About

David L. Hoffmann is a Distinguished Professor of History in the College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University. His expertise lies in Russian and Soviet history, with a particular focus on the political, social, and cultural history of Stalinism. Hoffmann has authored several significant works, including the monograph 'The Stalinist Era' and edited volumes such as 'The Memory of the Second World War in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia.' His research explores themes related to state practices, social identities, and cultural norms within Soviet history. Hoffmann's scholarly contributions have been recognized through awards like the Ohio Academy of History award for his book 'Peasant Metropolis' and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Currently, he is working on two books: 'Women and Gender in Soviet History' and 'World War II Memory in the Soviet Union and Putin's Russia.' He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University and has a background that includes an M.A. from Columbia and a B.A. from Lawrence University.

Research topics

• Political science
• History
• Economic history
• Political economy
• Sociology

Selected publications

• Women's Work and the Gendered Division of Labor During the Stalinist Era

  2026-01-21

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Women, Gender, and Socialist Ideology in Soviet Russia

  2026-01-21

  book1st authorCorresponding

  This book examines the place of women in Soviet Russia from the 1917 Revolution through the post-World War II period, discussing how the Soviet construction of gender perpetuated inequality even as it dramatically expanded women’s roles in society. Chapters of this book explore Bolshevik activists’ ideals of women’s liberation and their failure to realize these ideals; the significance of women’s labor to the Soviet economy, alongside continued workplace discrimination; state reproductive policies and essentialist understandings of femininity; women’s World War II military service and representations of gender in postwar commemorations; and the role of socialist ideology in the formation of the Soviet system and Stalinist culture. Throughout, Hoffmann places Soviet history in its international context, including comparisons of Soviet women’s social positions with those of their counterparts in other countries. The book makes clear the centrality of the Soviet gender order to the country’s social, cultural, and political history, as well as providing an important historical case for understanding the broader struggle for women’s equality. Intended for students and scholars alike, this book is a valuable resource for all those interested in gender history, Soviet history, labor history, and World War II.

  PublisherDOI

• The Soviet Gender Order and the Elusiveness of Women's Equality

  2026-01-21

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Socialist Ideology, State Interventionism, and Soviet Governance in Its International Context

  2026-01-21

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Alexandre Sumpf. <i>The Broken Years: Russia’s Disabled War Veterans, 1904–1921</i>.

  The American Historical Review · 2024-06-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Journal Article Alexandre Sumpf. The Broken Years: Russia's Disabled War Veterans, 1904–1921. Get access Alexandre Sumpf. The Broken Years: Russia's Disabled War Veterans, 1904–1921. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. Pp. 320. Cloth $99.99. David L Hoffmann David L Hoffmann Ohio State University, US Email: hoffmann.218@osu.edu Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 129, Issue 2, June 2024, Pages 832–833, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/rhae107 Published: 13 June 2024

  PublisherDOI

• Karl Schlögel. <i>The Soviet Century: Archaeology of a Lost World</i>.

  The American Historical Review · 2024-06-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Bringing the Value Chain for High-Impact Weather Warnings into the Classroom

  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2024-07-16

  article

  Abstract University students can learn about weather warnings and contribute to a database for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) project on value chain approaches to evaluate the end-to-end warning chain. The project offers students a way to understand how information about high-impact weather is created, shared, and used within a complete warning system for a selected event. Their contributions are intended to inform researchers and practitioners on what has and what has not worked well in the warning process. The students use a structured questionnaire designed to collect information on observations, forecasting, hazards, impacts, warning communications, and responses.

