I was curious what Ph.D dissertations were done on the topic
of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Putting the phrase "Jehovah's Witnesses" in the search box at
University Microfilm's Dissertation Express webpage,
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/search
returned 18 titles. The search results are at the bottom of
this post.
Some of the dissertations, such as Botting[7], Curry[10],
and Stroup [16], were published as books, in fact Botting's
dissertation became the book, "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's
Witnesses," which is still in print.
Some of these dissertations may be ordered online if one so
desires.
I wonder what sort of co-operation the Watchtower and the local
congregations gave to the researchers of these works?
More is require in research than merely reading the published
literature of the WT.
--VM44
[1] A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY EVIDENT IN THE DISCOURSE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. CRONN-MILLS, DANIEL DAVID, PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA - LINCOLN, 1994. 278 pp. Advisor: CARTER, KATHRYN
[2] 'PREACH THE GOSPEL UNTO EVERY CREATURE': JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, ALABAMA, AND THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, 1939-1946 (FIRST AMENDMENT, JONES ROSCO, MARSH GRACE, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT). NEWTON, MERLIN OWEN, PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, 1992. 345 pp. Advisor: WIGGINS, SARAH WOOLFOLK
[3] MOBILITY IN RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES. SPECIAL RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES (RELIGIOUS SECTS) AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: AN EXAMPLE OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. WEBER, HERBERT, DR. UNIVERSITAET WIEN, 1990. 572 pp.
[4] THE WORLD WAR TWO BAN OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN CANADA: A STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL RIGHTS. KAPLAN, WILLIAM, JSD. STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 1988. 671 pp. Advisor: GORDON, ROBERT
[5] ETHICAL ISSUES IN COMPULSORY MEDICAL TREATMENT: A STUDY OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION (BIOETHICS, EUTHANASIA). WILLIAMS, JOEL STEPHEN, PHD. BAYLOR UNIVERSITY, 1987. 324 pp.
[6] A PEOPLE WAITING FOR SALVATION: A BIBLICAL EVALUATION OF WATCHTOWER CHRISTOLOGY AND SOTERIOLOGY WITH SUGGESTED STRATEGIES FOR THE EVANGELIZATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. RAMOS, JOSE CARLOS, DMIN. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY, 1984. 222 pp.
[7] THE POWER AND THE GLORY: THE SYMBOLIC VISION AND SOCIAL POLITICAL DYNAMIC OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES.. BOTTING, HEATHER DENISE HARDEN, PHD. UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, 1982. NULL pp.
[8] JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: RECRUITMENT AND ENCULTURATION IN A MILLENNIAL SECT. BROSE, ALBERTA JEANNE, PHD. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE, 1982. 261 pp.
[9] OF ANOTHER WORLD: THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. ZELLNER, WILLIAM WESLEY, PHD. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1981. 128 pp.
[10] JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: THE EFFECTS OF MILLENARIANISM ON THE MAINTENANCE OF A RELIGIOUS SECT. CURRY, MELVIN DOTSON, JR., PHD. THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1980. 322 pp.
[11] THE RIGHT TO DIE: NON-CONSENTING ADULT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS.. MCNALLY, JOHN ALOYSIUS, III, MA. CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 1970. 181 pp.
[12] JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: A STUDY OF SYMBOLIC AND STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF A SECTARIAN MOVEMENT. ZYGMUNT, JOSEPH F., PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, 1968. NULL pp.
[13] FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE JEWS, JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND CHURCH-STATE RELATIONS, 1930-1960.. KERNAGHAN, WILLIAM DAVID KENNETH, PHD. DUKE UNIVERSITY, 1966. 363 pp.
[14] JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND THE SUPREME COURT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE CASES BROUGHT BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT INVOLVING THE RIGHTS CLAIMED BY JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, FROM 1938 TO 1960.. KIM, RICHARD CHONG CHIN, PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, 1963. 403 pp.
[15] A HISTORY OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. CUMBERLAND, WILLIAM H., PHD. THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, 1958. 312 pp.
[16] THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. STROUP, HERBERT H., PHD. NEW SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH, 1950. NULL pp.
[17] JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: A STUDY IN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. RICHARDS, CLAUD HENRY, PHD. DUKE UNIVERSITY, 1945. NULL pp.
[18] SOME PROBLEMS IN THE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL GROUPS, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES. SPRAGUE, THEODORE WENTWORTH, PHD. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, 1942. NULL pp.