Guy Benton Johnson Jr. (August 19, 1928 – January 8, 2024) was an American sociologist and professor emeritus of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

's Department of Sociology.

Biography

Guy Benton Johnson Jr. was born in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, on August 19, 1928, the son of

Guy Benton Johnson Guy Benton Johnson (February 28, 1901 – March 23, 1991) was an American sociologist and social anthropologist. He was a student of black culture in the rural South and an advocate of racial equality. Biography Johnson was born in Caddo Mill ...

and Guion Griffis Johnson. He was named after his father, but was called "Benny" and continued to use "Benton" in adulthood. Johnson's father was a sociologist and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

, 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, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

s. Together they had two children. Johnson died on January 8, 2024, at the age of 95.

Academic career

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

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and then, in 1954, a doctorate in sociology from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. 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 and the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. 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 The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (was founded at Harvard University in 1949) was formed to advance research in the social scientific perspective on religious institutions and experiences. The ''Journal for the Scientific Study of ...

(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 As ...

(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 2024 deaths 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 People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Biography

Academic career

Awards

See also

References