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.
Category Archives: Community Engagement
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 […]
Environment and Sustainability in South Korea Study Tour 2017
From 26th June – 9th July 2017 I co-facilitated an environment and sustainability-themed study tour to South Korea with undergraduate students from La Trobe University. This is the third iteration […]
Interview with Benjamin Habib in E-International Relations
Evangelina Moisi, Associate Features Editor for E-International Relations, interviews Dr Benjamin Habib about his work on environmental politics and North Korean affairs. See the original interview here at E-International Relations. […]
UNAA Model UN Conference: Combatting Climate Change
It was my pleasure to be guest speaker at the United Nations Association of Australia, Victorian Division’s Model UN conference on “Combating Climate Change: Committing to Global Action” at […]
Seminar Presentation: Doing Korea-related Research
Dr Benjamin Habib from La Trobe University and Dr Elizabeth Thurbon from the University of New South Wales join Melissa Conley Tyler from the Australian Institute of International Affairs in […]
Ben @ SEV Conference – ‘Climate Change: Global Crisis and International Cooperation
In this presentation to the 2017 Social Education Victoria VCE Teachers’ Conference, Dr Benjamin Habib explores the causes of climate change, the key actors in international climate politics, and the international mechanisms for cooperating to address greenhouse gas mitigation and climate adaptation. The presentation concludes by assessing the state of international climate politics in the new era of US President Donald Trump.
VCE Global Politics Seminar: Global Actors and Challenges @ Catholic College Bendigo
Dr Benjamin Habib, Paige Winkel and Nick Procter from the Department of Politics and Philosophy at La Trobe University join Nick Melaisis and his VCE Global Politics students at Catholic […]
Power in the Asia-Pacific: Presentation at Star of the Sea College
On Tuesday 5th May, Dr Kumuda Simpson, my friend and colleague from the Department of Politics and Philosophy at La Trobe University and I visited Star of the Sea College in Brighton, […]
Riding the Tiger: My Journey Public Speaking with Anxiety
Many of the people who have emailed me over the past month in the wake of my panic attack on ABC News Breakfast have assumed that I have trouble with […]
North Korea In 2016: Social Swings And Nuclear Roundabouts
Audio of my presentation at the Australian Institute of International Affairs – Victoria on Thursday 25th February 2016, exploring the relationship between the North Korean government’s efforts at strengthening its […]
Talking About China at the Albury-Wodonga U3A
On Friday 12th February 2016 I had the pleasure of returning to the Albury-Wodonga chapter of the University of the Third Age to speak about the 2015 Environment and Sustainability […]
