Jackson appointed to chair in American Culture

The appointment marks what UB President William R. Greiner and Provost Thomas Headrick referred to as "part of a broadly conceived initiative to advance the humanities at UB-an initiative that we hope circumstances will permit us to implement over the next few years."

Jackson's current position as SUNY Distinguished Professor is the highest professorial designation awarded by the State University of New York. Headrick said the new appointment "recognizes the importance of Jackson's teaching and scholarship in the humanities, the role it has played and will continue to play in the intellectual life of the university and the leadership he can contribute to this initiative and to direction for the university."

A professor of English, Jackson directs the UB Center for Studies in American Culture and the UB program in folklore, mythology and film studies. He also has held academic positions in the Department of Comparative Literature (1971-84) and in the School of Law (1974-79).

A former president of the American Folklore Society, Jackson has edited the society's Journal of American Folklore since 1986. Much of his work is devoted to the exploration of methods and means by which social and cultural "truths" are constructed for mass consumption. To this end, he has written extensively on subjects ranging from the American West to life on death row, and has presented and directed workshops and seminars at scores of universities here and abroad.

He is the author of more than 100 articles and book chapters and scores of scholarly papers and booklets. His work has appeared in such magazines as Harper's, The Atlantic Monthly, Nation, New Republic, The New York Times and Texas Monthly.

He has written 18 books, including "Killing Time: Life in the Arkansas Penitentiary" (Cornell University Press, 1978), "Fieldwork" (1987) and "Law and Disorder: Criminal Justice in America" (University of Illinois Press, 1985). "Disorderly Conduct" is a compilation of articles written by Jackson on aspects of American social conditions, public policy, crime and punishment. His most recent book, edited with Edward D. Ives and published by the University of Illinois Press, is "The World Observed: Reflections on the Fieldwork Process."

Since 1966, Jackson has produced, directed and edited seven independent documentary films, several in collaboration with his wife and fellow UB faculty member, Diane Christian. Many have been shown at museums in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and at a number of major international film festivals.

A member of the UB faculty since 1967, Jackson has been the recipient of more than 25 major fellowships and grants, including those from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Guggenheim Foundation, Harvard University's Milton Fund, American Film Institute and Skaggs Foundation.

He has been an editorial board member, consultant or reader for eight major university presses and has served as a policy, program or technical consultant for a number of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the New York Foundation for the Arts, and has chaired the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a master's degree from Indiana University, and is a Fellow of Harvard University.