E. Patrick Johnson

Johnson has been a pioneer in the formation and codification of black sexuality studies as a field of study in the academy. His publications and conference convenings have been foundational to the field of black queer studies. His multimodal approach to research is perhaps his greatest contribution, however. Johnson employs ethnography and oral history research to collect the real life narratives of African American sexual dissidents in the South and transforms that research into traditional scholarly books, theater, documentary film, and creative nonfiction. Johnson is unique in his ability to blur the line between traditional modes of scholarly and artistic production.