Interrogating Famine

Famine has led to catastrophic destruction and massive death, locally and globally. This proposed session intends to consolidate and expand sociological studies of famine. It welcomes macro level analyses that examine the causes, scope, and effects of famine. At the individual and community level, it invites studies that focus on how individuals and/or communities navigate famine during its onslaught, address their losses, and rebuild their lives afterwards. In addition, the session offers an opportunity to interrogate the writing of famine as a deliberate, political act. In doing so, it examines how differently positioned stakeholders use various strategies to conceal or reveal famine, and the implications of such writing in sociological knowledge on famine. Together, the session facilitates dialogue among sociologists who call upon various types of data and employ diverse angles to interrogate famine. It expands sociological studies of famine.