Benito Cao Lopez

Research Interests

Citizenship Environmental Politics Culture, representation and identity

Teaching Strengths

Political Theory
Identity Politics
International Relations
Environmental Politics
Citizenship Studies

APrf Benito Cao Lopez

Associate Professor

School of Society and Culture

College of Education, Behavioural and Social Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

I am an Education Specialist and a member of the Adelaide Education Academy since 2017. This has translated into a shift in my academic profile from research to teaching. However, I remain interested and active in several research areas. I have a particular an ongoing interest in the relation between racism and national identity in Brazil, which was the topic of my PhD, but my main research focus at present is the intersection between environment and citizenship. I am the author of Environment and Citizenship (Routledge, 2015), and the guest editor of a special edition of the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region (JIOR) on Environmental Citizenship in the Indian Ocean Region (2020). I am also active in the field of innovation in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, particularly regarding the impact of generative AI in academic integrity.

 

I research and have published in the following areas:

 

  • Citizenship Studies, esp. Environmental Citizenship
  • Nation and State, Nationalism, and Multiculturalism
  • Racism, Ethnic Relations, and the Politics of Identity
  • Power, Politics and Popular Culture (Cultural Studies)
  • Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Year Citation
2023 Cao, B. (2023). Identity, geography and citizenship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Social Identities, 29(3), 1-7.
DOI
2023 Cao, B. (2023). Squatting in Rio de Janeiro: constructing citizenship and gender from below. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 29(3), 316-322.
2023 Cao, B. (2023). Postcards from Rio: favelas and the contested geographies of citizenship. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 29(3), 316-322.
2020 Cao, B. (2020). Environmental citizenship in the Indian Ocean region. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 16(1), 1-5.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Women’s empowerment in the global South. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 13(1), 1-6.
DOI
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Race, politics and education in Brazil. Social Identities, 23(4), 493-499.
DOI
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Identity and community in the Asia-Pacific. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 13(3), 355-359.
DOI
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Race, politics, and education in Brazil: affirmative action in higher education. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 23(4), 493-499.
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Nations, National Narratives and Communities in the Asia-Pacific. JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION, 13(3), 355-359.
2017 Cao, B. (2017). The Asia-Pacific in the Age of Transnational Mobility: The Search for Community and Identity on and through Social Media. JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION, 13(3), 355-359.
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Reimagining Black difference and politics in Brazil: from racial democracy to multiculturalism. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 23(4), 493-499.
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Education, gender and development: A capability perspective. JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION, 13(1), 119-124.
2017 Cao, B. (2017). Women's empowerment in South Asia: NGO interventions and agency building in Bangladesh. JOURNAL OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION, 13(1), 119-124.
2012 Cao, B. (2012). Legalizing identities: Becoming black or Indian in Brazil's Northeast. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 18(3), 373-379.
2012 Cao, B. (2012). Imperial subjects: Race and identity in colonial Latin America. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 18(3), 373-379.
2012 Cao, B. (2012). Identifying citizens: ID cards as surveillance. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 18(3), 373-379.
2012 Cao, B. (2012). Beyond empire: Australian cinematic identity in the twenty-first century. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 6(3), 239-250.
DOI Scopus12 WoS3
2012 Beasley, C., & Cao, B. (2012). Transforming first-year university politics students into critical thinkers. Ergo, 2(3), 41-52.
2012 Cao, B. (2012). Review essay: identity and citizenship. Social Identities, 18(3), 373-379.
DOI
2011 Cao, B. (2011). White Hegemony in the (Re)Birth of Brazil. Humanities Research, 17(1), 35-57.
2011 Cao, B. (2011). Race matters in Brazil. Social Identities, 17(5), 709-716.
DOI WoS1
2010 Cao, B. (2010). Becoming Brazuca: Brazilian immigration to the United States. SOCIAL IDENTITIES, 16(5), 711-714.
DOI WoS2
2009 Cao, B. (2009). Multiculturalism without Culture. INTERNATIONAL FEMINIST JOURNAL OF POLITICS, 11(4), 598-599.
2009 Cao, B. (2009). Third Wave Feminism and Television: Jane Puts It in a Box. INTERNATIONAL FEMINIST JOURNAL OF POLITICS, 11(2), 284-286.
2009 Cao, B. (2009). Anne Phillips. Multiculturalism without Culture. Princeton, NJ & Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2007. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 11(4 Sp Iss), 598-599.
DOI WoS5
2007 Cao, B. (2007). Review: Migration, gender and national identity. Social Identities, 13(1), 119-123.
DOI

