Susanna Hoffman

Susanna Hoffman (Ph.D., U.C. Berkeley) is a disaster anthropologist and food writer. She is the author, co-author and editor of twelve books, two ethnographic films, and over forty articles and columns. Among her books are: the just out COOLING DOWN: LOCAL RESPONSES TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE; THE ANGRY EARTH 1 and 2; DISASTER UPON DISASTER: THE GAP BETWEEN DISASTER KNOWLEDGE, POLICY AND PRACTICE; CATASTROPHE AND CULTURE: THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF DISASTER; BOLD: A COOKBOOK OF BIG FLAVORS; THE OLIVE AND THE CAPER: ADVENTURES IN GREEK COOKING, THE WELL-FILLED TORTILLA; GOOD AND PLENTY: AMERICA’S NEW HOME COOKING and more.

Recent articles include: the just published chapter on “Greek Food” in THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MODERN GREECE; “Disasters and Their Impact: A Fundamental Feature of Environment,” “The Question of Cultural Continuity and Change After Disaster: Further Thoughts,” “Culture: The Crucial Factor in Hazard, Risk and Disaster Recovery: The Anthropological Perspective,” many more including food articles from Greek meze to Swedish meatballs. She launched Risk and Disaster Thematic Group at the Society for Applied Anthropology and started and chairs the Commission on Risk and Disaster for the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences. She is a member of the World Task Force on Food and Nutrition and was the first recipient of the Fulbright Foundation’s Aegean Initiative concerning disaster issues between Greece and Turkey. She is a frequent national and international speaker, as well as a guest on television and radio shows, including cooking shows.

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