An Interview with John J. Johnson

Bibliographic Data

ID2829456
AuthorsJohn J Johnson (0000-0002-9230-8912), David Bushnell (0000-0001-8736-8403), Lyle N Mcalister
Year1986
Volume66
Issue4
Pages643
Publication date1986-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHispanic American Historical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-2168 • E-ISSN: 1527-1900
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2515074
OpenAlexW4210718981
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited16

HE Spanish crown, in its wisdom, determined that its colonial officials, at the end of their services, should be held accountable for their acts in a special inquiry, the residencia. It also laid down the rule that the inquiry in any given case should be conducted by someone other than the outgoing official's immediate successor, but, as was its custom, it turned a blind eye to repeated infractions of the rule. This somewhat irregular practice saved both time and money, and it is unlikely that the general quality of the administration was much the worse for it. When the time came to residenciar the outgoing Managing Editor of the HAHR, similar practical considerations suggested that it be done by members of the new editorial team, taking advantage of the fact that on laying down his editorial (and other) duties at the University of New Mexico, Professor Johnson had accepted an appointment at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina, in relative proximity to the present editorial office in Gainesville, Florida. He accepted the summons, and the inquiry was conducted, in Gainesville, on March 21, 1986. It seemed only reasonable, however, to combine Professor Johnson's accounting for his stewardship of the HAHR with a broader inquiry into his career as one of the leaders in the field of Latin American history in the United States over most of the period since World War II. Having invented the series of interviews with distinguished scholars that first graced this journal in 1982, he could hardly refuse to be interviewed. For us, it seemed poetic justice-and wholly justified-to do unto him as he had caused to be done to so many others. To expedite the operation, we invited him to prepare written answers in advance to certain routine questions that have almost always been present in the interview series. Excerpts from the more extensive oral questioning have been interspersed with portions of the written testimony in the manner that seemed most appropriate. Readers will be able to distinguish the former by the initials of

Administration (probate law) · Library science · Management · Political science · Politics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Stewardship (theology) · Successor cardinal · Summons · American Sports and Literature · Latin American and Latino Studies · Law · Oral History, Memory, Narrative Analysis · Philosophy · Psychology · Race, History, and American Society