معرفی
Steve G. Hoffman is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Toronto, teaching on the Mississauga (UTM) campus and participating in the tri-campus graduate program on the St. George (UTSG) campus. His research bridges social theory, science and technology studies (STS), cultural and political sociology, and critical disaster studies, united by an interest in the cultural politics of knowledge production.
- Ph.D. in Sociology, Northwestern University
Hoffman's scholarship examines how institutions and professionals navigate ambiguity, commercialization, and societal impact through ethnographic studies of disaster management, artificial intelligence labs, and comparative analysis of post-disaster policy shifts. His work synthesizes empirical cases from AI development to sports training simulations.
Recent publications focus on academic capitalism, epistemic cultures in AI research, and the sociological implications of anticipatory technologies. Hoffman's pedagogical approach emphasizes "learning by mistakes" to foster curiosity and long-term intellectual growth. He has taught courses in organizational sociology, environmental sociology, and contemporary sociological theory, including a 2023-24 course on disasters.
His SSHRC-funded project "Managing the Unimaginable" investigates disaster management professionals' epistemic practices, while prior research analyzed the Fukushima nuclear disaster's impact on energy policy in Germany and the United States. Hoffman also explores the evolving ontology of social science in the 21st century, particularly through the lens of "real fictions" in AI research.
