Johnston Birchall (1951–2021) was a leading British academic in the field of co-operative studies and at the time of his death Professor Emeritus at the Social Science Faculty of the University of Stirling.
[1][2][3] Birchall studied theology at the University of Oxford, before working as a community worker and a housing association manager for five years.
[4][5] His doctoral thesis formed the basis for his 1988 book, Building Communities: The Co-operative Way.
[6] Birchall then worked at South Bank Polytechnic, followed by Brunel University and finally at the University of Stirling until his retirement.
[8] In June 2022 a special commemorative edition of the Journal of Co-operative Studies was published exploring Birchall's legacy and reprinting many of his papers.