University of Helsinki
November 3 (Thursday) 13.00-14.30 (Helsinki) 12.00-13.30 (CET), online
Animals and/in Soviet Famines in Ukraine. Where Is an Animal in Famine Studies?
Iryna Skubii, Queen’s University
For ZOOM Link Register HERE the day before the event. You will receive the zoom link an hour before the program begins.
During the famines, deterioration of the economic and environmental conditions in rural and urban areas lead to the dramatic consequences for people and domestic and wild animals. In Soviet Ukraine, in the years of the famines of 1921–1923, 1932–1933, 1946–1947 as the millions of people were starving and dying so were their animals. Being the instruments of the Soviet collectivization, the excessive grain and fodder requisitions left cattle and household animals without sufficient fodder. As animals suffered from hunger, they were physically exploited as labour force, slaughtered, and caught en masse due to lack of conventional food. Exploring the interconnections and interdependencies of human and animal history during the times of extremes, the presentation invites the audience to think about the history of famines as an interspecies catastrophe.
