معرفی
Ben Hightower is a Lecturer at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University, specializing in transdisciplinary legal research intersecting with religion, music, art, and culture. His work focuses on reimagining law through the lens of marginalized communities, particularly refugees and asylum seekers.
He received his PhD in Law from the Legal Intersections Research Centre at the University of Wollongong, where his thesis Refugee Limbo established the concept of 'legal limbo' in refugee and human rights law using qualitative methods. His research spans legal liminalities, crimmigration, and the criminalization of dissent in liberal democracies.
Hightower's publications reveal a consistent focus on Australian refugee policy, media representation of asylum seekers, and transnational protest movements. His work bridges legal theory with cultural studies, emphasizing threshold spaces experienced by marginalized groups. The research demonstrates strong engagement with socio-legal methodologies and cross-disciplinary frameworks.
- Faculty of Arts Learning & Teaching Innovation Award (2023)
- University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning (2016)
As an educator, Hightower teaches courses including LAWS5079 (Refugees and Migration), LAWS2060 (The Politics of Human Rights Law), and LAWS5080/8094 (Human Rights and Moral Dilemmas). He serves on the Editorial Board for the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law as an Australian Advisor and is a member of the Law, Literature and Humanities Association of Australasia. His teaching philosophy emphasizes authentic student engagement and enduring connections to legal curriculum.
