Project: HUNGER
Archive: Digital Oral History Archive
Collection: “Testimonies of the Mass Famine of 1946–1947 in Bessarabia”
Collection ID: HUNGER-DOHA-COL-001
Explore Сollection - 003
Collection Description
The collection “Testimonies of the Mass Famine of 1946–1947 in Bessarabia” is an integrated component of the interdisciplinary research and artistic project “HUNGER,” created by the artist Yona Tukuser.
About the Project “HUNGER”
Research Context
The collection documents one of the least studied humanitarian catastrophes in post-war Eastern Europe: the mass famine of 1946–1947 in Bessarabia, (Odesa Region, Ukraine). It preserves eyewitness testimony recorded at a moment when the last surviving witnesses were still alive, creating a unique historical source for future research.
Scope of the Collection
The collection comprises 51 video interviews recorded during an independent field research expedition to Southern Bessarabia between 10 April and 21 May 2018.
During the expedition, 86 eyewitnesses and descendants of famine survivors were interviewed across twelve settlements in the Odesa region of Ukraine.
Southern Bessarabia (Odesa Region, Ukraine)
Collection Metadata
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Collection title: “Testimonies of the Mass Famine of 1946–1947 in Bessarabia”
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Collection ID: HUNGER-DOHA-COL-001
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Media type: video (MOV)
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Number of interviews: 51
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Language: Bulgarian
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Field research expedition: 10 April – 21 May 2018
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Geographic coverage: Southern Bessarabia, Ukraine
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Research Lead and Field Researcher: Yona Tukuser
Tags
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1946–1947 famine
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Bessarabia
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Oral history testimonies
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Grain confiscation
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Forced collectivization
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Deportation
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Trauma memory
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Cannibalism narratives
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Child vulnerability
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Mass death
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Survival strategies
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Survival ethics
Archival Content
The materials document oral testimonies of the mass famine of 1946–1947 in Southern Bessarabia and constitute a corpus of primary historical sources for the study of the 1946–1947 famine and the cultural memory of Bulgarian communities in the region.
Archival Structure of Records
Each archival record in the collection includes:
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a video interview
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a transcript
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a related artwork from the “HUNGER” project
This creates a multi-layered representation of oral testimony as both a primary historical source and its artistic interpretation.
Each record has a unique identifier in the format HUNGER-DOHA-XX-XX, ensuring navigation and citation.
Tags
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1946–1947 famine
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Bessarabia
-
Oral history testimonies
-
Grain confiscation
-
Forced collectivization
-
Deportation
-
Trauma memory
-
Cannibalism narratives
-
Child vulnerability
-
Mass death
-
Survival strategies
-
Survival ethics
Citation and Rights
Recommended Citation
In-text citation:
Tukuser, Y. 2018, HUNGER-DOHA-XX-XX
Reference list:
Tukuser, Y. (2018) Project “HUNGER”. Digital Oral History Archive. Collection: “Testimonies of the Mass Famine of 1946–1947 in Bessarabia”. Digital archive available at:
https://www.yonatukuser.art/oral-history
© Yona Tukuser
Expedition Map
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