Kirk Johnson
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology
Phone Number: (662)915-6505
Email: kjohnson@olemiss.edu
http://socanth.olemiss.edu/2011/09/kirk-a-johnson/

Key Words: inequality, race, news, politics, history

Research Description: Like all sociologists, I'm intrigued by social interaction. But I'm particularly interested in how interaction leads to inequality based on race, ethnicity, social class, and so on, and how these forms of inequity have arisen over time as a result of government policies and private actions. For example, some of my research explores how subtle messages about race proliferate through everyday activities like reading a newspaper or watching local news broadcasts.

I've also investigated puzzling questions involving racial identity. I wrote my doctoral dissertation on why some African Americans embrace modern medicine as they also practice voodoo and other traditional healing methods--a strategy that struck me as counterintuitive when I witnessed it firsthand. I was equally intrigued by the sight of African Americans who protested the Obama presidency at Tea Party rallies, an observation that grew into my 2019 book, African American Tea Party Supporters: Explaining a Political Paradox.

I use both qualitative and quantitative methods, and I enjoy students who are inquisitive, who aren't afraid of hard work, and who appreciate the importance of well-crafted writing.

Honors Theses:

Owens-Wilson, Hope Myriah (2014) How Do They Stay: An exploration of the factors contributing to college completion amongst African-American Women at the University of Mississippi in the 21st century. (full text)

Reece, Robert Lamont (2010) "Blacking Up Critical Whiteness: Dave Chappelle as a Race Theorist."