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Join Ben Habib in this episode of the Edge Dwellers Café Podcast as he sits down with environmental scientist and sustainability expert Dr Alison Mitchell to discuss the pressing question: ”What is sustainability asking of us?” We discuss Ali’s personal journey from environmental science to education for sustainability, exploring a wide range of topics including the role of sustainability professionals as knowledge brokers, eco-anxiety, citizen science, environmental reporting, risk management, energy system transitions, climate politics and more.

In this solo episode of the Edge Dwellers Café Podcast, Ben Habib maps out five broad potential scenarios for the future of the Kim regime in North Korea—(1) state failure and collapse; (2) managed systemic reform; (3) popular uprising and revolution; (4) coup d'état; and (5) externally-imposed regime change—critically evaluating the logic and probability of each scenario and consider the probability of each. This podcast is a teaser for a larger twelve-part video lecture series from Ben's undergraduate subject “Contemporary Politics of Northeast Asia: North Korea."   00:00:00  Introduction. 00:05:31  What happens now in North Korea? 00:06:59  Scenario mapping and the folly of prediction. 00:11:38  Scenario #1: State failure and collapse. 00:14:56  Levels of state decay in the DPRK. 00:17:27  Fragile North Korea 'muddled through'. 00:19:13  Scenario #2: Managed systemic reform. 00:21:34  Lessons for North Korea case from USSR, China and Vietnam. 00:25:37  Piecemeal adjustments to economic management. 00:28:21  Scenario #3: Popular uprising and revolution. 00:31:03  A North Korean spring: Comparing the DPRK with Arab Spring Egypt. 00:42:45  Scenario #4: Coup d'état. 00:43:28  The Kim regime's coup-proofing strategies. 00:46:05  Under what conditions might a coup occur? 00:48:48  Scenario #5: Externally-imposed regime change. 00:50:23  Unacceptable risks associated with attacking North Korea. 00:52:44  Why does the future of the Kim regime matter to regional states. 00:55:59  Lecture summary. 00:58:22  Conclusion.   Show Links Ben Habib. “Subject Video Content: Contemporary Politics of North Korea.” Ben@Earth. Andy Jackson. (2018) “Why Has There Been No People’s Power Rebellion in North Korea?” European Journal of Korean Studies. 18(1), pp. 1-34. Gijs Verbossen, Senior lecturer at University of Amsterdam. Victor Cha. “A North Korean Spring?” Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. YouTube. 15 June 2012. “Pangapsumnida”. YouTube. Victor Cha and Nicholas Anderson. (2012) “A North Korean Spring?” The Washington Quarterly, 35(1), pp. 7-24. Bruce Cumings. (2013) “Why Did So Many Influential Americans Think North Korea Would Collapse?” North Korean Review. 9(1), pp. 114–120. Nicholas Eberstadt and other articles cited in lecture… Bruce Bennett and Jennifer Lind. (2011) “The Collapse of North Korea: Military Missions and Requirements.” International Security, 36(2), pp. 84–119. Daniel Byman and Jennifer Lind. (2010) “Pyongyang’s Survival Strategy: Tools of Authoritarian Control in North Korea. International Security. 35(1), pp. 44–74. Mark Fitzpatrick. (2013) “North Korea: Is Regime Change the Answer?” Survival: Global Politics and Strategy. 55(3), pp. 7-20. Francis Grice. (2017) “The Improbability of Popular Rebellion in Kim Jong-un’s North Korea and Policy Alternatives for the USA.” Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs. 4(3), pp. 263-293. Kent Harrington and Bennett Ramberg. (2014) “The United States and South Korea: Who Does What if the North Fails?” The Washington Quarterly. 37(3), pp. 183–197. Kim Kyung-Won. (2005) “Downfall Delayed: Endgames for the North Korean regime.” Harvard International Review. 27(3), pp. 56-59. Marcus Noland. (1997) “Why North Korea will muddle through.” Foreign Affairs. 76(4), pp. 105-118. Tara O. (2016) The Collapse of North Korea: Challenges, Planning and Geopolitics of Unification. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Paul B. Stares and Joel S. Wit. (2009) Preparing for Sudden Change in North Korea. Washington DC: Council on Foreign Relations. The Korea Society. “Three Futures: North Korea and the Korean Peninsula.” 6 December 2022. Ben Habib. (2022). “North Korea’s flurry of missile tests raises alarm – but are we seeing anything new?” The Conversation. 7 November 2022. Ben Habib. (2022). “North Korea careens from floods to drought, straining an already fragile system.

Ben Habib is joined in this episode by Dr Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings, Lecturer in Humanitarian Studies at the Centre for Humanitarian Leadership at Deakin University in Melbourne.  We discuss the humanitarian sector, humanitarian aid in North Korea, transitional justice for a post-Kim DPRK, and reflect humorously on the North Korean studies community.  We also muse on living in Melbourne vs Hong Kong and Seoul, mental health in academia, and owning one’s mental health demons.

