معرفی
Professor Stephen Macdonald is Professor of Criminology and Disability Studies in the Department of Sociology, Durham University, and Fellow of the Institute for Medical Humanities. Since arriving at Durham in 2021 he has served as Level-3 BA Criminology Year Tutor (Terms 2 & 3) and teaches across both undergraduate and postgraduate criminology programmes.
Education & Career Path
- PhD, Newcastle University (2006)
- MSc Social Research (Criminology specialism)
- BA Criminology
- Professor of Social Science & Head of Centre of Applied Social Sciences (CASS), University of Sunderland (prior to 2021)
Research Focus
Macdonald’s scholarship sits at the intersection of Disability Studies, Criminology and Social Work. Recent projects investigate the everyday violence and hate crime faced by disabled people, the phenomenon of “cuckooing” (home takeovers), neurodiversity and pathways into offending, and the disabling effects of poverty, homelessness and social exclusion. His work deploys critical disability theory to re-frame criminological questions around victimisation, state violence and structural inequality.
Key thematic strands include:
- Disability hate crime & mate crime
- Neurodiversity, dyslexia and criminal justice
- Homelessness, social deprivation and offending
- Adult safeguarding and coercive control
- Digital inclusion/exclusion for disabled populations
Publications & Intellectual Contributions
Across more than 50 peer-reviewed articles, books and chapters, Macdonald has advanced a distinctive dis/ableist criminology that foregrounds disabled voices and lived experience. His 2024 article in Disability and Society on “domestic colonisation” reframes home-based hate violence as a form of spatial domination, while his 2023 piece in Sociological Research Online re-theorises repeat hate incidents as ongoing coercive relationships. These works consolidate a research trajectory that combines empirical rigour with critical theoretical innovation.
Honours & Esteem
- 2022 British Society of Criminology Hate Crime Network Journal Prize
- Associate Editor, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research (2021–present)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2010)
- Member of the British Society of Criminology
Doctoral Supervision & Research Leadership
Macdonald currently supervises postgraduate researchers including Esther Outram. He has led multiple funded projects on disability, hate crime and policing, collaborating with regional police forces, third-sector organisations and health services to translate research into policy and practice.
Research Group & Collaborations
He is affiliated with Durham’s Institute for Medical Humanities and works closely with interdisciplinary teams across criminology, sociology and social policy. Recent collaborations include the ESRC-funded “Improving Responses to Hate Relationships” project with Durham and Northumbria Universities.
