Sam Crane

I have grown into a certain eclecticism. Almost twenty years ago I finished my Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and sallied forth into my first academic job at Georgetown, teaching Chinese politics and international relations. My dissertation was published (awful title: The Political Economy of China's Special Economic Zones) and I co-edited a reader (second awful title: The Theoretical Evolution of International Political Economy), and everything seemed to be progressing in a fairly typical manner.

A move to Williams College a few years later brought on a whole series of life changes: children, tenure, community service. Our first child, Aidan, was born profoundly disabled, and that has fundamentally transformed my world view, which I explain in my book, Aidan's Way. Margaret, our second child, is a fully abled eleven year-old actress, lacrosse goalie, animal lover, free spirit who loves her brother and family dearly. It was Aidan's experience, however, that has brought Chinese philosophy into my life. Hence the eclecticism: Chuang Tzu and North Korean nukes... we'll see how they hang together.