Year Citation
2025 Cao, B. (2025). Don’t Be Sorry, Just Declare It: Pedagogical Principles for the Ethical Use of ChatGPT, Master Bullshit Artist of Our Time. In International Conference on Higher Education Advances (pp. 1243-1250). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València (edUPV).
DOI
2011 Beasley, C., & Cao, B. (2011). Transforming first-year university Politics students into critical thinkers. In The Journal of the Education Research Group of Adelaide Vol 2, No 3 (pp. 41-52). Adelaide, Australia: The University of Adelaide.
2010 Cao, B. (2010). Teaching, Learning and Assessing Using Participatory Multiple Choice Tests. In The Education Research Group of Adelaid (pp. The Changing Face of Education, 24-25 September, 2010). Adelaide, Australia: The University of Adelaide.
2006 Cao, B. (2006). Descubrimiento como Ideología: El Descubrimiento de Asia en el Humanismo Portugués. In Colóquio Internacional de Estudos: O Humanismo Latino e as Culturas do Extremo Oriente, Macau, 6-8 Janeiro, 2005. (pp. 33-53). Treviso: Fondazione Cassamarca.
2005 Cao, B. (2005). Africa lost in transit. In Actas del Congreso Africa Camina, Congres Internacional d'Estudis Africans - IV Congres d'Estudis Africans del Mon Iberic, Barcelona, 12 a 15 de gener de 2004 (pp. 8 pages). Barcelona: Agència Catalana de Cooperació al Desenvolupament de la Generalitat de Catalunya.
Date Project Funding Body
Amount
2019 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2019 Conference Papers Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant   $4,000
2018 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2018 Curriculum Design Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant $10,000
2017 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000
2017 Curriculum Design Learning and Teaching Advancement Grant $10,000
2016 Singapore Study Tour Australian Government - New Colombo Plan $66,000

I have been teaching since 2002. I began as a tutor at the University of Adelaide but have also taught at UniSA and Flinders University. I have a special interest in the study and teaching of Politics, but I am interested in all fields of Social Sciences and the Humanities. I have taught in over twenty different courses over the years. Currently, I teach a number of undergraduate courses across all levels in the Department of Politics and International Relations:

In 2020 I had the honour and the pleasure to interview Julia Gillard as part of the course Introduction to Global Politics. In 2022, I will be teaching The Ethics of War and Peace (Semester 1). I will be on long service leave in Semester 2. I will resume normal teaching in 2023, when I hope I will also be able to conduct the Singapore study tour in Term 4: "Inside Singapore: History, Politics, Identity". The content of the study tour is beautifully captured in this student blog from the 2017 edition: Majulah Singapura.

I have received several teaching awards, including: the Executive Dean's Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2011 and 2016, the Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching [Early Career] in 2010, a Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching [Continuing] in 2016 and 2020, a Beacon Commendation for the Enhancement and Innovation of Student Learning in 2016, a Student-Led Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019, a Special Commendation: COVID-19 Emergency Teaching Response in 2020, and a Stephen Cole the Elder Award for Excellence in Teaching and Support for Learning in 2020.

My teaching philosophy emphasises student engagement and participation that builds constantly on student feedback. In essence, this philosophy rests on a student-centred approach. This does not deny the crucial role of teachers as mentors, leaders and/or facilitators, but recognises that without paying close attention to the needs and views of students learning outcomes will be compromised. This approach requires the development and implementation of activities that inspire student engagement and participation, effectively treating students as partners in the teaching and learning process. The successful implementation of this teaching philosophy relies also on my ability to coordinate the efforts of tutors working with me in some of the courses I teach. This has allowed me to enable and inspire others to enhance their approach to learning and teaching.

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2020 - 2024 Co-Supervisor Toward a Preventative Protection Regime: the UN Charter, the Refugee Convention and the Responsibility to Protect Doctrine Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ainoa Cabada
2020 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Citizens or ‘Infiltrators’? Decolonising the Securitisation of Migration and Citizenship in India Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Maggie Paul
2019 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Aussies Abroad: An Exploration of Australian Expatriates' Citizenship Practices and Perceptions of National Identity Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Anna Larson
2019 - 2024 Co-Supervisor An Investigation into the Factors Influencing Women’s Descriptive Representation in the Republic of Maldives Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Fathimath Shafeega

Connect With Me

External Profiles

Other Links