IU Northwest’s Johnston returning to Russia as Fulbright Scholar

By Roxana Geraci

‘The priestly sociologists pursue their research agendas and the prophetic ones move toward social activism.’ –Barry Johnston

As a recipient of the distinguished travel award, Johnston will live in the former U.S.S.R. from August through January of 2002. During his stay, he will teach graduate students at Moscow State University and doctoral students at the Institute for Higher Economics, which is located at the university. He will also conduct ongoing research on Russian-born Pitirim A. Sorokin, who came to the United States in 1922 and became the founding chairman of the Department of Sociology at Harvard University eight years later. It is this research that brought Johnston to be plenary speaker at an international symposium held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Syktyvkar.

Known as the leading expert in the world on the outspoken and often critical Sorokin, Johnston plans to work with Russian sociology professor Nikita Pokrovsky, establishing a “bridge between American and Russian sociologists.”

He also hopes to bring Pokrovsky to the United States as a visiting scholar to the IU Institute for Advanced Study and to initiate an exchange program between Indiana and Moscow students.

“Sociologists in both countries struggle to accumulate knowledge and make their disciplines relevant to social policy and social justice,” said Johnston. “The priestly sociologists pursue their research agendas and the prophetic ones move toward social activism. Each community remains separate and a thrust of this project is to bring them closer together. We can serve as the bridge for this dialogue—and I am excited to have a role in that.”

Read more about Johnston’s work at this HP archival site:

http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/HomePages/100199/text/johnston.htm