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Fredrik Albritton Jonsson

@fredrikjonsson

Historian at the University of Chicago. Co-editor of The Journal of Modern History. New projects: Pandora's Box: The First Fossil Fuel Economy (Princeton UP, 2027). And with Moritz von Brescius, The Long Acceleration 1500-1950.

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Latest posts by Fredrik Albritton Jonsson @fredrikjonsson

Picture of women on a beach John Leech, ‘The mermaids' haunt’. The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1854 - 1869. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Picture Collection, The New York Public Library.

Picture of women on a beach John Leech, ‘The mermaids' haunt’. The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1854 - 1869. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. Picture Collection, The New York Public Library.

Call for Papers: Women’s Fieldwork and the Making of Nineteenth Century Natural History Collections
We seek articles to complete a special issue on women’s field collecting, and contributions to nineteenth century natural history for Nuncius.
#Histsci #NaturalHistory #WomensHistory #Fieldwork

09.03.2026 12:47 👍 85 🔁 62 💬 2 📌 2

Merci beaucoup Pierre, à bientôt!

07.03.2026 22:15 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities.

“Helsinki hasn’t registered a single traffic-related fatality in the past year…Citing data that shows the risk of pedestrian fatality is cut in half by reducing a car’s speed from 40 to 30km/hr, city officials imposed the lower limit in most of Helsinki’s residential areas and city center in 2021.”

01.03.2026 04:01 👍 2440 🔁 836 💬 38 📌 100

Thanks for sharing. Very much looking forward to reading the articles and assigning them in teaching.

27.02.2026 19:57 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Every senator who voted to confirm RFK Jr owns this tragedy. Every single one.

27.02.2026 14:51 👍 16778 🔁 7026 💬 540 📌 375
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Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For

Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!

"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."

13.02.2026 22:08 👍 6780 🔁 2198 💬 99 📌 186
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Marc Bloch, historien et résistant juif, entrera au Panthéon le 23 juin La date du 16 juin avait été dans un premier temps pressentie pour son entrée au Panthéon, mais la cérémonie a dû être décalée de quelques jours en raison du G7 à Evian-les-Bains.

Marc Bloch, historien et résistant juif, entrera au Panthéon le 23 juin

08.02.2026 18:00 👍 279 🔁 105 💬 9 📌 20
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Industrial heat is one of the hardest parts of the energy transition.

This sand battery is now delivering fossil-free heat for industry, storing renewable electricity as high-temperature heat and releasing it when needed. Simple idea, big impact.

08.02.2026 09:01 👍 3369 🔁 918 💬 64 📌 43
This two-day workshop will explore several questions. How can environmental history complement or offer alternatives to existing historiographical narratives and periodisations in British history? What new actors, events, or phenomena might come to the fore? How should it foster engagements with places beyond its national borders or with other disciplines? Is environmental history different from longstanding traditions of ‘landscape’ or ‘urban’ histories of Britain? What contributions can historians make to environmental advocacy and policymaking? And how might a focus on the environment reshape teaching in British history?

To take part, participants should submit a 300 word proposal for a short ‘position paper’ (approx. 2500 words) that will be pre-circulated at the workshop. These position papers will address the place of environmental approaches and themes within modern British history (1800 to the present) from the perspective of the participant’s own research. Participants will orally summarise their papers at the workshop. The event is free to attend and includes lunch and refreshments.

Submissions are welcomed across a range of perspectives and topics, including but not limited to: energy, extraction, non-human actors, pollution, toxicity, rural and urban landscapes, everyday  environmental histories (including how they are shaped by class, gender, and race), imperialism and decolonisation, ‘green’ policy, activism, and the political economy of the natural world.

Please send proposals and a one-paragraph biography in a single PDF to andrew.seaton@manchester.ac.uk by 15 May 2026. Please also direct enquiries to this address.

This event is organised by Dr. Max Long (Oxford) and Dr. Andrew Seaton (Manchester).

This two-day workshop will explore several questions. How can environmental history complement or offer alternatives to existing historiographical narratives and periodisations in British history? What new actors, events, or phenomena might come to the fore? How should it foster engagements with places beyond its national borders or with other disciplines? Is environmental history different from longstanding traditions of ‘landscape’ or ‘urban’ histories of Britain? What contributions can historians make to environmental advocacy and policymaking? And how might a focus on the environment reshape teaching in British history? To take part, participants should submit a 300 word proposal for a short ‘position paper’ (approx. 2500 words) that will be pre-circulated at the workshop. These position papers will address the place of environmental approaches and themes within modern British history (1800 to the present) from the perspective of the participant’s own research. Participants will orally summarise their papers at the workshop. The event is free to attend and includes lunch and refreshments. Submissions are welcomed across a range of perspectives and topics, including but not limited to: energy, extraction, non-human actors, pollution, toxicity, rural and urban landscapes, everyday environmental histories (including how they are shaped by class, gender, and race), imperialism and decolonisation, ‘green’ policy, activism, and the political economy of the natural world. Please send proposals and a one-paragraph biography in a single PDF to andrew.seaton@manchester.ac.uk by 15 May 2026. Please also direct enquiries to this address. This event is organised by Dr. Max Long (Oxford) and Dr. Andrew Seaton (Manchester).

