Benjamin Lawson

Benjamin Lawson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, serving as coordinator for the history with social studies teacher licensure program. His research bridges environmental history, urban development, and public policy, focusing on the intersection of waste management, park redevelopments, and societal attitudes toward consumerism.

• Education
  • Ph.D. in History from the University of Iowa (2015)
  • M.A. in History from Oklahoma State University (2007)
  • B.F.A. in Studio Art (2004) and B.A. in Art History (2003) from Oklahoma State University

Dr. Lawson’s recent book A Cultural History of Waste Disposal: Environmental Policy and Park Redevelopments (Routledge, 2025) examines municipal waste strategies in New York City, Toronto, and Tel Aviv. His work highlights how landfill-to-park projects reflect shifting policy paradigms—from crisis rhetoric to hopeful narratives of environmental renewal—while critiquing the disconnect between public perception and waste realities.

Teaching certifications include U.S. History, Government, Economics, World History, Geography, and Special Education (Mild-Moderate/Severe-Profound Disabilities). He engages interdisciplinary approaches through landscape urbanism, environmental justice, and settler colonialism frameworks.