BeepBeepBoop

I just started Karen Armstrong's Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence. So far it's shaping up to be as insightful and thought-provoking as her other work.

Tell me about it! If I do end up at UVA I think I will likely rent one of their post-grad apartments for the first year - apparently a lot of international students take that option, as it's a little trickier to check out places in advance. Flat-hunting is always such a hassle though...

We definitely should! And in the meantime I hope you enjoy and benefit from the visit Not in anywhere else so far - I haven't heard back from any of the other programs I applied to, although the only one that's sent out responses is Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, so I'm assuming rejection. But it was rather a poor fit for me (plus, you know, it *is* Princeton). I did wonder if your username was a clue! We skipped through a little Imperial Russian history during a course I took for my MA, but not in as much detail as I'd have liked. The bilingual schools in I-P topic is a fascinating one - it symbolises so much of what's going on over there...

That's something you don't come across often! I'd be very interested in knowing more, if you're happy to share I work on intra-Jewish ethnic relations, the Israeli radical right and state violence.

I am a little sorry I can't make it - it would have been great to meet potential future peers. On the other hand, through a happy scheduling accident, my trip coincides with the Virginia book fair - so every cloud... My field's modern Middle East, more specifically Israel-Palestine. How about you?

I'm going in March, because I'm coming from the UK and couldn't make it work for the end of February - but just wanted to say that that is a super kind offer

Reopening the OP's question as it's been a decade since it was asked, and the most recent answers are from a number of years back. What's Charlottesville's queer community like, and how diverse is it? PM me if you're not comfortable going into it on here. Thanks!