In this episode of the Edge Dwellers Cafe, Ben Habib is joined for special panel discussion with Anastasia Kanjere, Emily Foley, and Pan Karanikolas from the La Trobe Casuals Network, a volunteer group of casualised workers at La Trobe University who are dedicated to improving working conditions for casualised and insecure workers. The conversation explores the impacts of widespread precarity of workers in the university sector, systemic wage theft from casual staff, the deliberate evisceration of universities during the pandemic, and building collective power and a solidarity of care in university workplaces.

In this episode of the Edge Dwellers Cafe Podcast, I’m joined in this spirit of Utopia-inspired critical bewilderment by Sarah Houseman to talk about her PhD research into non-hierarchical organisations. We discuss the many functional problems that arise in hierarchical organisations, from power relationships to functional organisational stupidity and leadership cults. We also explore non-hierarchy and decentralisation as alternative organisational structures, along with the challenges faced by organisations transitioning from hierarchical to horizontal structures.

In this episode, Ben Habib is joined by Toad Dell and Guy Ritani from PermaQueer. PermaQueer is a collaborative project to share ecological sustainability methods through the lens of Permaculture, focusing on accessibility to and building resilience for traditionally marginalised communities. PermaQueer brings a queering, decolonising and trauma-informed approach to community-building. In 2021, PermaQueer won the LUSH Spring Prize for Social and Environmental Regeneration.   00:00:00  Introduction 00:03:45  Acknowledgement of Country. 00:05:39  Finding permaculture through need rather than through reputation. 00:09:14  Permaculture as a design methodology vs permaculture as a movement. 00:11:16  Women are the backbone of the permaculture community-building. 00:15:38  Queering permaculture and the genesis of PermaQueer. 00:22:24  PermaQueer as a network of resource redistribution. 00:25:07  Having privilege and being a pioneer 'species' in social ecosystems. 00:27:54  Understanding 'queering' and the diversity of queer peoples' lived experiences. 00:36:10  The unique aesthetics of PermaQueer's social media presence. 00:40:17  Value the edge, but only in right relationship to it. 00:44:30  Edge cultures and vulnerable people are not a resource to be selectively mined by the mainstream. 00:47:27  Trauma-informed and decolonial practice in permaculture and beyond. 00:56:50  Problematising the construct of 'whiteness'. 00:59:55  Scarcity as reality vs scarcity as mindset. 01:04:37  Critical reflection on the permaculture prophesy of energy descent. 01:12:23  TEDx as a platform for PermaQueer online events. 01:19:17  Queering isn't scary...a call to action. 01:23:41  Conclusion.   Show links LUSH Spring Prize for Social and Environmental Regeneration 2021. “Winner: PermaQueer”. “PermaQueer: Intentional Projects Award”. Vimeo. “PermaQueer: Isn’t they lovely”. Permaculture Visions. “PermaQueer: Guy Ritani and Toad Dell”. Growing Media Podcast. TEDx PermaQueer: Community Responses to Climate Change. TEDx PermaQueer: Cultural Responses to Climate Change. Ray, SJ. (2021). “Climate Anxiety Is an Overwhelmingly White Phenomenon”. Scientific American. 21 March 2021. Paxton, M. (2020). “In Good Tilth Perspectives: Hannah Breckbill”. Oregon Tilth. 24 November 2020. Mahana Culture: Awakening Cultural Dignity..   About PermaQueer Instagram  |  Facebook  |  LinkTree  |  Guy Ritani on LinkedIn   About Ben Habib, host of Edge Dwellers Cafe Ben@Earth  |  LTU staff profile  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |   YouTube  |  ORCiD    Support Edge Dwellers Cafe Send a one-off tip or ongoing monthly contribution to help cover the costs of producing Edge Dwellers Cafe via Ko-Fi. Contributions of any amount are welcome and much appreciated.    Credits Logo design: Sarah Cook Design ([email protected]). Thumbnail artwork developed using Deep Art Effects. Intro music: “Lala Bass” by Adele_Newiron from Pixabay. Interlude music: “Relax (Drum and Bass)” by vjgalaxy from Pixabay. Interlude music: “Centyś - Energy 4” by abctoja from Pixabay. Interlude voice-over by Jess Love (https://www.jesslovefilmmaker.com/).   This podcast is broadcast from Naarm/Melbourne on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people. Edge Dwellers Cafe pays respect to their elders past, present and emerging.    

In this episode I’m joined by James Blackwell, Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy in the College of Asia and the Pacific at Australian National University in Canberra. In our discussion to follow, we get into First Nations participation and representation in the International Relations discipline, and the inclusion of First Nations perspectives in the IR curriculum. James explains his work on First Nations diplomacies, relationality in Indigenous governance systems and what it means to be ‘of’ Country. We explore the Uluru Dialogue and the logic of the Voice-Treaty-Truth sequence of implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart. And we also talk media, decolonising the university, Indigenous language reclamation, US politics, and AUKUS and those damn submarines!

