2020/11/24

Ecofeminism - Wikipedia

Ecofeminism - Wikipedia

Ecofeminism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Ecofeminism is a branch of feminism that sees environmentalism, and the relationship between women and the earth, as foundational to its analysis and practice. Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyse the relationships between humans and the natural world.[1] The term was coined by the French writer Françoise d'Eaubonne in her book Le Féminisme ou la Mort (1974).[2][3] Ecofeminist theory asserts a feminist perspective of Green politics that calls for an egalitarian, collaborative society in which there is no one dominant group.[4] Today, there are several branches of ecofeminism, with varying approaches and analyses, including liberal ecofeminism, spiritual/cultural ecofeminism, and social/socialist ecofeminism (or materialist ecofeminism).[4] Interpretations of ecofeminism and how it might be applied to social thought include ecofeminist art, social justice and political philosophy, religion, contemporary feminism, and poetry.

Ecofeminist analysis explores the connections between women and nature in culture, religion, literature and iconography, and addresses the parallels between the oppression of nature and the oppression of women. These parallels include but are not limited to seeing women and nature as property, seeing men as the curators of culture and women as the curators of nature, and how men dominate women and humans dominate nature. Ecofeminism emphasizes that both women and nature must be respected.[5]

Though the scope of ecofeminist analysis is broad and dynamic,[6] American author and ecofeminist Charlene Spretnak has offered one way of categorizing ecofeminist work: 1) through the study of political theory as well as history; 2) through the belief and study of nature-based religions; 3) through environmentalism.[7]


Contents
1Overview
2Gendering Nature
3Concepts
3.1Modern Science and Ecofeminism
3.2Vegetarian Ecofeminism
3.3Materialist Ecofeminism
3.4Spiritual Ecofeminism/Cultural Ecofeminism
4Environmental movements
4.1Movements of the 1970s and 80s
5Major critiques
6Theorists
7See also
8References
9Further reading
9.1Key works
9.2Anthologies
9.3Journal articles
9.4Fiction
10Poetry
11External links
Overview[edit]

In the 1993 essay entitled "Ecofeminism: Toward Global Justice and Planetary Health" authors Greta Gaard and Lori Gruen outline what they call the "ecofeminist framework". The essay provides a wealth of data and statistics in addition to outlining the theoretical aspects of the ecofeminist critique. The framework described is intended to establish ways of viewing and understanding our current global situations so that we can better understand how we arrived at this point and what may be done to ameliorate the ills.

Gaard and Gruen argue that there are four sides to this framework:
The mechanistic materialist model of the universe that resulted from the scientific revolution and the subsequent reduction of all things into mere resources to be optimized, dead inert matter to be used.
The rise of patriarchal religions and their establishment of gender hierarchies along with their denial of immanent divinity.
Self and other dualisms and the inherent power and domination ethic it entails.
Capitalism and its claimed intrinsic need for the exploitation, destruction and instrumentalization of animals, earth and people for the sole purpose of creating wealth.

They hold that these four factors have brought us to what ecofeminists see as a "separation between nature and culture" that is for them the root source of our planetary ills.[8]

Françoise d'Eaubonne.

Ecofeminism developed out of anarcha-feminist concerns with abolishing all forms of domination, while focusing on the oppressive nature of humanity's relationship to the natural world.[9] According to Françoise d'Eaubonne in her book Le Féminisme ou la Mort (1974), ecofeminism relates the oppression and domination of all marginalized groups (women, people of color, children, the poor) to the oppression and domination of nature (animals, land, water, air, etc.). In the book, the author argues that oppression, domination, exploitation, and colonization from the Western patriarchal society has directly caused irreversible environmental damage.[10] Françoise d'Eaubonne was an activist and organizer, and her writing encouraged the eradication of all social injustice, not just injustice against women and the environment.[10]

This tradition includes a number of influential texts including: Women and Nature (Susan Griffin 1978), The Death of Nature (Carolyn Merchant 1980) and Gyn/Ecology (Mary Daly 1978). These texts helped to propel the association between domination by man on women and the domination of culture on nature. From these texts feminist activism of the 1980s linked ideas of ecology and the environment. Movements such as the National Toxics Campaign, Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA), and Native Americans for a Clean Environment (NACE) were led by women devoted to issues of human health and environmental justice.[11] Writings in this circle discussed ecofeminism drawing from Green Party politics, peace movements, and direct action movements.[12]

Modern ecofeminism, or feminist eco-criticism, eschews such essentialism and instead focuses more on intersectional questions, such as how the nature-culture split enables the oppression of female and nonhuman bodies. It is also an activist and academic movement that sees critical connections between the exploitation of nature and the domination over women both caused by men.[citation needed]
Gendering Nature[edit]

Petra Kelly

Ecofeminist theory asserts that capitalism reflects only paternalistic and patriarchal values. This notion implies that the effects of capitalism have not benefited women and has led to a harmful split between nature and culture.[13] In the 1970s, early ecofeminists discussed that the split can only be healed by the feminine instinct for nurture and holistic knowledge of nature's processes.

Since then, several ecofeminist scholars have made the distinction that it is not because women are female or "feminine" that they relate to nature, but because of their similar states of oppression by the same male-dominant forces. The marginalization is evident in the gendered language used to describe nature, such as "Mother Earth" or "Mother Nature", and the animalized language used to describe women. Some discourses link women specifically to the environment because of their traditional social role as a nurturer and caregiver.[14] Ecofeminists following in this line of thought believe that these connections are illustrated through the coherence of socially-labeled values associated with 'femininity' such as nurturing, which are present both among women and in nature.

