R. W. Johnson

This article is about the South African political scientist. For the co-founder of Johnson and Johnson and his descendants, see Robert Wood Johnson.

"Richard William Johnson" redirects here; not to be confused with William Richard Johnson.

Johnson speaking at the 10th Barry Streek Memorial Lecture in Cape Town, South Africa, in August 2016.

R. W. Johnson (born 1943) is a British journalist, political scientist, and historian who lives in South Africa. ^[1] Born Richard "Bill" William in England, he was educated at Natal University and Oxford University, as a Rhodes Scholar. He was a fellow in politics at Magdalen College, Oxford, for 26 years, ^[2] and remains an emeritus fellow. His 2015 book Look Back in Laughter: Oxford's Postwar Golden Age is a memoir of his years at Magdalen, including his work with college president Keith Griffin to rescue the college's finances and buildings. ^[3] In reviewing his memoirs, The Economist described Johnson as a "romantic contrarian liberal". ^[4]

On his return to South Africa in 1995, Johnson became director of the Helen Suzman Foundation in Johannesburg until 2001. ^[5] He has been a South Africa correspondent for the London Sunday Times and also written for the London Review of Books ^[6] His articles for the LRB generally cover South African and to a lesser extent Zimbabwean affairs.

In early March 2009, Johnson injured his left foot while swimming. It became infected with necrotizing fasciitis, ^[7] and his leg was amputated above the knee. ^[8]

Criticism

Academic critics have raised concerns about Johnson's recent work, citing issues of accuracy, argumentation and the use of inflammatory but unevidenced claims. ^{[9] [10]}

In a 2025 Mail & Guardian article, Imraan Buccus criticised Johnson for publishing an article in BizNews in which he labelled the Islamic newspaper Al-Qalam "antisemitic", a claim Buccus characterised as unfounded and reflective of a wider tendency to make statements without substantiating evidence. ^[11]

An earlier 2014 critique in Africa Is a Country by Benjamin Fogel described Johnson's evolution from a youthful radical to a right-leaning commentator, criticised his use of reductionist and stereotypical views of Africa and Africans, and noted a tendency to make sweeping and at times conspiratorial claims without evidence. ^[12]

Bibliography

• (ed. with Christopher Allen) African Perspectives (1970)
• How Long Will South Africa Survive? (1977)
• The Long March of the French Left (1981)
• Shootdown: The Verdict on KAL 007 (1985)
• Heroes and Villains: Selected Essays (1990)
• (ed. with Lawrence Schlemmer) Launching Democracy in South Africa: South Africa's First Open Election, April 1994 (1996)
• (ed. with David Welsh) Ironic Victory: Liberalism in Post-Liberation South Africa (1998)
• South Africa; The First Man, the Last Nation (2004)
• South Africa's Brave New World: The Beloved Country since the End of Apartheid (2009)
• How Long Will South Africa Survive?: The Looming Crisis (2015)
• Look Back in Laughter: Oxford's Postwar Golden Age (2015)
• Foreign Native: An African Journey (2020)

References

1. The Guardian contributor profile.
2. Ivan Fallon "'South Africa's Brave New World', By R. W. Johnson", The Independent, 17 April 2009
3. R W Johnson: Look Back in Laughter: Oxford's Postwar Golden Age, Threshold Press (2015).
4. "Romantic contrarian". The Economist. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
5. Orion Archived 2009-01-06 at the Wayback Machine author profile.
6. London Review of Books contributor page.
7. R. W. Johnson "Diary", London Review of Books, 6 August 2009, p41
8. "RW Johnson Loses Part of Leg After Lagoon Swim" Archived 22 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine , Book SA - News, 23 March 2009
9. Buccus, Imraan (25 March 2025). "We need to talk about RW Johnson and BizNews". Mail & Guardian.
10. Fogel, Benjamin (10 October 2014). "What's the matter with … R.W. Johnson". Africa Is a Country.
11. Buccus, Imraan (25 March 2025). "We need to talk about RW Johnson and BizNews". Mail & Guardian.
12. Fogel, Benjamin (10 October 2014). "What's the matter with … R.W. Johnson". Africa Is a Country.