In this episode, Ben Habib is joined in conversation by Claire Kearns. Claire is a staunch disability and neurodiversity advocate, writer and social media content creator. in 2021, Claire won the La Trobe University Excellence Academy Inaugural Art Competition for her poem entitled “I Was”, about her experiences as a neurodiverse student at university.     00:00:00  Introduction 00:03:42  Online teaching during COVID has made learning more inclusive and accessable for Claire. 00:07:25  Invisible wounds and other peoples assumptions about your 'functionality'. 00:10:41  Growing up with undiagnosed neurodivergence and internalising low self-esteem. 00:12:11  Bullying, power and the externalisation of trauma. 00:13:33  Relationship between the prevailing popular culture and bullying. 00:15:52  As a domestic violence survivor, Claire's choice to return to university study saved her life. 00:20:57  Coming to a place of acceptance of one's neurodivergence. 00:22:21  Extraordinary energy and strength of will required to study obligations through periods of distress. 00:25:27  Watching a friend get sucked into the alt-right social media swamp. 00:27:10  Figuring out what you think and finding your voice as a domestic abuse survivor. 00:29:34  Difficulty of not having space for rest and recharge in communal living during lockdowns. 00:31:53  Empathising with how COVID lockdowns might impact on neurotypical people. 00:33:23  Universities need to assume more responsibility for facilitating equity and inclusion for students and staff. 00:37:50  Are large institutions (including universities) incapable of human-level care? 00:39:56  Claire discusses her reaction to winning the La Trobe University Excellence Academy Inaugural Art Competition. 00:42:17  Recital of Claire's winning poem 'I Was'. 00:46:37  The poem is not a 'Hallmark moment', it's a demand for an equal playing field. 00:49:20  Inclusive practice should be standard practice. 00:51:14  Frustrations of being the token neurodiversity representative in university management processes. 00:55:00  Neurodiverse people finding common ground across political divides. 00:59:26  You're not alone! 01:00:08  Conclusion.   Show links Kearns, C. (2021). “I Was”. Excellence Academy Inaugural Art Competition Winner. La Trobe University.  Kearns, C. (2019). ““I know what it is to be terrified”: what inclusion advocate Claire Kearns would tell her teenage self”. My La Trobe. 27th November 2019. Kearns, C. (2020). “Awoken”. Bangor University.  Kearns, C. (2017). “A Disability & A Degree”. Wise ASSC. Kearns, C. (2017). “Getting Past the Idea of Failure”. Wise ASSC. Perera, V. (2018). “Let’s level this playing field”. Victorian Council of Social Services.   About Claire Kearns Claire Kearns is a writer and social media content writer who has published across multiple genres, in magazines, newspapers, university press, student publications, and other outlets. She is most at home digging in her garden and spending time with her guinea pigs, all adopted as rescues. She divides her time between advocacy for teachers and students with neurodiversity, bouts of chronic illness, and semi-functioning as a fully-fledged adult. Despite what might be perceived by others as a negative existence, Claire is extremely happy and wouldn't change a thing, other than folks making small changes to make life more liveable for those with neurodiversity. Twitter   About Ben Habib, host of Edge Dwellers Cafe Ben@Earth  |  LTU staff profile  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |   YouTube  |  ORCiD    Support Edge Dwellers Cafe Send a one-off monetary contribution to help cover the costs of producing Edge Dwellers Cafe via Ko-Fi. Contributions of any amount are welcome and much appreciated.    Credits Logo design: Sarah Cook Design ([email protected]). Thumbnail artwork developed using Deep Art Effects. Intro music: “Lala Bass” by Adele_Newiron

In this discussion, Hye-In and I explore her research into the lived experience of domestic and family violence in South Korean-Australian diasporic communities, and her associated public outreach based on this project: a creative arts video series called “The Story of Ari”. This work is about amplifying and mainstreaming the voices of domestic and family violence survivors, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We explore Hye-In’s previous research into the vulnerabilities of female refugees from North Korea who flee into China. We also get into Hye-In’s experiences as an international student studying in Australia, postgraduate study during the COVID pandemic, and Hye-In’s dual identities as Hye-In and Ellen, along with the current state of Australia-Korea people-to-people relations.

In this episode, Ben Habib is joined by Dr Terry Leahy, Conjoint Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Newcastle. Terry’s research explores food security and rural development, environmental politics and global environmental crisis, and the philosophy of the humanist realist perspective in sociological analysis. Terry’s research and consultancy work has taken him from the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, to Southern Africa and Southeast Asia. Terry is the author of the recently-released book The Politics of Permaculture, published by Pluto Press.

In this episode, Ben Habib is joined by Dr Simin Fadaee, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester in the UK. We discuss our recent co-authored article “Permaculture: A Global Community of Practice”, published in the journal Environmental Values, where we tease out how we can understand permaculture as a transnational movement. We explore the relationship between the permaculture movement and global inequality, First Nations sovereignty movements, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. We also reflect on the process of our research collaboration and offer some advice for early career researchers on pursuing collaborative projects.

In this episode, Ben Habib is joined by Dr Markus Bell, Research Fellow at La Trobe University in the Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy, migration and displacement researcher and freelance journalist. We explore Markus‘ new book “Outsiders: Memories of migration to and from North Korea”, published by Berghahn Books. We also discuss Markus’ career journey in and out of academia, his observations on labour migration and climate vulnerability in Southeast Asia, COVID and the coup in Myanmar, and the physical and mental health benefits of Markus’ martial arts practice.