Alternatively, ecofeminist and activist Vandana Shiva wrote that women have a special connection to the environment through their daily interactions and that this connection has been underestimated. According to Shiva, women in subsistence economies who produce "wealth in partnership with nature, have been experts in their own right of holistic and ecological knowledge of nature's processes". She makes the point that "these alternative modes of knowing, which are oriented to the social benefits and sustenance needs are not recognized by the capitalist reductionist paradigm, because it fails to perceive the interconnectedness of nature, or the connection of women's lives, work and knowledge with the creation of wealth (23)".[15] Shiva blames this failure on the Western patriarchal perceptions of development and progress. According to Shiva, patriarchy has labeled women, nature, and other groups not growing the economy as "unproductive".[16]

Concepts[edit]
Modern Science and Ecofeminism[edit]

In Ecofeminism (1993) authors Vandana Shiva and Maria Mies ponder modern science and its acceptance as a universal and value-free system. They view the dominant stream of modern science not as objective science but as a projection of Western men's values.[17] The privilege of determining what is considered scientific knowledge and its usage has been controlled by men, and for the most part of history restricted to men. Bondi and Miles list examples including the medicalization of childbirth and the industrialization of plant reproduction.[17]

Bondi argues that the medicalization of childbirth has marginalized midwife knowledge and changed the natural process of childbirth into a procedure dependent on specialized technologies and appropriated expertise.[17] A common claim within ecofeminist literature is that patriarchal structures justify their dominance through binary opposition, these include but are not limited to: heaven/earth, mind/body, male/female, human/animal, spirit/matter, culture/nature and white/non-white. Oppression, according to them, is reinforced by assuming truth in these binaries, which factuality they challenge, and instilling them as 'marvelous to behold' through what they consider to be religious and scientific constructs.[18]
Vegetarian Ecofeminism[edit]

The application of ecofeminism to animal rights has established vegetarian ecofeminism, which asserts that "omitting the oppression of animals from feminist and ecofeminist analyses […] is inconsistent with the activist and philosophical foundations of both feminism (as a "movement to end all forms of oppression") and ecofeminism."[19] It puts into practice "the personal is political," as many ecofeminists believe that "meat-eating is a form of patriarchal domination…that suggests a link between male violence and a meat-based diet."[19] During a 1995 interview with On the Issues, Carol J. Adams stated, "Manhood is constructed in our culture in part by access to meat-eating and control of other bodies, whether it's women or animals".[20] According to Adams, "We cannot work for justice and challenge the oppression of nature without understanding that the most frequent way we interact with nature is by eating animals".[20] Vegetarian ecofeminism combines sympathy with the analysis of culture and politics to refine a system of ethics and action.[19]
Materialist Ecofeminism[edit]

Ecofeminism as materialist is another common dimension of ecofeminism. A materialist view connects some institutions such as labor, power, and property as the source of domination over women and nature. There are connections made between these subjects because of the values of production and reproduction.[21] This dimension of ecofeminism may also be referred to as "social feminism," "socialist ecofeminism," or "Marxist ecofeminism." According to Carolyn Merchant, "Social ecofeminism advocates the liberation of women through overturning economic and social hierarchies that turn all aspects of life into a market society that today even invades the womb".[4] Ecofeminism in this sense seeks to eliminate social hierarchies which favor the production of commodities (dominated by men) over biological and social reproduction.
Spiritual Ecofeminism/Cultural Ecofeminism[edit]

Spiritual ecofeminism is another branch of ecofeminism, and it is popular among ecofeminist authors such as Starhawk, Riane Eisler, and Carol J. Adams. Starhawk calls this an earth-based spirituality, which recognizes that the Earth is alive, and that we are an interconnected community.[22] Spiritual ecofeminism is not linked to one specific religion, but is centered around values of caring, compassion, and non-violence.[23] Often, ecofeminists refer to more ancient traditions, such as the worship of Gaia, the Goddess of nature and spirituality (also known as Mother Earth).[23] Wicca and Paganism are particularly influential to spiritual ecofeminism. Most Wicca covens demonstrate a deep respect for nature, a feminine outlook, and an aim to establish strong community values.[24]

In her book Radical Ecology, Carolyn Merchant refers to spiritual ecofeminism as "cultural ecofeminism." According to Merchant, cultural ecofeminism, "celebrates the relationship between women and nature through the revival of ancient rituals centered on goddess worship, the moon, animals, and the female reproductive system."[4] In this sense, cultural ecofeminists tend to value intuition, an ethic of caring, and human-nature interrelationships.[4]
Environmental movements[edit]

Susan A. Mann, an eco-feminist and professor of sociological and feminist theory, considers the roles women played in these activisms to be the starter for ecofeminism in later centuries. Mann associates the beginning of ecofeminism not with feminists but with women of different race and class backgrounds who made connections among gender, race, class and environmental issues. This ideal is upheld through the notion that in activist and theory circles marginalized groups must be included in the discussion. In early environmental and women's movements, issues of varying races and classes were often separated.[25]

Beginning in the late 20th century, women worked in efforts to protect wildlife, food, air and water.[26] These efforts depended largely on new developments in the environmental movement from influential writers, such as Henry David Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and Rachel Carson.[27][28] Fundamental examples of women's efforts in the 20th century are the books Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams.

