Reclaiming Land in Casiavera w/ David E. Gilbert (E223)

Two decades ago, a group of Indonesian agricultural workers began occupying the agribusiness plantation near their homes. In the years since, members of this remarkable movement have reclaimed collective control of their land and cultivated diverse agricultural forests on it, repairing the damage done over nearly a century of abuse. Countering Dispossession, Reclaiming Land, by my guest David E. Gilbert, is that story. It is an account of the ways these workers-turned-activists mobilized to move beyond industrial agriculture's exploitation of workers and the environment, showing how emancipatory and ecologically attuned ways of living with land are possible. At a time when capitalism has remade landscapes and reordered society, the Casiavera reclaiming movement stands as an inspiring example of what struggles for social and environmental justice can achieve.Casiavera, located in Sumatra, modern Indonesia, is an example of a land bank movement in the modern era, backed by highly organised unions in Indonesia and globally. This story takes us from Dutch colonial times to the US-backed coup that brought one of the most brutal dictatorships of the 20th century. It is also a story of pragmatism, including the casiavera movement recruiting an accomplice within the state security apparatus itself. As I’m not very knowledgeable about this topic beyond reading David’s book, you won’t hear a lot of me in this episode, besides my reflections at the end, as I told David to take his time and explain in as much detail as possible how Casiavera became possible, and what we can all learn from that history.Mentioned:La Via CampesinaFederation of Indonesian Peasant Union (Federasi Serikat Petani Indonesia)The Final Straw episode with DavidThis episode was first released for Patreon supporters on 14 August 2026 and made public on 7 September 2026.If you’d like to support The Fire These Times, the best way to do it is through Patreon.com/thefirethesetimes. In return, you’ll get early access to everything I record, exclusive videos, the mini-series all at once, access to the monthly hangout, discounts on my classes and newsletter, the class recordings (all of them), an invitation to join the Discord chat, merch, personalised thank you cards, and more stuff to come.Registrations for the November class (online) on modern Lebanese history and politics are now open: https://thefirethesetimes.com/lebanonclass ------Social Media: Elia (⁠⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠⁠), TFTT (⁠Bluesky⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)For feedback, requests etc: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Everything else is archived on ⁠the website⁠.------Elia's recent pieces​ShadoMag: ⁠⁠⁠The Belfast pogrom was predictable⁠⁠⁠​972Mag: ⁠⁠⁠Lebanon walks into Israel’s trap⁠⁠⁠Also, for Hauntologies​⁠⁠⁠Report from Belfast. Day 1.⁠⁠⁠Recent Podcast interviews​It Could Happen Here: ⁠⁠⁠The Media Context for the Belfast Pogrom⁠⁠⁠​It Could Happen Here: ⁠⁠Lebanon's Agreement with Israel⁠⁠------CreditsElia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), ⁠the rosa artist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), Wenyi Geng (TFTT theme design), ⁠⁠⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (my profile pic), ⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠⁠⁠ (Transcriptions)As always, thank you for listening and take care.