Articles by Terry Leahy
- Profile
- Terry Leahy lives in Melbourne, having retired from his academic position at University of Newcastle at the end of 2016. Between 1974 and 1988 he worked at the University of NSW in Sociology and from 1990 to 2016 at the University of Newcastle. Terry Leahy’s current writing and research investigates three related topics: sustainable agriculture and food security; the global environmental crisis; and the philosophy of the social sciences. His work is framed by a critique of capitalism and patriarchy. His most recent publications include a study of permaculture as a social movement The Politics of Permaculture, a sociological analysis of food insecurity in Africa Food Security for Rural Africa: Feeding the Farmers First, a documentary on a permaculture project in Zimbabwe – The Chikukwa Project – and a book on social theory – Humanist Realism for Sociologists.
Culture, Economy, Environment, Featured, Social Justice, Theory
Playing by the rules
Terry Leahy’s essay shows how the environmental movement’s emphasis on cultural transformation without structural reform reproduces the very “social games” of capitalism we oppose. Changing hearts or changing systems is a false choice — we need both to rewrite society’s rules. From tree-sits to policy shifts, diversity is our strength when burnout tempts some of us to retreat to our... Read More
Economy, Environment, Featured, Green Agenda 2024:1, Reviews, Theory
Renewable energy: Are optimistic scenarios feasible?
Terry Leahy critically examines Mark Diesendorf and Rod Taylor's The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation, focusing on their arguments for a renewable energy transition and degrowth. Acknowledging the authors' optimism about renewables, Leahy challenges notions of an easy green transition, to argue that radical degrowth is necessary. [...]
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Environment, Featured, Green Agenda Journal 2022: Volume Two
The politics of permaculture, a global movement for change
Permaculture is a social movement founded in 1978 in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. It has grown since then into a global movement for system change. While clearly a part of the broader environmentalist scene, permaculture is also distinctive in several ways. On the ground, permaculture activism is mainly connected to sustainable agriculture with a diversity of strategies... Read More