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James McDougall

@jamesrmcd

Teaches history, writes stuff, is in theatres whenever possible.

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13.09.2023
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Latest posts by James McDougall @jamesrmcd

in case anyone ever needed confirmation that it's not about building a democratic Iran, it's about collapsing Iran and turning it into a land of rubble that can be bombed every six months

01.03.2026 02:18 πŸ‘ 2847 πŸ” 1079 πŸ’¬ 21 πŸ“Œ 19

First time in a long time I’ve actually been able to listen to the news in the morning

27.02.2026 09:32 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ˜­πŸ˜­πŸ˜­πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

27.02.2026 08:44 πŸ‘ 24 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Press Release: Two Years of War on Gaza Reshape Palestinian Priorities, Politics, and Social Norms – Arab Barometer

October 2025 Arab Barometer Palestinian opinion survey finds β€œwidespread frustration with existing leadership. Fatah’s support has eroded sharply, Hamas has largely maintained its base, and political alienation has become the dominant stance.”

www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/p...

28.01.2026 18:53 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ«£β˜ΊοΈπŸ™

28.01.2026 19:40 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
#466 - A Global History of Islam: A Dialogue with James McDougall Listen now | In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with James McDougall about a global history of Islam.

I am very pleased to share the conversation I had with @jamesrmcd.bsky.social about a global history of Islam. Hope everyone enjoys! open.substack.com/pub/convergi...

19.01.2026 15:57 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

πŸ˜‚

28.01.2026 19:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Had a great chat to @xavierbonilla.bsky.social about Islam in global history and you can hear it now!

20.01.2026 20:36 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

What a nice thing to say. (New book out today.)

20.01.2026 20:35 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
UK drops target for international student recruitment Government to encourage education providers to open campuses overseas as it focuses on reducing migration

In any other context, requiring a high-productivity sector to offshore the production of its highest value-added exports would be seen as the economic illiteracy it so obviously is...

www.ft.com/content/a23c...

20.01.2026 08:01 πŸ‘ 372 πŸ” 176 πŸ’¬ 28 πŸ“Œ 18
Preview
Worlds of Islam A sweeping global history of Islam, tracing the 1,400-year evolution of a diverse community of faith and its place in the modern world β€œAnyone who wants to...

Hey Bluesky ppl in the US! The nice folks at @basicbooksgroup.bsky.social are offering 20% off my new book : use code WORLDS20 valid through 26 Feb. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james...

16.01.2026 13:35 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Extract from Rob Reiner's Wikipedia 

Filmography 
1986 - Stand By zme
1987 - The Princess Bride
1989 - When Harry Met Sally
1990 - Misery
1992 - A Few Good Men

Extract from Rob Reiner's Wikipedia Filmography 1986 - Stand By zme 1987 - The Princess Bride 1989 - When Harry Met Sally 1990 - Misery 1992 - A Few Good Men

Rob Reiner: I'm going to make a coming of age drama, a fantasy adventure story, a romantic comedy, a psychological horror and then a courtroom drama.

Us: Across your entire career?

Reiner: In a 6 year period.

Us: That sounds-

Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.

15.12.2025 08:04 πŸ‘ 13187 πŸ” 3559 πŸ’¬ 129 πŸ“Œ 237

Literally everybody take note. πŸ‘‡

03.12.2025 14:24 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Vacancies

I can confirm that this is an extremely wonderful job, #MiddleEast #historians please do apply 😁 www.trinity.ox.ac.uk/vacancies

21.11.2025 14:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Islam is part of European history Historians’ dismissal of the continent’s Muslim legacy is helping to feed contemporary divisions

Today, the popular view prevails that Muslims have never been part of European history. It is an environment in which populist right-wing polemics critical of Muslim migration can reach a receptive a mass audience. By David Motadel
www.newstatesman.com/culture/book...

21.11.2025 12:44 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Colloque : la Palestine et l'Europe, poids du passΓ© et dynamiques contemporaines
Colloque : la Palestine et l'Europe, poids du passΓ© et dynamiques contemporaines YouTube video by CAREP Paris

Le colloque censurΓ©, et maintenu, visible en ligne.
Prise de parole d'Henry Laurens Γ  l'instant.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sSU...