CALL FOR PAPERS - Modern British History and the 'Environmental Turn'.

A two-day workshop organised by @maxlong.bsky.social and myself at Lincoln College, Oxford, 16-17 September. Deadline for abstracts is 15 May.

Details in poster below, please share.

05.02.2026 14:09 👍 52 🔁 48 💬 1 📌 3
HistoryLab 20th Anniversary Annual Conference 2026 — Call for Papers

Embodied Histories: Body, Mind, and Experience

17th July 2026 | Hybrid Conference, in-person at University of Birmingham, Staff House, Grand Central Room

The human body is both a biological reality and a cultural construct. It is a site of meaning, experience, and power. From rituals of health and healing to practices of regulation, discipline, and display, bodies have both shaped and been shaped by their historical contexts.
We invite papers that place the body and lived experience at the centre of historical inquiry, engaging with themes such as medicine, disability, gender, the senses, and the emotions. We welcome contributions that explore how bodies and experiences have been represented, regulated, or performed, and how these processes intersect with broader questions of identity, power, culture, and society across periods and regions.

This conference also marks the 20th anniversary of HistoryLab. Since its founding, HistoryLab has provided a national platform for postgraduate and early career historians to share ideas, foster collaboration, and build community. We invite participants to join us in celebrating this milestone year.

HistoryLab 20th Anniversary Annual Conference 2026 — Call for Papers Embodied Histories: Body, Mind, and Experience 17th July 2026 | Hybrid Conference, in-person at University of Birmingham, Staff House, Grand Central Room The human body is both a biological reality and a cultural construct. It is a site of meaning, experience, and power. From rituals of health and healing to practices of regulation, discipline, and display, bodies have both shaped and been shaped by their historical contexts. We invite papers that place the body and lived experience at the centre of historical inquiry, engaging with themes such as medicine, disability, gender, the senses, and the emotions. We welcome contributions that explore how bodies and experiences have been represented, regulated, or performed, and how these processes intersect with broader questions of identity, power, culture, and society across periods and regions. This conference also marks the 20th anniversary of HistoryLab. Since its founding, HistoryLab has provided a national platform for postgraduate and early career historians to share ideas, foster collaboration, and build community. We invite participants to join us in celebrating this milestone year.

Our conference #cfp is now live! This year's conference, "Embodied Histories: Body, Mind and Experience" will take place on 17th July 2026 at University of Birmingham!

Keep on reading to find out more...(1/9)

06.02.2026 09:36 👍 39 🔁 37 💬 2 📌 2
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Call for Contributions: Histories of Weather & Weathering Call for Contributions: A Sourcebook for Histories of Weather and Weathering (working title) Editors: Rebekah Higgitt, Tamara Caulkins and Lotta Leiwo We invite contributions to this planned open a…

Call for Contributions to a Sourcebook for Histories of Weather & Weathering teleskopos.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/c...
Full details linked and here teleskopos.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
It will be edited by me, @lottaleiwo.bsky.social and Tamara Culkins. Please share! #histSTM #envhist 🗃️📜

06.02.2026 10:01 👍 42 🔁 38 💬 2 📌 4
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The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought Special Issue on ESHET 2024 Conference Graz. Volume 32, Issue 6 of The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought

The new issue of EJHET contains in-depth reviews of the new translation of Marx’s Capital, the Correspondance of Saint-Simon, as well as a book by Plouviez on French debates on inheritance in the 19th century, and one by Mbeki on Kalecki @thomaslalevee.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/toc/rejh20/3...

05.02.2026 12:26 👍 11 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 1
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Australian tropical rainforest trees switch in world first from carbon sink to emissions source Researchers say carbon emissions change in Queensland tropical rainforests may have global climate implications

This research paper is the first time that a tipping point of a switch from a carbon sink to a carbon emission source in tropical rainforests has been identified clearly – not just for one year but for the last 20 years. Cause is a change in the local climate. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

03.02.2026 22:26 👍 3054 🔁 1196 💬 107 📌 90
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You thought it was just Carney in Beijing this January?

The West wants an 'outside option' from US bullying....
"new world order" is about building the material basis of their sovereignty: ppl's wellbeing, energy, tech & the future
@katemac.bsky.social & I:
www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/bri...