Ecofeminist author Karren Warren lists Aldo Leopold's essay "Land Ethic" (1949) as a fundamental work to the ecofeminist conception, as Leopold was the first to pen an ethic for the land which understands all non-human parts of that community (animals, plants, land, air, water) as equal to and in a relationship with humans. This inclusive understanding of the environment launched the modern preservation movement and illustrated how issues can be viewed through a framework of caring.[10]

Women have participated in environmental movements, specifically preservation and conservation beginning in the late nineteenth century and continuing into the early twentieth century.[29]
Movements of the 1970s and 80s[edit]

In India, in state of Uttarakhand in 1973, women took part in the Chipko movement to protect forests from deforestation. Non-violent protest tactics were used to occupy trees so that loggers could not cut them down.[10]

Wangari Maathai

In Kenya in 1977, the Green Belt Movement was initiated by environmental and political activist Professor Wangari Maathai. It is rural tree planting program led by women, which Maathai designed to help prevent desertification in the area. The program created a 'green belt' of at least 1,000 trees around villages, and gave participants the ability to take charge in their communities. In later years, the Green Belt Movement was an advocate for informing and empowering citizens through seminars for civic and environmental education, as well as holding national leaders accountable for their actions and instilling agency in citizens.[30] The work of the Greenbelt Movement continues today.

In 1978 in New York, mother and environmentalist Lois Gibbs led her community in protest after discovering that their entire neighborhood, Love Canal, was built on top of a toxic dump site. The toxins in the ground were causing illness among children and reproductive issues among women, as well as birth defects in babies born to pregnant women exposed to the toxins. The Love Canal movement eventually led to the evacuation and relocation of nearly 800 families by the federal government.[31]

In 1980 and 1981, women organized a peaceful protest at the Pentagon. Women stood, hand in hand, demanding equal rights (including social, economic, and reproductive rights) as well as an end to militaristic actions taken by the government and exploitation of the community (people and the environment). This movement is known as the Women's Pentagon Actions.[12]

In 1985, the Akwesasne Mother's Milk Project was launched by Katsi Cook. This study was funded by the government, and investigated how the higher level of contaminants in water near the Mohawk reservation impacted babies. It revealed that through breast milk, Mohawk children were being exposed to 200% more toxins than children not on the reservation. Toxins contaminate water all over the world, but to due environmental racism, certain subversive groups are exposed to a much higher amount.[32]

The Greening of Harlem Coalition is another example of an ecofeminist movement. In 1989, Bernadette Cozart founded the coalition, which is responsible for many urban gardens around Harlem. Cozart's goal is to turn vacant lots into community gardens.[33] This is economically beneficial, and also provides a way for very urban communities to be in touch with nature and each other. The majority of people interested in this project (as noted in 1990) were women. Through these gardens, they were able to participate in and become leaders of their communities. Urban greening exists in other places as well. Beginning in 1994, a group of African-American women in Detroit have developed city gardens, and call themselves the Gardening Angels. Similar garden movements have occurred globally.[34]

The development of vegetarian ecofeminism can be traced to the mid-80s and 90s, where it first appeared in writing. However, the roots of a vegetarian ecofeminist view can be traced back further by looking at sympathy for non-humans and counterculture movements of the 1960s and 1970s.[19] At the culmination of the decade ecofeminism had spread to both coasts and articulated an intersectional analysis of women and the environment. Eventually, challenging ideas of environmental classism and racism, resisting toxic dumping and other threats to the impoverished.[35]

Vandana Shiva
Major critiques[edit]

In the 1980s and 1990s ecofeminism began to meet a lot of criticism from anti-essentialist feminism, which heavily critiqued what they viewed as essentialism. The essentialist view saw ecofeminism as reinforcing and growing patriarchal dominance and norms.[21] Through analysis done by post structural and third wave feminists it was argued that ecofeminism equated women with nature. This dichotomy is dangerous because it groups all women into one category and enforces the very societal norms that feminism is trying to break.

The major criticism of ecofeminism is that it is essentialist.[36] The ascribed essentialism appears in two main areas:
Ecofeminism demonstrates an adherence to the strict dichotomy, among others, between men and women. Some ecofeminist critiques note that the dichotomy between women and men and nature and culture creates a dualism that is too stringent and focused on the differences of women and men. In this sense, ecofeminism too strongly correlates the social status of women with the social status of nature, rather than the non-essentialist view that women along with nature both have masculine and feminine qualities, and that just like feminine qualities have often been seen as less worthy, nature is also seen as having lesser value than culture.[37]
Ecofeminism asserts a divergent view regarding participation in existing social structures. As opposed to radical and liberation-based feminist movements, mainstream feminism is tightly bound with hegemonic social status strives to promote equality within the existing social and political structure,[38] such as making it possible for women to occupy positions of power in business, industry and politics, using direct involvement as the main tactic for achieving pay equity and influence. In contrast, many ecofeminists oppose active engagement in these areas, as these are the very structures that the movement intends to dismantle.[37]

