“Famines are largely caused by human action”

22 July 2024 Research news item

What are the causes of famines, who suffer most, and what do people eat when food is scarce? You will find answers to these questions and much more in the digital exhibition Heritages of Hunger, curated by Charley Boerman, PhD candidate at the Radboud Institute for Culture and History. “Famines are not something of the past.”

The Irish Famine, the Años del Hambre, the Hongerwinter or the Holodomor in Ukraine. These are just some of the famines that have taken place in Europe over the past two centuries. “In the NWA project Heritages of Hunger, we are studying the ways in which these famines continue to have an impact and are commemorated to this day,” says Boerman.

“Many people will know the stories and myths about famines in their own countries, but not about similar disasters in other countries.” To present that knowledge in an accessible way and share general lessons about famines, Boerman and her colleagues, in collaboration with HOAX, developed the digital exhibition Heritages of Hunger: The main course in famine.

Six-course menu

Constructed like a six-course meal, the exhibition teaches you about the causes, development and consequences of famines. Each course helps clear up a misunderstanding. “There are several misconceptions about famines, for example that nature causes them,” explains Boerman. “From wars to political mismanagement, famines are largely the result of human action, not natural disasters.”

Incidentally, once famines are underway, it doesn’t mean that no one can get food. “Often, it’s the already vulnerable groups in society that are hit the hardest.” At the same time, it can vary a lot from case to case. “During the Hunger Winter in the Netherlands, people in rural areas had access to food, while in Ireland it was the farmers who were hit hardest by the failed potato harvests.”

Another well-known misconception is that famines are something of the past. But nothing could be further from the truth. “Even today, there are plenty of famines in war zones,” Boerman stresses. “Conflict in Yemen has left 17 million people living in food insecurity and in Gaza, people have had to resort to eating cattle feed and children are dying of malnutrition and dehydration.”

No images of cannibalism

When Boerman started her PhD in early 2020, she saw for herself that famine is not entirely inconceivable in the Netherlands either. “Finding empty shelves in supermarkets due to COVID, I suddenly saw in real life what I was reading about for my research. I wasn’t afraid of an acute famine, but it did get me thinking.”

As a cultural scholar with expertise in visual sources, Boerman coordinated the exhibition. With a subject like famines, it can be difficult to decide what to show and what not to show. “On the one hand, you want to tell people about the atrocities, but some images can be too shocking. In some situations, food scarcity led to cannibalism. “To discuss that, we opted for written eyewitness accounts and drawn illustrations, rather than a photo.”

During her research, Boerman also saw such gruesome images. “Those images do stay with you, yes. I'm now slightly used to it, although you never become completely desensitised.” It’s part of the job and Boerman knows why she is doing it. “My goal is to help inform people about famines and thus contribute to their prevention.”

Interested in the digital exhibition?

Watch Heritages of Hunger

Contact information

Organizational unit: Faculty of Arts, Radboud Institute for Culture and History
Theme: History, Art & Culture