01.02.2026 21:43 👍 35 🔁 12 💬 1 📌 2
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'Cross Tracks (across a cold landscape)'
Charcoal & Oil Paint Sketch

27.01.2026 15:59 👍 143 🔁 32 💬 1 📌 0

Yes, they work beautifully for an undergraduate seminar-style course focused on close reading of classic texts. Baker's volume is especially good but the medieval selections also teach really well

30.01.2026 19:51 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1

We still use them in the History of European Civ to this day...

30.01.2026 19:13 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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It’s the Economy, Stupid | Environmental History: Vol 31, No 1

A few of us got together for a forum on degrowth in
@envirohistory.bsky.social. Here is my bit: "It's the Economy Stupid." And check out the entries from
@fredrikjonsson.bsky.social, @matthiasschmelzer.bsky.social, and

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

30.01.2026 16:14 👍 43 🔁 11 💬 3 📌 0
OPEN LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN
Dear Editors,
We write in reference to a recent article published in the UK online edition of The Guardian on Friday, 23 January 2026, which carried the following misleading headline: "British crown was world's largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals."
The article in question, by Chris Osuh, showcases a new book by Dr. Brooke Newman, The Crown's
Silence: The Hidden History of Slavery and the British Monarchy (Harper Collins, 2026). But Newman's book is not the original source of that claim. That claim derives from earlier scholarship, the painstaking archival work of a Black historian of Caribbean heritage: the late Roger Norman Buckley.
It is unfortunate that the silencing of his original scholarship appears in the profiling of a book advertised as uncovering silences. While it is great to see public attention brought to the history of the Crown's involvement in slavery through the new book and its profiling in The Guardian, the headline compromises The Guardian's efforts to address the legacies of slavery generally and its own institutional links when it extracts and reframes earlier work by a Black scholar as a revelation new to this book.
The relevant passage in The Crown's Silence draws on original scholarship by Roger Norman
Buckley in Slaves in Red Coats: The British West India Regiments, 1795-1815 (1979). Dr. Brooke Newman repeats Buckley's figures, which she cites (referencing page 55 of Buckley's book, see attached) while changing his "British government" to "Crown." She then converts his careful "perhaps the largest individual buyer" to a more conclusive claim, changing his "British government" to "king" but without citing Buckley for that claim which is on page 56 of his book (see attached) and which, uncited in Newman's book, is the Guardian headline.
There is room for popular histories that rely largely on the secondary scholarship of other historians. But other historians have not been silent.

OPEN LETTER TO THE GUARDIAN Dear Editors, We write in reference to a recent article published in the UK online edition of The Guardian on Friday, 23 January 2026, which carried the following misleading headline: "British crown was world's largest buyer of enslaved people by 1807, book reveals." The article in question, by Chris Osuh, showcases a new book by Dr. Brooke Newman, The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of Slavery and the British Monarchy (Harper Collins, 2026). But Newman's book is not the original source of that claim. That claim derives from earlier scholarship, the painstaking archival work of a Black historian of Caribbean heritage: the late Roger Norman Buckley. It is unfortunate that the silencing of his original scholarship appears in the profiling of a book advertised as uncovering silences. While it is great to see public attention brought to the history of the Crown's involvement in slavery through the new book and its profiling in The Guardian, the headline compromises The Guardian's efforts to address the legacies of slavery generally and its own institutional links when it extracts and reframes earlier work by a Black scholar as a revelation new to this book. The relevant passage in The Crown's Silence draws on original scholarship by Roger Norman Buckley in Slaves in Red Coats: The British West India Regiments, 1795-1815 (1979). Dr. Brooke Newman repeats Buckley's figures, which she cites (referencing page 55 of Buckley's book, see attached) while changing his "British government" to "Crown." She then converts his careful "perhaps the largest individual buyer" to a more conclusive claim, changing his "British government" to "king" but without citing Buckley for that claim which is on page 56 of his book (see attached) and which, uncited in Newman's book, is the Guardian headline. There is room for popular histories that rely largely on the secondary scholarship of other historians. But other historians have not been silent.

Page from Buckley’s 1979 book

Page from Buckley’s 1979 book

2nd page from Buckley’s 1979 book

2nd page from Buckley’s 1979 book

An open letter to @theguardian.com about their article last week about the Crown’s Silence, requesting that the Black scholar of Caribbean heritage who did the years of archival research behind this claim, and published it in 1979, Roger Norman Buckley, be acknowledged as the source of this reveal:

29.01.2026 19:04 👍 163 🔁 81 💬 6 📌 4
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free

28.01.2026 17:02 👍 97502 🔁 40890 💬 4302 📌 5362
Following the killing of AFGE Member Alex Pretti and the subsequent slanderous rhetoric that followed from top Trump administration officials, AFGE National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement:

“Yesterday, AFGE brought together labor and faith leaders from Minneapolis and across the nation to mourn our fallen brother from Local 3669, Alex Pretti. We honored his life and legacy and lifted up his family, his friends, his union, Minneapolis, and our nation in prayer.

