Cedric Johnson's interests include racial and ethnic politics; African American political thought; neoliberalization; political economy; urban politics; and critical urban theory.
He was the editor of The Neoliberal Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, Late Capitalism and the Remaking of New Orleans (University of Minnesota Press, 2011) and the author of Revolutionaries to Race Leaders: Black Power and the Making of African American Politics (University of Minnesota Press, 2007).
He has also published numerous articles, including “James Boggs, the ‘Outsiders,’ and the Challenge of Postindustrial Society" in Souls and “The Urban Precariat, Neoliberalization and the Soft Power of Humanitarian Design."
Johnson was awarded the W.E.B. DuBois Outstanding Book Award, from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists, in 2008.