Out of this critique rose the anti-essentialist argument. Ecofeminist and author Noel Sturgeon says in an interview that what anti-essentialists are critiquing is a strategy used to mobilize large and diverse groups of both theorists and activists.[39] Additionally, ecofeminist and author Charlene Spretnak, modern ecofeminism is concerned about a variety of issues, including reproductive technology, equal pay and equal rights, taxis poisoning, Third World development, and more.[7]

Ecofeminism as it propelled into the 21st century became aware of the criticisms, and in response ecofeminists with a materialist lens began doing research and renaming the topic, i.e. queer ecologies, global feminist environmental justice, and gender and the environment.[35]

Social ecologist and feminist Janet Biehl has criticized ecofeminism for focusing too much on a mystical connection between women and nature and not enough on the actual conditions of women.[40] She has also stated that rather than being a forward-moving theory, ecofeminism is an anti-progressive movement for women.[40]

Rosemary Radford Ruether also critiqued this focus on mysticism over work that focuses on helping women, but argues that spirituality and activism can be combined effectively in ecofeminism.[41]

A. E. Kings has criticized ecofeminism for limiting itself to focusing only on gender and the environment, and neglecting to take an intersectional approach. Kings says that ecofeminists claim to be intersectional, however have fallen short on their commitment until recently.[42]

Feminist thought surrounding ecofeminism grew in some areas as it was criticized; vegetarian ecofeminism contributed intersectional analysis; and ecofeminisms that analyzed animal rights, labor rights and activisms as they could draw lines among oppressed groups. To some, the inclusion of non-human animals also came to be viewed as essentialist.
Theorists[edit]
Judi Bari – Bari was a principal organizer of the Earth First! movement and experienced hostility due to her womanhood.
Françoise d'Eaubonne – Called upon women to lead an ecological revolution in order to save the planet. This entailed revolutionizing gender relations and human relations with the natural world.[2]
Greta Gaard – Greta Gaard is an American ecofeminist scholar and activist. Her major contributions to the field connect ideas of queer theory, vegetarianism, and animal liberation. Her major theories include ecocriticism which works to include literary criticism and composition to inform ecofeminism and other feminist theories to address wider range of social issues within ecofeminism. She is an ecological activist and leader in the U.S. Green Party, and the Green Movement.[43]
Sallie McFague – A prominent ecofeminist theologian, McFague uses the metaphor of God's body to represent the universe at large. This metaphor values inclusive, mutualistic and interdependent relations amongst all things.[44]
Carolyn Merchant – Historian of science who taught at Berkeley for many years. Her book The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution is a classic ecofeminist text.
Mary Mellor – UK sociologist who moved to ecofeminist ideas from an interest in cooperatives. Her books Breaking the Boundaries and Feminism and Ecology are grounded in a materialist analysis.
Maria Mies – Mies is a German social critic who has been involved in feminist work throughout Europe and India. She works particularly on the intersections of patriarchy, poverty, and the environment on a local and global scale.[41]
Val Plumwood – Val Plumwood, formerly Val Routley, was an Australian ecofeminist intellectual and activist, who was prominent in the development of radical ecosophy from the early 1970s through the remainder of the 20th century. In her works "Feminism and the Mastery of Nature" she describes the relationship of mankind and the environment relating to an eco-feminist ideology.[45]
Alicia Puleo – The author of several books and articles on ecofeminism and gender inequality, Alicia Puleo has been characterized as "arguably Spain's most prominent explicator-philosopher of the worldwide movement or theoretical orientation known as ecofeminism."[46]
Rosemary Radford Ruether – Has written 36 books and over 600 articles exploring the intersections of feminism, theology, and creation care.[47]
Ariel Salleh – Australian ecofeminist with a global perspective; a founding editor of the journal Capitalism Nature Socialism; author of two books and some 200 articles examining links with deep and social ecology, green politics and eco-socialism.
Vandana Shiva – Shiva is a Philosopher, author, activist, and feminist from India.[48] She was a participant in the Chipko movement of the 1970s, which used non-violent activism to protest and prevent deforestation in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India then in Uttar Pradesh.
Charlene Spretnak – Spretnak is an American writer largely known for her writing on ecology, politics and spirituality. Through these writings Spretnak has become a prominent ecofeminist. She has written many books which discuss ecological issues in terms of effects with social criticisms, including feminism. Spretnak works had a major influence in the development of the Green Party. She has also won awards based on her visions on ecology and social issues as well as feminist thinking.[49]
Starhawk – An American writer and activist Starhawk is known for her work in spiritualism and ecofeminism. She advocates for social justice in issues surrounding nature and spirit. These social justice issues fall under the scope of feminism and ecofeminism. She believes in fighting oppression through intersectionality and the importance of spirituality, eco consciousness and sexual and gender liberation.[50]
Vanessa Lemgruber – Lemgruber is a Lawyer, brazilian writer,[51] activist, and ecofeminist[52] from Brazil. She defendes[53] the Rio Doce river in Brazil and advocates for water quality and zero waste movments.[54]
Douglas Vakoch – An American ecocritic whose edited volumes include Ecofeminism and Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives on Sex, Technology, and Discourse (2011),[55] Feminist Ecocriticism: Environment, Women, and Literature (2012),[56] and (with Sam Mickey) Ecofeminism in Dialogue (2018),[57] Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices (2018),[58] and Women and Nature?: Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment (2018).[59]
Karen Warren – Warren received her B.A. in philosophy from the University of Minnesota (1970) and her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1978. Before her long tenure at Macalester College, which began in 1985, Warren was Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College in the early 1980s. Warren was the Ecofeminist-Scholar-in-Residence at Murdoch University in Australia.[1] In 2003, she served as an Oxford University Round Table Scholar and as Women's Chair in Humanistic Studies at Marquette University in 2004. She has spoken widely on environmental issues, feminism, critical thinking skills and peace studies in many international locations including Buenos Aires, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oslo, Manitoba, Melbourne, Moscow, Perth, the U.N. Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), and San Jose.
Laura Wright — Wright proposed Vegan Studies as an academic discipline.
See also[edit]

Chipko movement
Cottagecore
Deep ecology
Deep Green Resistance
Ecofeminist art
Green syndicalism
Intersectionality
List of ecofeminist authors
Queer ecology
Romanticism
Social ecology
Vegan studies
Vegetarian ecofeminism
Women and the environment through history
Climate change and gender



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^ "Greta Gaard". www.uwrf.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
^ Ralte, Lalrinawmi. The World as the Body of God Ecofeminist Theological Discourse with Special Reference to Tribal Women in India. Archived 2016-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, rethinkingmission.org, accessed March 24, 2012
^ Plumwood, Val (2003). Feminism and the Mastery of Nature. New Fetter Lane, London: Routeledge.
^ Johnson, Roberta (2013). "For a Better World: Alicia Puleo's Critical Ecofeminism". In Cibreiro, Estrella; López, Francisca (eds.). Global Issues in Contemporary Hispanic Women's Writing. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 9780415626941. Retrieved 20 February 2019 – via Google Books.
^ LaRosa, Patricia. "Finding Aid for Rosemary Radford Ruether Papers, 1954-2002"(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 15 March2013.
^ "Who's Who of Women and the Environment". Retrieved 15 March 2013.
^ Charlene Spretnak, "The Early Years of the Green Movement in the United States", in Zelko and Brinkmann, eds., Green Parties, p. 48.
^ see Starhawk
^ https://www.amazon.com.br/Guia-ecofeminista-mulheres-direito-ecologia-ebook/dp/B08C1FNZ55/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_pt_BR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=guia+ecofeminista&qid=1593658492&sr=8-1
^ https://medium.com/ecofeminist-talks
^https://sites.google.com/d/1xtLXhg1fJPFNUeszu6svDNtubQl3lcwM/p/1BtP5jbRogM3ZHVKVwT0-2M3bpQprHhqU/edit
^ https://www.instagram.com/ecofeminist.lab/
^ Vakoch, Douglas A (2011-01-01). Ecofeminism and rhetoric: critical perspectives on sex, technology, and discourse. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 9780857451873. OCLC 714734848.
^ Vakoch, Douglas A (2012-01-01). Feminist ecocriticism: environment, women, and literature. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739176825. OCLC 815941726.
^ Vakoch, Douglas A.; Mickey, Sam (2018). Ecofeminism in Dialogue. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. ISBN 9781498569279. OCLC 1005695115.
^ Vakoch, Douglas A.; Mickey, Sam (2018). Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0815381723. OCLC 1020319048.
^ Vakoch, Douglas; Mickey, Sam (2018). Women and Nature?: Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781138053427. OCLC 975383028.
Further reading[edit]
Key works[edit]
Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, by Helena Norberg-Hodge
The Body of God by Sallie McFague
The Chalice & The Blade: Our History, Our Future, by Riane Eisler
The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution by Carolyn Merchant
Ecofeminism by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva
Ecofeminism in Latin America by Mary Judith Ross
Ecofeminist Philosophy by Karen J. Warren
Environmental Culture by Val Plumwood
Feminism and the Mastery of Nature, by Val Plumwood
Gaia & God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing, by Rosemary Radford Ruether
Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions, by Rosemary Radford Ruether
Neither Man Nor Beast by Carol J. Adams
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams
The Resurgence of the Real: Body, Nature, and Place in a Hypermodern World by Charlene Spretnak
Sacred Longings: Ecofeminist theology and Globalization by Mary Grey
The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development by Vandana Shiva
Thinking Green! Essays on Environmentalism, Feminism, and Nonviolence, by Petra Kelly
Tomorrow's Biodiversity by Vandana Shiva
Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her, by Susan Griffin
Breaking the Boundaries, by Mary Mellor
Ecofeminism as Politics: nature, Marx, and the postmodern, by Ariel Salleh
Anthologies[edit]
Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations, edited by Carol J. Adams and Josephine Donovan
Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature, edited by Greta Gaard
Ecofeminism: Women, Culture, Nature, edited by Karen J. Warren with editorial assistance from Nisvan Erkal
EcoFeminism & Globalization: exploring culture, context and religion, edited by Heather Eaton & Lois Ann Lorentzen
Ecofeminism and Rhetoric: Critical Perspectives on Sex, Technology, and Discourse, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch
Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol J. Adams
Ecofeminism in Dialogue, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey
Feminist Ecocriticism: Environment, Women, and Literature, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch
Literature and Ecofeminism: Intersectional and International Voices, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey
The Politics of Women's Spirituality: Essays on the Rise of Spiritual Power within the Feminist Movement, edited by Charlene Spretnak
Readings in Ecology and Feminist Theology, edited by Mary Heather MacKinnon and Moni McIntyre
Reclaim the Earth, edited by Leonie Caldecott & Stephanie Leland
Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism, edited by Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Orenstein
Women and Nature?: Beyond Dualism in Gender, Body, and Environment, edited by Douglas A. Vakoch and Sam Mickey
Women Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism, and Religion, edited by Rosemary Radford Ruether
GUIA ECOFEMINISTA - mulheres, direito, ecologia, written by Vanessa Lemgruber edited by Ape'Ku[1]



Journal articles[edit]
Gaard, Greta Claire (2011). "Ecofeminism Revisited: Rejecting Essentialism and Re-Placing Species in a Material Feminist Environmentalism". Feminist Formations. 23 (2): 26–53. doi:10.1353/ff.2011.0017.
Huggan, Graham (2004). ""Greening" Postcolonialism: Ecocritical Perspectives". MFS Modern Fiction Studies. 50 (3): 701–733. doi:10.1353/mfs.2004.0067.
Mack-Canty, Colleen (2004). "Third-Wave Feminism and the Need to Reweave the Nature/ Culture Duality". NWSA Journal. 16 (3): 154–179. doi:10.1353/nwsa.2004.0077.
MacGregor, Sherilyn (2004). "From care to citizenship: Calling ecofeminism back to politics". Ethics & the Environment. 9 (1): 56–84. doi:10.1353/een.2004.0007.
Mallory, Chaone (2013). "Locating Ecofeminism in Encounters with Food and Place". Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 26 (1): 171–189. doi:10.1007/s10806-011-9373-8.
Mann, Susan A. 2011. Pioneers of U.S. Ecofeminism and Environmental Justice, "Feminist Formations" 23(2): 1-25.
Wildy, Jade (2012). "The Artistic Progressions of Ecofeminism: The Changing Focus of Women in Environmental Art". International Journal of the Arts in Society. 6 (1): 53–65. doi:10.18848/1833-1866/cgp/v06i01/35978.
Fiction[edit]
See also: Feminist science fiction
"Clementa" by Jim Martin
A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin
Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk
The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper
The Holdfast Chronicles by Suzy McKee Charnas
Native Tongue by Suzette Haden Elgin
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
The Wanderground by Sally Miller Gearhart
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You by Dorothy Bryant
Bear by Marian Engel
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
A Bengali play, "NEELKANTHA DESH" (2010), by Supratim Roy
Sultana's Dream (1905), by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain

Ecofeminism by Vandana Shiva
Poetry[edit]
The Sea of Affliction (1987, reprinted 2010) by Rosemarie Rowley
External links[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ecofeminism

Wikiversity has learning resources about Women's Studies

Ecofeminism: Toward global justice and planetary health Feminist Greta Gaard and Lori Gruen's ecofeminist framework
ecofem.org Includes the regularly updated "Ecofeminism Bibliography"
ecofeminism.net
"An Ecology of Knowledge: Feminism, Ecology and the Science and Religion Discourse" Metanexus Institute by Lisa Stenmark
"Ecofeminism and the Democracy of Creation" by Catherine Keller (2005) ; cf. Carol P. Christ, "Ecofeminism," in Michel Weber and Will Desmond (eds.), Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought, Frankfurt / Lancaster, ontos verlag, 2008, pp. 87–98.
"Toward a Queer Ecofeminism" by Greta Gaard

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^ https://www.amazon.com.br/Guia-ecofeminista-mulheres-direito-ecologia-ebook/dp/B08C1FNZ55/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_pt_BR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=guia+ecofeminista&qid=1593658492&sr=8-1
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생태여성주의 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전

생태여성주의 - 위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전

생태여성주의

위키백과, 우리 모두의 백과사전.
둘러보기로 가기검색하러 가기

생태여성주의(프랑스어Écoféminisme독일어Ökofeminismus영어Ecofeminism한자: 生態女性主義)는 생태주의와 여성주의가 합쳐진 사상이므로, 1970년대 프랑수아즈 도본느(프랑스어Françoise d'Eaubonne)에 의해 처음 사용된 용어이다. 여성해방론과 생태학 그리고 자연해방론이 주류를 이은다. 생태여성주의에서는 양성차별과 생태파괴 현상은 서구에서 나타난 이원론적 관점에서 비롯된 사회결함이라고 지적한다.[1]

개요[편집]

1970년대 전국적으로 여성 운동이 일어나는 시기에, 프랑수아즈 도본느를 포함한 일부 여성운동가들은, 사회가 생태계를 무분별하게 착취하고 무시하듯이, 여성을 생태계의 위치에 비교하여 처음으로 주장했다. 즉, 여성은 사회에서 남성들에 의해 무시되고, 억압되는 사회현상을 인간이 자연을 제대로 파악하지 않으려 하고 자연 파괴를 일삼는 사회현상과 같다고 주장하는 것이었다. 그리하여, 사회에서는 인간이 자연을 지배하고, 또한 여성은 남성들에 의해 지배를 받는다는 것을 동일시하였다. 그리고 그들은 모두 생태주의와 여성주의는 연관된 것이라 주장하였고 모호한 기존의 여성주의에 대항하여, 생태주의와 여성주의를 혼합한 사상이 나타나게 된다.[2] 기본적으로 생태여성주의는 양성에 대한 차별의식은 이원론적 관점에서 비롯된 것이기 때문에 모든 관점에서 이원론적 관점을 배제한다. 또한, 단순한 이성이 아닌, 극단적 이성주의도 반대하며, 특히 남성주의, 가부장주의에도 반대한다.[3]

생태여성주의는 인간과 자연을 통합시켜 똑같은 권리를 누릴 존재로 인식하였다. 또한, 생태여성주의는 기존의 여성 운동과 환경 운동에 대한 수단 제시를 새롭게 제시하였는데 가령, 여성 운동은 사회적으로 남성의 권위와 거의 '똑같아질 정도'의 권위향상만으로는 만족해서는 안 되며, 가부장적 사고방식을 완전히 없애고, 남성과 여성과의 양성평등 인식을 후대에서 널리 전할 수 있도록 여성 운동은 항상 직접적인 행동과 파격적인 권위향상을 조건으로 내걸어야 하며.[4], 환경 운동 또한, 고액의 보수를 들여 만든 친환경 사업일지라도 그것은 환경 운동이 아니라고 주장한다. 생태라는 것은 애초에 물질적인 것으로 살 수 없기 때문에 환경 자체를 보존한다는 마음가짐으로 환경 운동에 임해야 한다고 주장했다. 설사 그것이 미미하게 지구 생태에 영향을 주는 친환경적인 정책 및 설계일지라도, 생태 자체를 있는 그대로 보존해야하기 때문에, 이를 허용해서는 안된다는 이야기이다.[5]

만약에 이러한 여성 운동이 일어나지 못할 경우 여성은 언제까지 사회적으로 남성보다 권위가 아래일 수 밖에 없으며, 환경 운동 또한 기존의 방향으로 고수하여 실행한다면, 서구권 처럼 단순한 오염물질 폐기시설 설치, 고액의 친환경설비 건설로만으로 만족하는 본질없는 환경 운동이 될 수 있다고 경고했다.

이 운동은 1970년대 시작으로 1990년대 부터 여성 운동의 큰 폭을 차지하고 있다.

문화적 생태여성주의와 사회적 생태여성주의[편집]

일반적인 의미의 생태여성주의는 '사회적 생태여성주의'를 의미한다. 문화적 생태여성주의와 사회적 생태여성주의의 차이점은, 전자는 생태낭만주의의 분파로써 감성적으로 자연과 여성은 합일되기 때문에 사회-문화적으로 여성이 환경 문제를 심적으로는 확실히 효과적으로 풀어나갈 수 있다고 주장하는 사상이며, 사회적 생태여성주의는, 인간과 자연의 지배관계와 남성과 여성의 지배관계를 동일시하여, 여성주의에서의 여성 해방 관점과 생태주의에서의 자연 해방 관점을 모두 수용, 일치시켜 두 문제를 동시다발적으로 풀어나가려는 사상이다.

같이 보기[편집]

각주[편집]

  1.  세리린 맥그레고 (2006). 《《Beyond mothering earth: ecological citizenship and the politics of care》》. Vancouver: UBC Press. 286쪽. ISBN 0-7748-1201-X.
  2.  벤다나 시바 (1988). 《《Staying alive: women, ecology and development》》. London: Zed Books. ISBN 978-0-86232-823-8.
  3.  (루라 홉굿-오스터. "《Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution.》" www.clas.ufl.edu/users/bron/PDF--Christianity/Hobgood-Oster--Ecofeminism-International%20Evolution.pdf (2012년 3월 17일에 쓰인 논문) )
  4.  (마리아 밀스, 벤다나 시바 공동저. 《Ecofeminism. Halifax, N.S. : Fernwood Publications》; 1993. 24.)
  5.  자넷 비흘 (1991). 《《Rethinking eco-feminist politics》》. Boston, Massachusetts: South End PressISBN 978-0-89608-392-9.

2020/11/23

페미니스트 김신명숙은 왜 '여신'에 빠졌을까 - 오마이뉴스

페미니스트 김신명숙은 왜 '여신'에 빠졌을까 - 오마이뉴스
페미니스트 김신명숙은 왜 '여신'에 빠졌을까
김신명숙의 '여신을 찾아서'
http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002448777
18.06.27
이명옥(mmsarah)

김신명숙은 페미니즘 운동의 맨 앞에서 가부장제와 맞서 싸우던 전사의 이미지로 남아 있다. '군대 가산점 논란'이나 '페니스'로 상징되는 남성의 폭력적인 성 차별에 반론을 제기하며 싸움의 전방에 서 있던 모습을 기억하기 때문이다. 호주제 폐지 이후 한동안 그녀의 소식을 듣지 못했는데 다소 의외인 <여신을 찾아서>(판미동)라는 책으로 그녀의 근황을 알게 되었다.

전위적인 페미니스트가 여신학자가 되다니 의외라는 생각이 들었다. 혁명과 전위적인 사상으로 세상을 바꿔보려던 이들이 평화활동가, 생명평화 전파자, 혹은 영성 운동가가 된 것을 보면 변절이나 현실 도피 혹은 패배를 자인하는 것이 아닐까 싶어 불편한 생각이 먼저 앞섰던 것처럼 이번에도 그랬다.

하지만 곧 얄팍하고 가벼운 나의 판단과 생각의 틀이 깨졌다. 그녀는 그녀가 꿈꿔온 세상을 위한 운동을 접은 것이 아니었다. 운동이 지향해야 할 근본 뿌리를 발견해 방향을 재설정하고 새로운 길을 내고 있는 중이었다.


