Josué de Castro, born Josué Apolônio de Castro (5 September 1908 – 24 September 1973), was a Brazilian physician, expert on nutrition, geographer, writer, public administrator, and activist against world

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic Human nutrition, nutritional needs for a sustaine ...

. His book ''Geopolitics of Hunger'' was granted The Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation Award, in 1952. Two years later, he received the

International Peace Prize The World Peace Council (WPC), a pro-Soviet non-governmental organization, has awarded a number of prizes, beginning in 1950. These have been awarded to individuals, organisations, peoples, and places. Typically, several winners would be voted at ...

. Castro was born in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

. He taught at the University of Brazil (today's

UFRJ The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro or University of Brazil (UFRJ; pt, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro or ') is a public university, public research university located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ...

) and was chairman of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

(

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

). He was also a member of the Brazilian parliament and a diplomat. His political rights came to an end with the military coup of 1964, when he moved to France. For many years he was president of the ''Association Médicale Internationale pour l’Etude des Conditions de Vie et de Santé'' (The International Medical Association for the Study of the Conditions of Life and Health) and member of other international organizations. He taught at

Paris 8 University Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis (french: Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis) is a public university in Paris, France. Once part of the historic University of Paris, it is now an autonomous public institution. It is one of the th ...

until his death in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Main Works

The Geography of Hunger

Ground-breaking ecological work about the political issue of hunger in Brazil. Published in 1946, the book emphasizes the socio-economic backgrounds of the biological manifestation of hunger and condemns the physical determinism.

The Geopolitics of Hunger

Originally published in the U.S. with the title "The Geography of Hunger" in 1952, translated into 26 languages, is one of the classic works on food and population. His themes are very much the opposite of those sounded by the neo-Malthusians. He does not believe that hunger is the "natural result of overpopulation," but is rather a man-made phenomenon. Even more, he undertakes to demonstrate that hunger, rather than being the result of overpopulation, is the cause of it. The work presented new formulations for underdevelopment, and was granted with The Franklin D. Roosevelt Foundation Award.

Death in the Northeast

A book that aims to strike the interest for the Northeast Brazilian people's situation. Written before military coup of 1964, and published during the military dictatorship, it clarifies the political turmoil and explosive tensions around the Brazilian agrarian system, established by feudalist Portuguese colonizers.CASTRO, Josué de. ''Sete palmos de terra e um caixão''. S. Paulo: Brasiliense, 1965.

Of Men and Crabs

Exiled at Paris, he wrote about the scene of his childhood.

References

External links

A Coffin for Malthusianism: Josué de Castro’s Subaltern Geopolitics (article by Federico Ferretti)The Josué de Castro Centenary (article by Malaquias Batista Filho)Radio Canada Archive: Josué de Castro, June 1960Josué de Castro: Por Um Mundo Sem Fome
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Josue De 1908 births 1973 deaths Brazilian activists Brazilian geographers 20th-century Brazilian physicians Brazilian male writers Federal University of Rio de Janeiro faculty Academic staff of Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis Representatives of Brazil to the Food and Agriculture Organization Officiers of the Légion d'honneur 20th-century geographers