Jack Dull

Jack L. Dull (1930 – January 18, 1995) was a U.S. scholar of the history of Han China and a professor at the University of Washington.

Biography

Born in 1930, Dull began his lifelong association with the University of Washington as an undergraduate, earning his B.A. in 1955. He was a graduate student there, completing his doctorate in 1966. He served in the faculty UW from 1963 until his death, rising from an Instructor to become Professor.

According to colleagues, Dull's scholarly strength was his constant focus on probing the Sinological tradition in search of more profound meanings. In particular, his ability to interpret ancient texts and concepts of law was particularly noted. Professor Herbert Franke of Munich cited Dull's "ability to elucidate the deep structures underlying the historical phenomena and the standardized terminology of the Chinese sources."Conlon 1995. Jack was consistently sought as an invited participant at academic conferences and colloquia. Professor Albert Dien of Stanford University said, "For those of us who study early Chinese history, Jack has served as a sort of lifeline to the outside world of scholarship. One values his presence because he brings a wider vision of the concerns and developments in the academic world."

Dull was highly regarded as an instructor at the University of Washington. There was a long running joke on campus that "Professor Dull is anything but". His lectures were described by colleagues as "crisp, organized and informative, but also anecdotal and entertaining". He was known for his ability to generalize, and saw the scope for comparing Chinese with other civilizations.

Along with his teaching on China and East Asia, Dull also pursued comparative studies. His course on the "Political Economy of Religion" was described as a paragon of humanistically informed social science analysis. Among his American contemporaries, Dull was also known for his service to the history profession. He served on the Art History and Han Studies Delegations to the People's Republic of China (PRC) sponsored by the Committee on Scholarly Communication with the PRC of the National Academy of Sciences. In Seattle, he oversaw the East Asia National Resource Center for two decades, and served for six years as Associate Director of the Jackson School of International Studies. He chaired the China Program for nine years was the Acting Director of the Jackson School for a further two. His achievements in Resource Center direction had a national impact as a member of the National Leadership Committee of Title VI Center Directors. Dien observed that in the Directors' conferences, "Jack always took an active role, as much a critic of policies he viewed as misconceived as he was a leader in discussions. [...] His opinions carried much weight."

Dull died on January 18, 1995 after a few months battling against cancer. Dull was survived by his wife Peg, two daughters, a son and four granddaughters.

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