Beyond a neoliberal critique of hunger: a genealogy of food charity in Aotearoa New Zealand

Agriculture and Human Values · 2 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

The analysis highlights the persistent individualistic narratives and individualization of blame surrounding hunger.

Full summary

341 CHARS

The analysis highlights the persistent individualistic narratives and individualization of blame surrounding hunger. The authors conclude that addressing hunger requires moving beyond the neoliberal critique to assess the social norms and laws that enable charity as a replacement for justice, with the goal of making food charity redundant.

STUDY TYPE

narrative_review

SPECIALTY

public health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10015518

Beyond a neoliberal critique of hunger: a genealogy of food charity in Aotearoa New Zealand

Agriculture and Human Values

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Since the 1980s, foodbanks have become a widespread solution to addressing hunger within high-income countries. The primary reason for their establishment has been widely recognised as neoliberal policies, particularly those that led to massive cuts in social welfare assistance. Foodbanks and hunger have subsequently been framed within a neoliberal critique. However, we argue that critiques of foodbanks are not unique to neoliberalism but have deeper historical roots, meaning that the part neoliberal policies have played is not as clear-cut. In order to understand the normalisation of foodbanks within society, and gain a more extensive understanding of hunger and appreciation as to how this issue could be addressed, it is therefore important to gain a historical understanding of food charity development. In this article, we achieve this by presenting a genealogy of food charity within Aotearoa New Zealand, which witnessed a fluctuation in the use of soup kitchens during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and a rise of foodbanks in the 1980s and ‘90 s. Highlighting the historical parallels and major economic and cultural shifts that have allowed for the institutionalisation of foodbanks, we explore the patterns, parallels and differences exposed, and how they yield an alternative understanding of hunger. Using this analysis, we then discuss the wider implications of the historical foundations of food charity and hunger to better understand the role neoliberalism has played in the entrenchment of foodbanks, and advocate the importance of looking beyond a neoliberal critique in order to entertain alternative solutions to addressing food insecurity. Keywords: Aotearoa New Zealand, Foodbanks, Food charity, Neoliberalism, Soup kitchens

CITATION EXPORT

Katharine S E Cresswell Riol, Sean Connelly. Beyond a neoliberal critique of hunger: a genealogy of food charity in Aotearoa New Zealand. Agriculture and Human Values. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10414-w

AUTHORS

2 · 2 CENTRES

Katharine S E Cresswell Riol, Sean Connelly

1Centre for Sustainability, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
2School of Geography, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand