Steije Hofhuis

Steije Hofhuis is a historian and Research Fellow at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB), specializing in Migration, Integration, and Transnationalization. He holds a PhD from Utrecht University (2022) with a dissertation on the cultural evolution of witch hunts. His research explores how historical migration patterns and witch persecutions inform contemporary debates on integration, cultural identity, and policy-making.

• Current focus: A (dis)comforting past? project analyzing historical narratives in modern migration discourse.
• Academic background: BA in History (Amsterdam), PhD (2022) on evolutionary approaches to witch-hunting.
• Media presence: Regular op-ed contributor to outlets like NRC, de Volkskrant, and Quillette, addressing migration policy, cultural relativism, and historical parallels.

His work bridges historical analysis with evolutionary theory, examining societal dynamics through the lens of cultural pathogens and self-sealing belief systems. While his research on witch hunts and migration history has sparked debates, he remains committed to challenging ideological biases in academia and public discourse.