Jesse W. Torgerson

Hot off the press! The Ends of Time explains why the Chronographia of George the Synkellos & Theophanes -reading which I nearly quit grad school- was powerful & influential in its era. 100% FREE e-book thanks to @mjcbac & @wesleyan_u & @Brill_History! 1/ brill.com/view/title/583…

@WhiteHouse Superman Story: #undocumented #immigrant taken in, sheltered, given farm work, makes home ... story of hope, truth, justice, & love FOR "illegal" immigrants! @WhiteHouse (#copyrightinfringement much?) we know you & #Trumpit don't read but have you even watched the movies?

THE SYMBOL OF HOPE. TRUTH. JUSTICE. THE AMERICAN WAY. SUPERMAN TRUMP. 🇺🇸

@minilek Jerusalem Damascus Alexandria Antioch Caesarea Byzantion Nicaea Beirut Edessa Aleppo Carthage ... ... all those famous european christian cities.

"The entire idea of Christian civilization that led to the founding of the United States of America... that was formed in Europe." --JD Vance Newsflash: Jesus Christ wasn't European, and Christian civilization isn't a European concept. The first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion was Armenia, in West Asia. The Coptic church (Egypt) is also quite old, established by the Apostle Mark less than a decade after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Note also, the two oldest catechetical schools in the world are in Egypt (the Catechetical School of Alexandria) and Turkey (the Catechetical School of Antioch); neither are in Europe. Another example: Emperor Ezana of Axum (an African empire) converted to Christianity in the 4th century -- same century as Constantine of Rome, and well before most of Europe. Note also Acts 8 has a passage about an Ethiopian reading from the Book of Isaiah. The claim that the idea of Christian civilization came out of Europe is simply false.

Where does "Christian" or "Western Civilization" originate? EUROPE?!? LOL Try: Jerusalem, Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria, Carthage, Caesarea, Beirut, Istanbul (Constantinople) ... The @VP is mispronouncing "The Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa"

1/ I am a historian and Israeli citizen. For over a year, I’ve been documenting the war in Gaza and periodically publishing my findings here & in link. Today I update the section on hostages. Here’s what I found 🧵: witnessing-the-gaza-war.com

We are delighted to inform you that the website of the 25th International Congress of #ByzantineStudies has now been launched. Please visit us at icbs2026.org #ICBS2026 #ICBSVienna

1/ I am an historian and Israeli citizen. Over the past year I have been writing publicly about events in Gaza during the war, while collecting and documenting thousands of pieces of evidence and dozens of reports.

Yesterday during a lab meeting, my mentor informed me that I may no longer progress in my career due to my so-called 'infamy.' I was told that I was to blame for the challenges I've been facing in publishing my work—that my 'negative' political activism might be provoking the particularly unusual hostility of peer reviewers. Apparently, several 'respectable' figures in the scientific community have contacted him to voice their disapproval and even urged him to terminate my employment. This also highlights how the cowardly silence of my 'allies' perpetuates bigotry and exclusion. To my 'colleagues' who feel entitled to pass judgment on my existence as a Palestinian scientist—one who cannot turn away from the human instinct to preserve life while witnessing the daily murder of my people—I regret to inform you that I will continue to exist, unapologetically, with no regard for your comfort or supremacist ideals. Fortunately, science is not confined to institutions. It lives in my mind and heart, and I can enjoy it fully—even from the solitude of my imagination; even if I were to become homeless. Home, however, is precisely what I am fighting for. I only wish I had the privilege to contemplate nature, without the existential threat of Zionism. From my perspective at the margins here at MIT, I have come to see academia for what it truly is: a stronghold of racism, classism, and spiritual rot masquerading as enlightenment. Apologies in advance if I don’t respond to comments on this post—this is a deeply personal reflection, shared primarily for myself.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: The years ahead will be rough. Now is not the time for despair or to quit, but to shift energy. Get into community. Learn how to organize. Get grounded physically, spiritually, and creatively. If you haven't already, start NOW.

I don’t think it’s appropriate for universities to invest in weapons manufacturing even if there wasn’t a genocide happening.

on point

UPDATE: yesterday @routledgebooks @tandfonline told all staff that it's extra important to meet 2024 targets as they have promised the LLM companies a quota of books for them to digest to train their AIs. So if your editor is pushing you to meet that deadline, this is why!

Just found out that Taylor & Francis has sold access to all @routledgebooks data to Microsoft to train their AI. This includes my publications. I get no payment for using my research labour, never mind the bigger problems of this energy-intensive extractivism...

It is *possible* the #MNTwins make the playoffs. But having just gone 1-3 vs Cleveland 1-2 vs Boston 1-2 vs MIAMI … I do not WANT the emotional crush that this team will inevitably bring us in the playoffs. We know you tried, guys. This season was a massive Front Office Fail.

FanGraphs' projection of the #MNTwins playoff odds throughout the season definitely captures the mood. fangraphs.com/standings/play…

@Louis_Allday @NewLeftReview “we live in a time of comrades and cowards, the dividing line between the two becoming starker by the day. all love to the comrades, nothing but scorn for the legions of cowards in academia and beyond…” -geo maher

@Pseudo_Isidore Is it become worth the switch?

Good morning my fellow teachers and students. Remind each other that education is essential and is more needed and desired than ever. Meanwhile the Business of #HigherEducation(TM) continues to exploit our energies, and profit off our pedagogies. Make sure to give it the finger.

📣Join us on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 12pm ET/7pm Palestine with @FranceskAlbs, @luigidaniele10, & @PeruginiNic to discuss how Israel appropriates International Humanitarian Law to mask atrocities in Gaza. The event will be live-streamed. Register: palestine-studies.org/en/node/1656131

The Department of African American and African Studies at The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of African American history. hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EMPL…