The illusion of Industry 4.0: a critical review of our current technology
Introduction Now, I no longer have to worry about not having enough food at night. Simply choose from a variety of menus on my smartphone app, and within 15-30 minutes, someone will knock on my door with a packet of food. No need to shell out cash, as all payments are made on my smart […]
Islam and (the spirit) of social change, Quo Vadis?
Introduction What is wrong with this world? If you are like me, then the answer is: a lot. Poverty, social inequality, dredging of natural resources, environmental degradation, plastic pollution in the coasts and oceans, political instability, moral decadence, and conflicts between communities color the columns of newspapers. If you’re like me, it’s natural to think […]
The story of a hoe and diffusion of innovations
This is my hoe. It’s been with me for a long time. The sharpness is just right. It’s good because it’s been sharpened by the soil. Its handle feels good, at least for me. For you, a good hoe may be entirely different. You have to try it yourself to know.. For anyone working in […]
Co-learning with farmers: an ethnographic record
Since a year ago, my family and I moved to the countryside. We built a small house in a kampong on the outskirts of Bandung, outside of any housing complex. There is no intention to occupy the area – our main thought was simply that this was what we could afford with our remaining savings. […]
Understanding the incompatibility between local knowledge and modern lifestyle
An Indonesian version of this article was published in Pro:aktif Online magazine, December 2017 Edition: http://proaktif-online.blogspot.com/2017/12/opini-mem]-inkompatibilities-antara_19.html. This paper also inspired a deeper elaboration entitled Indigenous Livelihood, as a Book Chapter in the Routledge Handbook Regenerative Food Systems (Eds: Jessica Duncan, Michael Carolan & Hans Wiskerke), Routledge Publishers [2020]. How can you buy or sell the […]
Covid19, society and environmental crisis: reflection on modernity
Introduction This article was written right into the third week of the implementation of work-from-home policy in my office, anticipating the wider spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia, and the city of Bandung in particular. In these three weeks, social media timelines have been filled with various reports about the coronavirus and its impact on society […]
A plea for cats
I published this article a few months ago, but I took it down in the midst of uncertain conditions. I bring it up again now, in the hope that it could be a lesson for all. I received a terrible news in the beginning of Covid19 pandemic last year. My campus had just issued an […]
A new learning chapter
It has been seven years since the last time I wrote in this blog. I was surprised to find that this webpage was, in a way, still active. Seven year is surely not a short time, and the journey that I have been through has been, at least for me, a meaningful one. The stories […]
Food in the grasp of capitalism
Various cases surrounding agriculture and food in Indonesia have been emerging in the past 68 years since the independence of Indonesia. Deforestation and social conflict with indigenous communities due to the expansion of oil palm plantation in Borneo and Sumatra, importation of million tonnes of rice that threatens rice price stability that precipitate to rice farmers […]
Indonesia, (Covid19), and the dream towards food sovereignty
This essay was written for a Webinar organised by Ganesha Magazine, PSIK and Tiang Bendera at ITB, May 22, 2020. Introduction: Covid-19 and the fragility of the modern food system Susan Leigh Star, an American sociologist, once wrote, “crises reveal all that is hidden”. In his study of ‘a study of boring things’ [1], Star […]