Josué de Castro

Josué de Castro 1929

Josué de Castro (born September 5, 1908 in Recife , † September 24, 1973 in Paris ) was a Brazilian doctor, writer, geographer, diplomat and fighter against world hunger .

Josué de Castro was the author of numerous books, including detailed studies on the phenomenon of hunger in Brazil. In 1951 Geopolítica da Fome ( Geopolitics of Hunger ) was published, which was translated into numerous other languages. He always pointed out that hunger is man-made. He worked in various capacities for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In 1952 he was elected chairman of the FAO Executive Council. In 1954 Josué de Castro received the World Peace Prize . He taught at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro .

Josué de Castro experienced important phases in the history of his home country: From 1930 to 1945 the dictatorial government of Getúlio Vargas and the democratic development from 1945 to 1964. After the military coup in Brazil in 1964 he had to give up his position there for political reasons. 14 countries offered him asylum. He decided to go to France . There he became Professor of Human Ecology at the University Center in Vincennes , the forerunner of today's Paris VIII University .

Until his death in 1973 he was President of the Center Internationale pour le Développement , the Association Médicale Internationale pour l'Etude des Conditions de Vie et de Santé and a member of several academies, scientific institutions and international bodies.

Fonts (selection)

• World scourge hunger . Musterschmidt, Göttingen - Berlin - Frankfurt 1959.
• The Cancer Circle . Novel. New Life Publishing House, Berlin 1970.
• Geopolitics of hunger . Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt a. M. 1973.

Web links

Commons : Josué de Castro  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Josué de Castro in the catalog of the German National Library
• www.josuedecastro.com (English)