| Unit name | Ideology, Poverty and Famines |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HISTM2017 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sheldon |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
none |
| Co-requisites |
none |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit studies the phenomenon of famines and famine relief in modern history through comparative case studies, and by paying particular attention to their ideological representation in mainstream discourses of economics and development, Its main focus is upon intellectuual and cultural battles over the framing of hunger in the modern period. Students will be introduced to a range of theoretical perspectives from the classical economists, especially Adam Smith and T R Malthus, through to the contemporary work on exchange entitlements of Amartya Sen and M Ravallion. Distinctively modern ideas about the prevalence of famine in the underdeveloped world emerged with enlightenment economics. Public opinion was shaped by media representations of mass starvation following the emergence of affordable photographic technologies and later by the moving images of newsreel and television. Historical case studeis will include: Ancien Regime France; Madras in the 1780s; Ireland 1845-49; Begal 1943 and Ethiopia in the 1980s.
