More People Are Going On Hunger Strikes. Why Now?

Many activist movements today are leaning on an old protest method: the hunger strike. So why is this tactic seeing a resurgence, and what makes these demonstrations effective?

An episode of the Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast podcast, hosted by WNYC Studios, titled "More People Are Going On Hunger Strikes. Why Now?" was published on November 15, 2021 and runs 23 minutes.

November 15, 2021 ·23m · Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

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Summary

Many activist movements today are leaning on an old protest method: the hunger strike. So why is this tactic seeing a resurgence, and what makes these demonstrations effective?

Episode Description

Many activist movements today are leaning on an old protest method: the hunger strike. So why is this tactic seeing a resurgence, and what makes these demonstrations effective?

On Today's Show:
Sharman Apt Russell, author of several books including Hunger: An Unnatural History (Basic Books, 2006) and Within Our Grasp: Childhood Malnutrition Worldwide and the Revolution Taking Place to End It (Deckle Edge, 2021), discusses the history of hunger strikes and explains how they work.