13.11.2025 08:13 πŸ‘ 205 πŸ” 117 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3

Very much noticed. It’s all part of the same tiny Tufton St circle, a few grumpy retired right wing Brexiters banging on about Rhodes & what a good thing the empire was, but with money and amplification. See also Legatum Inst., Scruton/Pharos lectures, etc etc

12.11.2025 19:03 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Normal Times in Dire Times Fascism does not break normal life, it feeds on it.

"History has already shown us how this story unfolds. Fascism is not built only in the camps and cells. It is built in the shrug, the silence, the insistence that life can go on as if nothing has changed"
Frederick Joseph"A Thought on Normalcy in Fascism" frederickjoseph.substack.com/p/normal-tim...

24.10.2025 17:38 πŸ‘ 3995 πŸ” 1905 πŸ’¬ 126 πŸ“Œ 103
Preview
We must act now: without a written constitution, Reform UK will have carte blanche to toxify our nation | Goerge Monbiot It means breaking with hundreds of years of tradition, but it can’t wait. As hard-right figures spread division and laud autocrats, a fail-safe is vital, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Exactly this. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

23.10.2025 11:56 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Whatever you do, please don’t stop reading.

Read for joy. Read for education. Read for resistance. Read banned books. Read books by marginalized authors. Read about experiences that differ from your own.

Just. Keep. Reading.

18.09.2025 18:20 πŸ‘ 3596 πŸ” 1541 πŸ’¬ 46 πŸ“Œ 56
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Still waiting for it to trickle down...

06.10.2025 01:01 πŸ‘ 12206 πŸ” 4179 πŸ’¬ 418 πŸ“Œ 200

Am of the opinion we should just respond to the current flag epidemic by flying a wider range of random national flags from lamp posts, roundabouts etc until the situation gets ridiculous and they give up.

02.10.2025 21:16 πŸ‘ 56 πŸ” 12 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1

the other half of this that I've never really gotten over: this all but explicitly amounts to valorizing being "asleep". people are really out here wielding "I have no idea what's going on, historically speaking" as a credential

28.09.2025 19:28 πŸ‘ 1181 πŸ” 278 πŸ’¬ 27 πŸ“Œ 7

Fantastic piece, I hope it’s widely read

28.09.2025 07:54 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

The wounded knee thing is really Trumpism distilled to its essence. It’s not enough to be able crush people who can’t fully defend themselves, it’s not enough to actually crush them, you also have to love and admire those who do the crushing otherwise the Trumpists’ delicate feelings are injured

26.09.2025 12:43 πŸ‘ 9277 πŸ” 2283 πŸ’¬ 163 πŸ“Œ 82
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Only an administration intent on committing war crimes in the present and future would stoop to calling Wounded Knee a "battle" rather than what it truly was: a massacre of over 250 Lakotas, mainly women, children, and the elderly. 1/

26.09.2025 11:11 πŸ‘ 20614 πŸ” 7430 πŸ’¬ 1032 πŸ“Œ 787

This. πŸ‘‡

26.09.2025 08:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Is Trump’s new Palestine plan a breakthrough or diplomatic mirage? Washington’s roadmap aligns surprisingly closely with a UN-backed plan – but key differences could prove unworkable

Your occasional reminder that it was imperially minded British politicians trying to influence America & ignoring Palestinians’ political rights that started this whole thing off in the 1st place.

26.09.2025 07:13 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Speaking of voices under attack…can we be just as loud about Black journalists and comedians who are silenced, even by our so-called liberal outlets.

β€’ Joy Reid
β€’ Don Lemon
β€’ Melissa Harris-Perry
β€’ Tiffany Cross
β€’ Jemele Hill
β€’ Marc Lamont Hill
β€’ Karen Attiah
β€’ Amber Ruffin

25.09.2025 04:40 πŸ‘ 18180 πŸ” 7521 πŸ’¬ 576 πŸ“Œ 353

This isn’t getting as much attention as it should. Orgs like Medical Aid for Palestinians running essential, life-saving clinical services in Gaza face having to suspend their work. Deliberate, cynical move by Isr govt, pls listen to the Israeli historians of medicine who are calling it out.

25.09.2025 07:15 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0