Steven Epstein
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Professor Department of Sociology John C. Shaffer Professor in the Humanities Areas of Interest: Sociology of Biomedicine; Sociology of Science; Social Movements; Health and Inequality; Sociology of Sexuality; LGBT Studies.
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John C. Shaffer Professor in the Humanities; Professor of Sociology; faculty affiliate in Gender Studies; faculty affiliate in Science in Human Culture. Ph.D (Sociology), the University of California, Berkeley (1993). Areas of interest include sociology of biomedicine, health, and illness; sociology of science and knowledge; gender, sexuality, and race in relation to biomedicine; health and inequality; social movements in relation to health, science, and technology; sociology of sexuality; LGBT studies; and sociological theory. Before joining the Northwestern faculty in 2009, Epstein spent 16 years at the University of California, San Diego.
Epstein’s most recent book, Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in Medical Research (Chicago, 2007), charts the rise and assesses the consequences of new ways of managing difference (especially gender and race) within biomedical research in the United States. Inclusion has received multiple awards, including the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Book Award for 2009. Previously, Epstein’s wrote Impure Science: AIDS, Activism, and the Politics of Knowledge (University of California Press, 1996), a study of the politicized production of knowledge in the AIDS epidemic. This book, which received multiple prizes, examines the roles of laypeople and activists in transforming medical research. Epstein is also a coauthor of the book Learning by Heart: AIDS and Schoolchildren in America’s Communities (Rutgers University Press, 1989). He has published in journals including Social Studies of Science, Body & Society, Sociological Forum, Theory and Society, and Sexualities.
At present, Epstein is involved in several ongoing research projects. He is studying the politics of health, sexuality, and knowledge production with a focus on the introduction of new vaccines against HPV (human papillomavirus). He is a co-investigator on a qualitative study of "sexual migration" that analyzes the sexual identities and risk practices of gay Mexican men who choose to migrate to San Diego at least in part for reasons connected to their sexual identity. And he is studying the history of the International AIDS Conference as a site where different varieties of knowledge and expertise coincide.
Epstein currently serves on the editorial boards of six journals, including Social Studies of Science and Sexuality Research and Social Policy. He is currently a council member on the American Sociological Association Section on Sexualities.
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1808 Chicago Av Room 206
Evanston, Illinois 60208-1330
Phone: (847) 491-5536
Fax: (847) 491-9907
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Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities
Science in Human Culture Program
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