“Today, we demand accountability.

“In the immediate aftermath of Alex’s killing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem betrayed the public trust by slandering the good name of our union brother and calling him a “domestic terrorist.” Alex Pretti was a patriotic ICU nurse at a VA hospital who devoted his life to serving America’s veterans. That claim was reckless, defamatory, and unsupported by the facts. Noem was preceded in this false statement by Stephen Miller, Deputy White House Chief of Staff, who is also the architect of the chaotic and failed immigration policy in Minnesota.

“Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alex’s needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them.

Following the killing of AFGE Member Alex Pretti and the subsequent slanderous rhetoric that followed from top Trump administration officials, AFGE National President Everett Kelley issued the following statement: “Yesterday, AFGE brought together labor and faith leaders from Minneapolis and across the nation to mourn our fallen brother from Local 3669, Alex Pretti. We honored his life and legacy and lifted up his family, his friends, his union, Minneapolis, and our nation in prayer. “Today, we demand accountability. “In the immediate aftermath of Alex’s killing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem betrayed the public trust by slandering the good name of our union brother and calling him a “domestic terrorist.” Alex Pretti was a patriotic ICU nurse at a VA hospital who devoted his life to serving America’s veterans. That claim was reckless, defamatory, and unsupported by the facts. Noem was preceded in this false statement by Stephen Miller, Deputy White House Chief of Staff, who is also the architect of the chaotic and failed immigration policy in Minnesota. “Our demand is clear: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was responsible for carrying out the policy that led to Alex’s needless killing, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the architect of that policy, must resign immediately. If they refuse, President Trump must dismiss them.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents border patrol officers at the National Border Patrol Council, calls on Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller to resign or be fired

27.01.2026 02:07 👍 12551 🔁 4171 💬 143 📌 332
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brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis

27.01.2026 00:22 👍 23468 🔁 7822 💬 332 📌 882
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“They are using the mechanism of armed officers with masks who are killing citizens to create disruption so they can use more force to eliminate the possibility they could be removed from office and suffer criminal sanctions for the crimes they are now committing”

26.01.2026 03:20 👍 9012 🔁 3021 💬 321 📌 151

On the weakness of state terror: once ppl internalize the regime's lawless brutality, that they are no safer in their homes than in the streets (& vice versa), and that their unwavering defiance is what confounds & disempowers the regime, they also realize they have nothing to lose but their fear.

25.01.2026 19:51 👍 1309 🔁 454 💬 18 📌 10
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The beauty of slag Maybe it’s not just a brownfield or a wastescape. Maybe it’s a novel ecosystem.

palate cleanser: read about curious nerds, slow science, and the Chicago slag barrens among gorgeous photos in the golden hour at #MarianByrnesPark.

#WildCalumet #GreatNearby

mag.uchicago.edu/science-medi...

11.01.2026 15:28 👍 6 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 1

Dems should introduce legislation now defunding ICE and CBP operations in Minnesota, so they have to leave the state. One sentence bill. Demand an immediate vote. Maybe refuse to vote for cloture on any funding bills (or other bills) until a vote. Make the GOP Congress break w/ Trump or own it all.

25.01.2026 13:47 👍 4694 🔁 1365 💬 123 📌 105
Alex Pretti from his early days working at the VA

Alex Pretti from his early days working at the VA

Alex from our time working together, while he was in nursing school. Later, he moved to ICU, working as a nurse to support critically ill Veterans. He had such a great attitude. We’d chat between patients about trying to get in a mountain bike ride together. Will never happen now

24.01.2026 19:39 👍 23720 🔁 7817 💬 632 📌 607

The term martyr means “witness.” The man was murdered for bearing witness, literally bearing it, not arms but a camera. Murdered for seeing.

24.01.2026 21:45 👍 2120 🔁 604 💬 13 📌 9
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A Landmark 'High Seas Treaty' Has Arrived. Here's Why It's a Big Deal. The United Nations Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJA) – nicknamed the 'High Seas Treaty' – comes into force on January 17, a massive milestone in efforts to conserve marine li...

Today, the high seas treaty becomes law - the first legally binding ocean governance instrument that covers the international waters outside of any country's national jurisdiction, more than 80 countries have now ratified share.google/JVG19PNv0eNQ...

17.01.2026 06:57 👍 39 🔁 18 💬 0 📌 0
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Idea of green growth losing traction among climate policy researchers, survey of nearly 800 academics reveals According to a survey of almost 800 climate researchers, 73% are sceptical of the idea of green growth. Instead, approaches such as agrowth and degrowth are gaining ground.

Post-growth perspective gaining traction among climate policy specialists theconversation.com/idea-of-gree...

28.12.2025 23:59 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0