Tomas Gold

Assistant Professor of Sociology
Tomas Gold
Pronouns He / Him / His Email tgold@usc.edu Office HSH 211

Research & Practice Areas

Political Sociology, Cultural Sociology, Social Theory, Comparative-Historical & Qualitative Methods, Social Movements, Development & Global Sociology

Biography

My name is Tomás Gold, and I am a sociologist interested in political strategy-making from a cultural and historical perspective. My research examines how political actors respond to moments of change and uncertainty, paying particular attention to how they interpret evolving situations and adjust their courses of action. I am especially interested in how strategic action emerges through interaction over time, rather than from fixed preferences or stable organizational scripts.

I pursue this research through the study of right-wing and free-market politics in Latin America, where shifting political alignments and contested institutions make strategic adaptation especially visible. I also draw on comparative-historical methods to clarify how similar processes unfold across other regional contexts.

My research has been published in the American Journal of SociologySocial ForcesSociological TheorySocial Movement StudiesInformation, Communication & Society, and Latin American Politics & Society, among other outlets, and has received awards from multiple sections of the American Sociological Association.

 

Education

  • Ph.D. Sociology, University of Notre Dame, 2024
  • M.A. Political Science, Universidad Nacional de San Martin, 2017
  • B.S. Political Science, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2014
    • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Brown University, 2024-2025
  • Research Specialties

    Political Sociology, Cultural Sociology, Social Theory, Comparative-Historical & Qualitative Methods, Social Movements, Development & Global Sociology

    • (Spring 2026) GESM 130. Seminar in Social Analysis – Conservatism, Neoliberalism, Populism, MW, 05:00pm – 06:20pm
    • (Spring 2026) SOCI 511. Sociological Theory II, M, 02:00pm – 04:50pm, HSH303
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