Benton Johnson (born 1928) is an American sociologist and professor emeritus of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

's Department of Sociology.

Life

Benton Johnson is the son of Guy Benton Johnson and Guion Griffis Johnson. He was named Guy Benton Johnson, Jr., after his father, but was called "Benny" and continued to use "Benton" in adulthood. Johnson's father was a sociologist and anthropologist, while his mother was a noted historian. While in college, Johnson met Miriam Massey. They married on July 21, 1951. Miriam also pursued a successful career in sociology, focusing on family issues and

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

s. Together they had two children.

Academic career

Johnson is best known for his work related to the theory and typology of religious movements. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

and then, in 1954, a doctorate in Sociology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. While at Harvard, he was a student of

Talcott Parsons Talcott Parsons (December 13, 1902 – May 8, 1979) was an American sociologist of the classical tradition, best known for his social action theory and structural functionalism. Parsons is considered one of the most influential figures in soci ...

. Prior to joining the Department of Sociology at the

, Johnson taught at

Guilford College Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society o ...

and the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. He has chaired both the University of Oregon's Sociology Department and its Department of Religious Studies. Between 1972 and 1974, Johnson was Editor of the ''

Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion'' (''JSSR'') is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell in the United States under the auspices of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, dedicated to ...

''. He has served as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (1980–81), the

Association for the Sociology of Religion The Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) is an academic association with more than 700 members worldwide. It publishes a journal, '' Sociology of Religion'', and holds meetings at the same venues and times as the American Sociological A ...

(1987) and the

Religious Research Association The Religious Research Association (RRA) is an association of researchers and religious professionals. It was created in 1951 as the Religious Research Fellowship, although it existed informally as far back as the 1920s as a partnership between t ...

(1995–96).

Awards

''Vanishing Boundaries: the Religion of Protestant Baby Boomers'', co-written by Johnson, received the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion's annual book award in 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Benton 1928 births Living people American sociologists Sociologists of religion Researchers of new religious movements and cults University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Harvard University alumni Guilford College faculty University of Texas at Austin faculty University of Oregon faculty

Life

Academic career

Awards

See also

References