Sociologist of (queer) everyday security, belonging, and marginalisation in Georgia and beyond. PhD from @uclssees.bsky.social. He/they.
https://davidrypel.com
David Rypel
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On a more personal note, this will likely be my last conference for a while. I haven't had access to conference funding in the past two years, which means I've self-funded most of the expenses. As rewarding as it has been, it isn't a "hobby" one can easily sustain.
As thousands have gathered in central Tbilisi, the main pro-government TV channel, Imedi is downplaying the scale of the protests with drone footage showing empty streets.
⭕ Georgia Live Updates: oc-media.org/live-updates...
I’m looking forward to presenting my work (a book pitch??) this Saturday at the CEEShub 2026 conference in Tallinn. Reach out if you're around!
In case you're attending, I’ll be part of Panel M-134 from 11:30–13:00.
securityhub.ee/conference-p...
The Georgian government follows the established authoritarian trajectory and now targets the independence of universities.
Please sign and share the petition below in solidarity with ISU.
docs.google.com/forms/d/1d4w...
I absolutely agree with this in that - if you're thinking about doing a PhD, you need to be okay with that even if it's just the PhD. The odds are, there will not be an academic job at the end.
However, we also need to be very clear on the realities of the PhD. It is not a good early graduate job.
📣JOBS📣
I am hiring a PhD student & a postdoc for a project on the history of security innovations in Global East.
Interested in sociological & STS research on security? Apply here:
PhD: jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5...
Postdoc: jobs.univie.ac.at/job-invite/5...
Cool office neighbourhood included!
This is crazy news, and I hope it's not the end. Back in 2016, GIP was the only CEE think tank that replied to my cold call for an internship—this pretty much set me on the path of engaging with Georgia.
I'm presenting my paper on how queers in Georgia (Sakartvelo) navigate and survive the enforcement of cisheteronormativity at the panel 3A-9 (9 am).
Stop by if you're around! #Aleksanteri2025