  PublisherDOI

• Data from HACE1 Prevents Lung Carcinogenesis via Inhibition of RAC-Family GTPases

  2023-03-31

  preprintOpen access

  &lt;div&gt;Abstract&lt;p&gt;HACE1 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase with important roles in tumor biology and tissue homeostasis. Loss or mutation of &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; has been associated with the occurrence of a variety of neoplasms, but the underlying mechanisms have not been defined yet. Here, we report that &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; is frequently mutated in human lung cancer. In mice, loss of &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;/i&gt; led to enhanced progression of &lt;i&gt;KRas&lt;sup&gt;G12D&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;-driven lung tumors. Additional ablation of the oncogenic GTPase &lt;i&gt;Rac1&lt;/i&gt; partially reduced progression of &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; lung tumors. RAC2, a novel ubiquitylation target of HACE1, could compensate for the absence of its homolog RAC1 in &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;/i&gt;-deficient, but not in HACE1-sufficient tumors. Accordingly, ablation of both &lt;i&gt;Rac1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Rac2&lt;/i&gt; fully averted the increased progression of &lt;i&gt;KRas&lt;sup&gt;G12D&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;-driven lung tumors in &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; mice. In patients with lung cancer, increased expression of &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; correlated with reduced levels of &lt;i&gt;RAC1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;RAC2&lt;/i&gt; and prolonged survival, whereas elevated expression of &lt;i&gt;RAC1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;RAC2&lt;/i&gt; was associated with poor prognosis. This work defines HACE1 as a crucial regulator of the oncogenic activity of RAC-family GTPases in lung cancer development.&lt;/p&gt;Significance:&lt;p&gt;These findings reveal that mutation of the tumor suppressor HACE1 disrupts its role as a regulator of the oncogenic activity of RAC-family GTPases in human and murine lung cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

  PublisherDOI

• Data from HACE1 Prevents Lung Carcinogenesis via Inhibition of RAC-Family GTPases

  2023-03-31

  preprintOpen access

  &lt;div&gt;Abstract&lt;p&gt;HACE1 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase with important roles in tumor biology and tissue homeostasis. Loss or mutation of &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; has been associated with the occurrence of a variety of neoplasms, but the underlying mechanisms have not been defined yet. Here, we report that &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; is frequently mutated in human lung cancer. In mice, loss of &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;/i&gt; led to enhanced progression of &lt;i&gt;KRas&lt;sup&gt;G12D&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;-driven lung tumors. Additional ablation of the oncogenic GTPase &lt;i&gt;Rac1&lt;/i&gt; partially reduced progression of &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; lung tumors. RAC2, a novel ubiquitylation target of HACE1, could compensate for the absence of its homolog RAC1 in &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;/i&gt;-deficient, but not in HACE1-sufficient tumors. Accordingly, ablation of both &lt;i&gt;Rac1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Rac2&lt;/i&gt; fully averted the increased progression of &lt;i&gt;KRas&lt;sup&gt;G12D&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt;-driven lung tumors in &lt;i&gt;Hace1&lt;sup&gt;−/−&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/i&gt; mice. In patients with lung cancer, increased expression of &lt;i&gt;HACE1&lt;/i&gt; correlated with reduced levels of &lt;i&gt;RAC1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;RAC2&lt;/i&gt; and prolonged survival, whereas elevated expression of &lt;i&gt;RAC1&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;RAC2&lt;/i&gt; was associated with poor prognosis. This work defines HACE1 as a crucial regulator of the oncogenic activity of RAC-family GTPases in lung cancer development.&lt;/p&gt;Significance:&lt;p&gt;These findings reveal that mutation of the tumor suppressor HACE1 disrupts its role as a regulator of the oncogenic activity of RAC-family GTPases in human and murine lung cancer.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

  PublisherDOI

• Supplementary Table S1 from HACE1 Prevents Lung Carcinogenesis via Inhibition of RAC-Family GTPases

  2023-03-31

  supplementary-materialsOpen access

  &lt;p&gt;HACE1 mutational landscape in human cancer.&lt;/p&gt;

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jörg Baberowski

  5 shared

• Sheila Fitzpatrick

  5 shared

• Peter Holquist

  5 shared

• Michael David‐Fox

  5 shared

• Heather Coleman

  4 shared

• Robin Judd

  New York University Press

  4 shared

• Astrid Hagelkrüys

  Medical University of Vienna

  4 shared

• Elizabeth Clement

  St. Paul's Hospital

  4 shared

Education

• Ph.D., History

  Columbia University Columbia College

  1990

Awards & honors

• Ohio Academy of History award for best book (1995)
• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship