Born in Mineola, New York, Alexander R. Thomas (or Alex to his friends) spent his formative years in Ocala, Florida and Hartwick, New York. Growing up in the New York City suburbs, a small central Florida city, and a small town in the hills south of Utica pre-disposed him to becoming a Sociologist. After receiving his Ph.D. from Northeastern University in 1998, Thomas brought his attention back to upstate New York. His first book, In Gotham's Shadow (2003), was a comparative study of the impact of economic restructuring in an urban (Utica, New York) and rural (Cooperstown and Hartwick, New York) environment. His most recent sole-authored book, The Evolution of the Ancient City (2010), traced the relationship between cities and the hinterland from the first sedentary communities to the advanced urban systems of the Bronze Age. Critical Rural Theory (2011), written with Brian Lowe, Greg Fulkerson, and Polly Smith, further examines the cultural relationship between urban society and the rural communities found within. He has edited several books of collected works all dealing with various aspects of Critical Rural Theory.Alex Thomas is currently Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Oneonta.