Lesley Ruth Johnson (born 1949) is an Australian cultural historian, whose research has focused on gender studies and the sociology of education. She is professor emeritus at Griffith University.

Early life and education

Johnson was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales on 12 April 1949. She was educated in the public school system at Denistone East Public School and then Ryde High School. She won a Commonwealth Scholarship to study at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and graduated with a BA in 1968. She moved to Brisbane where she undertook a Master of Education at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

(1972). Johnson won a Commonwealth Postgraduate Award that allowed her to complete a PhD (1976) at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

with her thesis, ''The concept of culture and the English intellectual, 1850–1975.''

Career

Johnson's career as an academic began with a tutoring position at the University of Queensland in 1972 to 1973. She was appointed lecturer at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

in 1976, progressing to reader in 1990. Back in Sydney, in 1992 Johnson was professor of communication at Western Sydney University. She then jointly filled the positions of professor of cultural studies and pro vice chancellor for research at the University of Technology, Sydney from 1995 to 2004. She published "Sentenced to Everyday Life: Feminism and the Housewife" and moved to Queensland in 2004 as deputy vice chancellor (research) at Griffith University, remaining there until she retired in 2009. In "retirement" she was president of the Australian Academy of the Humanities from 2011 to 2014 and served as president of the Australian Council of Learned Academies in 2013.

Awards and recognition

Johnson was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1999. She was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

in 2001. She was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the

2010 Queen's Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sain ...

for "service to education as a leading academic, administrator and author, particularly in the fields of cultural history and feminist studies, and through the establishment of research centres for a range of disciplines". Johnson was named professor emeritus at the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 2021 ...

in 2004 and of Griffith University in 2011.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Lesley 1949 births Living people 20th-century Australian historians Australian women academics Members of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities