I run two academic programs that encompass seven days each week and then in the all-effort to transform the Minneapolis Public Schools into a model school district, host a television show, produce a monthly academic journal, make monthly appearances during Public Comments at meetings of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, speak at any other venue available for getting the message of the K-12 Revolution into the ether, and am putting the finishing touches on two books (Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools: Present Condition, Future Prospect; and Fundamentals of an Excellent Liberal Arts Education.
Some of you know that my field of doctoral research was originally on the national geopolitical entity of Taiwan, one of my currently abiding research interests and the subject of three of my books. The fact that I continue to work in this area as a serious research (as well as driving personal) interest--- in addition to my multiple efforts to overhaul K-12 education---- is a powerful indication of my status as a revolutionary totally dedicated to societal and political change:
My revolutionary efforts are my personal joy. I give a great deal of my time to my beloved Barbara Reed, amazing son Ryan Davison-Reed, and my remarkable 95 year-old mother, Betty Davison.
But then, in what is accurately construed as my strictly personal as well as professional time, I am totally immersed in activities pertinent to the K-12 Revolution.
Below is a communication that gives to you, my readers, a glance at my scholarly life focused on the island polity of Taiwan, that communication the result of my attendance at an early celebration of the Taiwanese [Lunar] New Year at a location on the campus of the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) on Sunday, 22 January 2017.
Here is the communication that resulted from my attendance at the event hosted by the Taiwanese Students Association >>>>>
On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 11:25 PM, Han-Chia Li< lixx5446@umn.edu> wrote
Hi Dear Gary,
新年快樂！
It was such a pleasure meeting you today!
As we mentioned earlier, Yuhui, Chloe, I-Chun and I (Hanchia) recently founded a group called "the Reading Yams Tea Time Forum". We seek to create an open space for those interested in and concerned about Taiwan through events like lectures, panel discussions and documentary showing.
For now, our first event, "From Then to Now: A Panel Discussion on the History of Taiwanese in Minnesota", is on February 18th, 2-3:30 pm (Location is TBA). It will be such a honor if you'd like to join us!
Detailed information and RSVP of the event is https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhmdv-SmNEKMTO4Caw7vqFapVuXjk7kX2YaVG7_MGsgA-5fg/viewform?c=0&w=1.
Actually, we would like to know if you would be interested in being our guest speaker for the upcoming event. We believe that your expertise and knowledge in Taiwan history would add a great value to our forum and inspire younger generations. The topic and date are to be determined. It will be such an honor to have you to share your experience with us. Thank you! Please let us know how you think. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Hanchia (翰嘉）,Yuhui （宇慧）, Chloe（凡鈞）
January 23, 2017
Dear Hanchia (翰嘉)---
You and your fellow organizers of the "Reading Yams Tea Time Forum," Yuhui (宇慧) and Chloe (凡鈞) are so very kind to welcome me so readily to the forum and to invite me to speak at an upcoming event.
I will certainly be in attendance at the 18 February event and would be happy to speak anytime that you think my insights would be helpful to your group.
Three years ago I gave a paper at a conference held in honor of retiring Professor of East Asian History Edward L. (Ted) Farmer, who was my dissertation (Agricultural Development and the Fate of Farmers in Taiwan, 1945-1990) adviser during my period of doctoral study at the University of Minnesota, culminating in the Ph. D. in 1993. The paper was a synthesis of one of my three books on Taiwan, A Short History of Taiwan: The Case for Independence (Praeger Press, 2003; the others are Tales From the Taiwanese [Libraries Unlimited, 2004] and [with my wife, St. Olaf College Professor Barbara Reed] Customs and Cultures of Taiwan [Greenwood Press, 1998]).
My suggestion upon your kind invitation to speak to your group is that I give a talk focused on my view of Taiwan as a unique geopolitical entity comprised of people most of whose families many centuries ago came to an island already occupied by the yuanzhumin and with the latter formed a highly original society under an array of foreign overlords (Dutch, Zheng Chenggong and family, Manchu-led Ching Dynasty, Japanese, and Guomindang).
The essence of my thesis in the paper that I gave at the aforementioned conference and in my book of greatest relevance is that Taiwanese society, under the wise policies of Zhang Jingguo (in his latter years), Li Denghui, and even the now disgraced Chen Shuibian, has emerged as a nation in all but international recognition. A line from two of my works goes, "Taiwan will be a formally declared nation when its people decide that this remarkably successful economic powerhouse and democratic polity should be. What happens in the aftermath would occur under the watchful eye of an international community that takes the side of either military might or historical right."
My talk, therefore, could be entitled something like, "The National Uniqueness of Taiwan from a Historical Perspective."
Thank you very much again for your kindness and your invitation. I was delighted to have the opportunity to talk with so many of you at the celebration of the Taiwanese New Year who, since you are after all Taiwanese people, shi feichang kechi de, zhunde dui wo tai haule.
Please let me know what you think about my suggestion for a talk.
Xinnian kwaile !
Gongxi fatsai !
Wanshi ruyi !
And, as they say in the Minnan (Taiwanese) dialect,
Duoxia---
Gary
Gary Marvin Davison, Ph. D.
Director, New Salem Educational Initiative
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