I have received tremendous support from mentors, colleagues, friends, and family while working on this book project.
First and foremost, this project could not have even started without Charlotte Furth’s warm encouragement. I gained many valuable insights by attending her graduate seminar and extended my intellectual endeav- ors under her supervision. She supported my rough Ph.D. dissertation pro- posal, which was just a concept at the time, and nurtured it by providing valuable comments and criticism. The perspectives I learned from Char- lotte while completing the dissertation eventually developed into the backbone of this book.