E. Patrick Johnson hailed for scholarly achievement in communication studies

E. Patrick Johnson, dean of the School of Communication at Northwestern University, received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Communication Association (NCA) on Nov. 17. The NCA’s highest honor, the award recognizes remarkable NCA members for a full career of distinguished scholarly achievement in the area of communication studies.

Unanimously selected for the award based on his intellectual work making profound influences on the field and beyond, Johnson was recognized for his work examining the intersection of gender, sexuality, race and religion, with focuses on Black gay men of the South and Black Queer Southern women. In addition to writing four award-winning, highly acclaimed books, Johnson has edited several book collections and published multiple journal articles and book chapters.

Related: E. Patrick Johnson named dean of the Northwestern School of Communication

Known for crafting exquisite performance scholarship, Johnson developed the influential Quare Theory, which has received multidisciplinary attention.