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]

• (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)