Edgar A. Porter

Edgar A. Porter’s life has taken him across continents, ideologies, and eras of upheaval.

The second edition of his memoir, Calvin to Mao and Beyond (February 2026), traces an extraordinary journey—from growing up in the American South during Jim Crow and the Vietnam War to becoming one of the first Americans invited by the Chinese government to live in China as it reopened to the West in the late 1970s. Porter’s story is both personal and political. Raised as a Calvinist Presbyterian, he was shaped early by faith and tradition. But the turbulence of the 1960s drew him into anti-war and anti-racist student movements, and eventually into Communist organizations inspired by Mao Zedong’s revolutionary vision. His two years living in China during a pivotal historical moment would transform not only his worldview, but the course of his career.

The “and Beyond” of the title reflects a life that continued to evolve long after Mao—into decades of work as an international educator in China, Hawai'i, Japan, and Austria. His reflections offer thoughtful insight for anyone who has wrestled with big ideas, sweeping ideologies, and the challenge of staying intellectually honest in changing times.

Porter also contributes to the study of Asian history and politics. His books include Foreign Teachers in China: Old Problems for a New Generation (1979–1989), The People’s Doctor: George Hatem and China’s Revolution, Journalism from Tiananmen (co-edited with Mardy Fones), China in Oceania: Reshaping the Pacific? (co-edited with Terence Wesley-Smith), and Japanese Reflections on World War II and the American Occupation (co-authored with Ran Ying Porter). His short fiction has appeared in literary journals such as The Milk House, Carolina Lines, and Hard Crackers. He is currently at work on a spy novel set in Atlanta, China, Hawai‘i, and New York.

He holds a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt University and was awarded Emeritus Professor status at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, where he served as Pro Vice President for International Affairs and Faculty Development and as Dean of Academic Affairs. He has also held leadership and teaching roles at the University of Hawai‘i, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, and Henan Normal University in China.

He resides in ‘Aiea, Hawai'i still writing, reflecting, and exploring the intersections of history, politics, and personal transformation.