Date: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Time: 13h00 – 14h30
Venue: Library Auditorium, University of the Western Cape
Hosted by: Institute for Social Development (ISD), in collaboration with PSC UWC
Overview
Historically, food crises and famines were regarded as natural disasters, beyond human control. During the 20th century, this perception became inadequate to explain famines that—even when triggered by droughts or floods—were exacerbated by human actions that either deliberately created famine conditions or failed to intervene to prevent mass starvation.
Siege famines are the most extreme example of hunger being used as a weapon of war. By cutting off access to all sources of food—production, markets, and humanitarian aid—besieged populations are literally starved to death.
This seminar will review case studies of several 20th-century siege famines. It will then examine the case of Gaza in 2023/24 to answer the question: Is the ongoing food crisis in Gaza a 21st-century siege famine?
Speaker
Stephen Devereux is an Extraordinary Professor at the Institute for Social Development, University of the Western Cape, and is affiliated to the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security. He holds the DSI-NRF South African Research Chair in Social Protection for Food Security. He is also a Professor at the UK Institute of Development Studies (University of Sussex), where he co-founded the Centre for Social Protection and the Food Equity Centre.
