Twenty-sixth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

In 1996, the New York State made study of the Great Irish Famine part of a Human Rights curriculum including slavery in the Americas and the European Holocaust. Cormac Ó Gráda, challenged the Hofstra team to explain why it was so important that students learn about a famine in Ireland 150 years earlier. Our answer was that study of the Great Irish Famine offers be a case study on the impact of colonization, industrialization, and capitalism and 19th century ideas about “progress” on the lives of ordinary people. It also introduce students to the continuing problems of hunger, inequality, and powerlessness in the world today. The Great Irish Famine introduces students to a number of major historical and social studies themes. The British government’s response to the famine in Ireland exposed the ideology and operation of capitalism and shaped British colonial policy. The famine occurred in a period when England, was industrializing and the Irish became a significant portion of the urban industrial work force. Famines, exacerbated by climate change, threaten to reshape human civilization in the 21st century. Study of the famine engages students in discussions of human nature, human rights, government responsibility, and international obligations.