Korea’s “Season of Summits”
The upcoming “will they—won’t they” US-DPRK summit, either by accident or by design, has the potential to re-set the strategic atmosphere on the Korean Peninsula…but only if Washington and Pyongyang […]
Author Archives: Dr Benjamin Habib
If a US-North Korea summit does happen, we’ll have Moon Jae-in to thank for it
In the wake of South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s meeting Tuesday with US President Donald Trump, it’s worth reflecting on the remarkable role he’s played in facilitating the opening for […]
Pariah or Partner? The Korea Summit Explored
In this presentation, Ben Habib examines the recent inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Moon Jae in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Candlelight Democracy Movement and Environmentalism in South Korea
In this guest lecture for the subject Critical Issues in Contemporary Asia (AST3CIA) in the Asian Studies program at La Trobe University, I examine the relationship between the Candlelight democracy […]
North and South Korea met, but what does it really mean?
There has been much media conjecture over what exactly the two parties have agreed to at the Panmunjom summit. It is therefore worth examining the declaration article-by-article to ascertain what is and isn’t on the table.
Permaculture CoLab @ APC14: International Collaboration on Permaculture Education and Research
In this workshop at the 14th Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Canberra (16th-19th April 2018), Lachlan McKenzie and Ben Habib, with a little help from Ian Lillington, introduced Permaculture CoLab. The Permaculture […]
Permaculture as an International Social Movement @ APC14
On 19th April 2018 I conducted a workshop on my research project exploring permaculture as a transnational social movement at the 14th Australasian Permaculture Convergence, hosted at the Greenhills Centre […]
As North Korea builds a season of summits, the stakes on denuclearisation remain high
This week’s high-stakes summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un heralds a new period of negotiations in which regional states attempt to manage a northeast Asian security environment that includes a nuclear North Korea.
Living Politics: Self-Help and Autonomous Action in East Asia and Beyond
Thank you to Prof Tessa Morris-Suzuki for inviting me to act as a discussant in the Living Politics: Self-Help and Autonomous Action in East Asia and Beyond, hosted by the […]
Asia Rising Podcast: China’s Green Leadership
China operates on a scale that outclasses every other country, and are taking climate change seriously. As the world’s biggest polluter many would say that this is the way it […]
Asia Rising Podcast: North Korea’s Vulnerable Ecology
North Korea is a country that can little afford a close examination of ecological impact. The environment exists and is protected as long as it is useful as a resource […]
CERES Global in India—Day 09: Un-learning at Swaraj University
On day nine of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India, our tour party spent the night at Swaraj University, a more structured educational off-shoot of Shikshantar. The Swaraj University campus sits in a tranquil 15-acre space located in a scenic valley between two mountain ranges, 15 kilometers outside of Udaipur. The site is a zero-waste space and has an organic farm, herb gardens and an Ayurvedic healing centre.
CERES Global in India—Day 08: Visioning Permaculture at Shikshantar
On day eight of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India, our group collaborated in a day of permaculture discussions and garden work with our friends at Shikshantar. In a co-creative process, the CERES Global group and members of the Shikshantar community learned about permaculture ethics and design principles, explored visions for the garden on the Shikshantar premises, and got our hands dirty working on innovations to bring the garden to life, building relationships and learning new things about ourselves and each other in the process. However, our yield from the day was not necessarily what we expected going in.
CERES Global in India—Day 07: Learning from a Wise Man
It is not often one comes away absolutely mesmerised from talking to a person, but such was our experience on this day. On day seven of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India, a small number of our group visited with Kishore Saint, a retired geographer and friend of Shikshantar. Kishore-gi shared with us some of his life experiences living in Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom, reflected on insights into community he gained from interacting with tribal peoples in Rajasthan, and concluded with an exhortation for us to change the world by looking within ourselves.
CERES Global in India—Day 06: Hidden Landscapes of Waste
On day six of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India we visited a municipal waste dump on the outskirts of Udaipur. Dump sites are always the dirty little secret of industrial development and commerce. They are the hidden landscapes of every city, a landscape so toxic and forbidding to life. In the Udaipur dump site, however, a community of “rag pickers” live and work in the mounds of refuse, earning a living from picking and selling recyclable materials from the waste piles.
CERES Global in India—Day 05: Peasant Farming and Camel Culture
On day four of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India we visited a small-scale organic farm and a migrating camel caravan on our way back to Udaipur from Malari village. In these engagements our group learned more about traditional organic farming and animal husbandry methods, along with the unique cultures of our hosts. Their hospitality in sharing food and friendship was greatly appreciated, a model of gift culture in action.
CERES Global in India—Day 04: Malari Village
On day four of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India we visited a village called Malari, 100 km north of Udaipur. In a day of fascinating interactions, we learned about the local dairy and herding economies, got some hands-on experience with local farming practices, enjoyed warm impromptu hospitality from our village hosts, and shared in a transcendental experience of dance and music.
CERES Global in India—Day 03: Wisdom Walk through Udaipur’s Old City
On day three of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India, our guides from Shikshantar—Vishal, Manish and Nishtha—led us on a fascinating journey through the old city of Udaipur. The winding alleyways, bustling markets, colourful buildings and diverse people, are collectively woven together in a rich tapestry of stories and history. On foot is the best way to experience the richness of these stories and notice things you never would have time to see transiting via faster modes of transportation.
CERES Global in India—Day 02: Shikshantar People’s Institute for Re-thinking Education and Development
On day two of our CERES Global Sustainable Development, Permanent Culture and Un-learning tour to India we visited the Shikshantar People’s Institute for Re-thinking Education and Development. Shikshantar is an applied research institute dedicated to catalysing radical transformation of education. Shikshantar was founded as a jeevan andolan (life movement) to challenge the hierarchical, colonial culture of education.
CERES Global in India—Day 01: The Dharavi Community
From 2nd-12th December 2017 I co-facilitated a CERES Global tour to India, themed around sustainable development, permanent culture and un-learning. My focus for the tour was to collect data for […]
