Robert Oxnam

Robert Bromley Oxnam is an American China scholar and President Emeritus of the Asia Society New York. He ran the society for more than a decade, and led financial-cultural tours of China for Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and former U.S. President George H. W. Bush. He became well known in the public media after his 2005 autobiography, ''A Fractured Mind'', in which he revealed that he had been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder.

Early life and education

Robert Oxnam was educated at Williams College (B.A. 1964, Phi Beta Kappa) and Yale University (M.A. 1966, Ph.D., 1969). He taught at Trinity College (Connecticut) (1969–75), Columbia University (1990s), and Williams College (Bernhard Professorship, 1995). His academic honors have included the Williams College Bicentennial Medal (1993) and the Trinity College LL.D. (1994). He served as a member of the visiting committee of Drew University and American University's School of International Service.

Career

Robert Oxnam was President of The Asia Society for over a decade (1981–92). The Asia Society, America's leading public education institution on all aspects of the Asia/Pacific region, grew rapidly under his direction to encompass corporate, contemporary, and cultural programs concerning over thirty Asian countries, with a New York headquarters and offices in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, and Hong Kong. Prior to his presidency, he served as the Society's Vice President and Washington D.C. Center Director (1979–81) and as China Council Director (1975–81).

Since the 1990s, Oxnam has often acted as a lecturer for prominent Americans seeking in-depth knowledge of China, including Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway) and former President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush. He has been Senior Advisor to the Atlanta-based Society of International Business Fellows and often accompanied their business leaders to various parts of Asia. For a short time he was also Special Correspondent for the ''MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour'', hosting an acclaimed nine-part special on China.

Robert Oxnam is the author of two novels (both from St. Martin's Press): ''Cinnabar'' (1990 - a mystery thriller on 20th century China) and ''Ming'' (1995 - a historical novel about 17th century China). He has also authored or edited several non-fiction works on Asia: ''Ruling from Horseback'' (on the Manchu conquest of China); ''Dragon and Eagle'' (a comprehensive review of U.S.-China relations); several editions of ''China Briefing'' (annual review designed for businesspeople, journalists, and academics). He has contributed articles to ''The New York Times'', ''Foreign Affairs'', and ''The Asian Wall Street Journal''.

In 2005, he published his unusual memoir: ''A Fractured Mind'' (Hyperion Press). The book elicited widespread media coverage including CBS's ''60 Minutes'', ABC's ''Good Morning America'', ''NBC Today Show'', PBS, ''The New York Times'', ''Time'' Magazine, ''Daily Telegraph'', and the BBC
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