISA conference is renowned for being inclusive, diverse and friendly. We bring together a worldwide community of specialists to discuss, promote and develop international studies.

SPIN is hoping to head to #BISA2026 in Brighton in June. If you would like to contribute a paper to a panel on secrecy and/or ignorance in international politics, please send a quick expression of interest thsi week followed by abstracts and titles by 27 Oct. conference.bisa.ac.uk

This book should be essential reading/listening for all undergraduates and graduates studying IR.

Erased: a history of international thought without men, by Patricia Owens

Very excited to be attending this talk by Patricia Owens about Erased: a history of international thought without men.

Thanks so much @researchspin.bsky.social for organising!

It's easy to see this speech as just weirdly performative, but there's a lot more—and a lot worse—going on here.

The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration.

How? 1/

New! Cassetteboy vs Keir Starmer.

This took absolutely ages, so if you'd like to buy us a coffee at ko-fi.com/cassetteboy we'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

@zaranosaur.bsky.social Hi Zara. Can you DM me please? Quick question for you. Ta!

Re-upping the link to an online book talk tomorrow at 3pm hosted by SPIN.👇 Please email secrecyresearch@gmail.com for an invite link.

We're very excited to welcome Patricia to SPIN tomorrow, chaired by @zaranosaur.bsky.social All welcome!

The alleged shooter in Michigan. Weird that Vance and Patel haven’t tweeted out this info. 🤷🏽‍♂️👇🏽

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Just fuck off with this. How about start the conversation by highlighting how much immigrants contribute to the UK - not least by propping up the NHS and social care system!

Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.

SPIN Autumn Newsletter - SPIN In this latest newsletter, we’re pleased to welcome new SPIN members, announce new opportunities and celebrate new publications.  ...

Our latest SPIN Newsletter is now out! Visit our blog to catch up on all our latest publications, events, and new members including a Call for Papers and our list of upcoming SPIN talks. wp.me/pb19Tu-1d7

Katabasis by RF Kuang review – a descent into the hellscape of academia The bestselling author’s sixth novel is far from perfect, but this journey into the underworld is delivered with heretical glee

Current read. So far she’s not wrong and some of the digs at academia and academics are excellent. 😮‍💨🤣 www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a... Any other suggested academia-themed reads? (NOT Secret Histories 😠.

Next week! Join us for Prof. Patricia Owens' (Oxford) book talk: Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men, chaired by Dr. Zara Bain (Bristol)
@zaranosaur.bsky.social
1 Oct 3pm (UK Time), Zoom (to register to attend please email secrecyresearch@gmail.com
All welcome!
wp.me/pb19Tu-1ap

Meme from the Simpsons, Moe (labeled Francis Fukuyama) throws Barney (labeled History) out of the bar, only for us to see in the third panel Barney standing behind Moe inside the bar

this from my piece on charlie kirk is probably the most important takeaway if you want to know why bad faith, right-wing voices in media are treated as just another set of peers

And the linked journal article coauthored with @doccstevens.bsky.social and Amaha Senu that also includes a discussion of mazes: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Of mazes, complex space and secrecy games in security politics Current spatial approaches to security politics of the city, and the ways in which state and resistance actors engage with the city and its ‘clutter’, do not do enough to account for the role of compl...

Mazes as a security form are everywhere yet under-researched www.academia.edu/119170610/Of...

Delighted to have my chapter on the security politics of mazes included in this forthcoming volume, shepherded with a lot of patience by Faye and Tillman. Links to prepublication version below.

Security and Space Security and Space - In Pursuit of Interconnections; By viewing security through a spatial lens, the book uncovers the social, economic and political forces that shape security issues in everyday life...

Faye Donnelly and Tilman Schwarze eds. Security and Space: In Pursuit of Interconnections - @brisunipress.bsky.social, May 2026
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/security-and...

Yesterday's piece from @jamellebouie.net is the only high-profile piece I've seen that specifically discusses the watchlist, its effect on academics, and its effect on public attitudes toward academia as a whole. (gift link)

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/o...

More dates for your diaries! Our line-up of talks this term include:

1 Oct, 3pm (UK time) – Erased - Patricia Owens
22 Oct, 3pm – Articulated Absences Archive - Vera Zurbrügg
19 Nov, 3pm – The Birth of Psychological War - Jeff Whyte

For news, follow us on BlueSky, LInkedIn or secrecyresearch.com

Very pleased to appear in this stellar lineup!

Save the date! First event of the academic year. Book Talk: Prof Patricia Owens (Oxford) discussing her latest book: Erased: A History of International Thought Without Men, chair @zaranosaur.bsky.social
1 Oct 3pm (UK Time), Zoom
All welcome!

wp.me/pb19Tu-1ap

#SPINEvents #InternationalRelations

a man in a red and green vest with the number 12 on it is standing in front of a wall with handprints on it . ALT: a man in a red and green vest with the number 12 on it is standing in front of a wall with handprints on it .

On hold with a UK energy supplier to rearrange (overcharging) direct debits. The hold music is the serenade for strings used in Squid Game. It feels like they are trolling me. 🤣