나그네의 겉옷을 벗기는 내기를 하던 북풍과 해 이야기가 생각난 것은 그 때문이다. 전사였던 그녀가 발견한 여신과 여신영성, 여성성이 갖는 부드러움, 따뜻함, 생명 잉태와 보살핌이 생명을 살리고 지속시킨다는 것을 깨달은 페미니스트의 전환적 삶의 선택이 바로 '여신'이었다.

김신명숙은 내면의 절실한 요구에 따라 한 단계 더 진화된 방법으로 모든 생명이 존중받고 함께 하는 세상을 향한 길을 내고 있는 중이다. 그녀가 찾은 방법이 독자로서 동의되지 않는 부분도 있고, 토속적이고 원시적인 종교적 색체나 의례에 살짝 거부감이 들기도 한다.

그러나 한 가지 분명한 사실은 모든 인간의 내면에 자리한 양성 성향 중 억압되고, 굴절되고, 폄훼되었던 여성성을 되살려내는 것이, 생명을 살려내고 아름답게 공생할 수 있는 방법이 될 수밖에 없다는 것이다.

많은 운동가가 겪었듯 저자 또한 풀리지 않는 인간 존재 의미와 페미니즘 운동의 방향성을 놓고 좌절과 고민에 빠져 있었던 것 같다. 페미니스트 여성학자인 저자가 엄마로, 딸로 살면서 충족할 수 없던 내면의 갈구를 여신영성과 여신문화를 통해 발견하고 채워나가는 과정이 <여신을 찾아서>에 진솔하게 담겨 있다.



▲ 여신을 찾아서 인류 최초의 신은 여자였다.
ⓒ 판미동

그녀는 2005년 후반 유니온 신학대학원 현경 교수가 건넨 <결국은 아름다움이 우리를 구원할 거야>를 통해 두 가지 문제를 풀 실마리를 찾았고 그것이 바로 여신이라고 고백한다.


지금까지 내 인생이 여신으로 수렴되는구나. 여신을 만나기 위해 굽이굽이 삶의 단계들. 고비들을 지나왔구나. 나도 모르게 일어나 여신을 껴안고 함께 춤추었다. 그때까지 내 삶의 두 주제, 인간 존재의 근본적인 문제와 페미니즘이 하나로 통합되면서 지나온 과정 하나하나가 새로운 의미로 재구성되고 있었다. 여신은 그 둘을 아우르는 온전한 존재였고, 내 삶은 이제 온전성을 향한 질적으로 다른 단계를 마주한 것이다. - 25쪽
책은 크게 두 개의 장으로 구성된 '여신문화 유적 순례기'다. 첫 번째는 크레타 순례를 통해 접한 여신 문화 흔적과 개인적 체험을 담아냈다. 두 번째는 대한민국 전역, 강원도부터 제주도에 이르기까지 남아있는 여신 문화의 흔적을 소개한다.

책에는 자궁의 상징인 동굴, 우물, 산, 여성의 성기를 상징하는 마름모와 역삼각형, 탄생과 죽음의 순환을 상징하는 나선 무늬, 물을 상징하는 물결 무늬, 여성의 자궁을 상징하는 소머리 등 많은 상징과 남성중심 사회가 강등시킨 여신에 대한 새로운 해석이 등장한다.

생명을 낳고, 보살피고, 키워내고, 치유하는 과정을 통해 생명을 이어온 모든 곳에 자리한 것이 여성성이며 여신문화다. 인류 최초의 신이 여자일 수밖에 없었던 이유는 생명이 여성의 자궁에서 시작되기 때문이었을 것이다.

생명의 씨를 받아 키워내는 여성의 자궁, 생명을 지속시키는 물, 땅, 해와 달, 나무와 풀, 그 모든 것에 깃든 에너지를 여성성으로 보며 여신으로 받아들인 셈이다. 여성성으로 대표되는 것이 평화, 생명, 나눔, 보살핌, 치유가 여신의 속성으로 이해되는 까닭이다.

5세기경 만들어진 토우 여신상 몸통은 첨성대와 유사하다. 몸통 가운데 뚫린 구멍은 생명을 잉태하는 자궁을 상징한다고 한다. 저자는 선덕대왕 때 지은 첨성대 역시 자궁의 상징인 우물이자 여성의 몸을 본 딴 여신상이며 농사를 위해 별자리를 관측하던 곳이라는 무척 흥미로운 설명을 하고 있다.


우물인 첨성대는 스스로가 큰 자궁이다. 맨 위 정자석은 성산일출봉처럼 하늘을 향해 열려 있다. 하늘로 뚫린 구멍, 즉 하늘 자궁이다. 가운데 창구는 여체의 자궁이니 지상의 자궁이다. 결국 창구 안의 어두운 공간은 자궁 속의 자궁이자 하늘 자궁과 지상의 자궁이 만나 감응하는 곳이다. 그러니 그 힘으로 탄생시키지 못할 것은 없다. 하지 못할 일도 없다. 그곳은 신성성이 최고로 증폭된, 하늘과 땅이 아우르는 지고의 지성소다. 신라와 가야인들은 그 지고의 성소에서 건국 왕들을 탄생시켰다. – 465쪽
검파형 구멍이 뚫리고 둥근 알 모양을 한 제기 받침, 알 모양의 둥근 구슬이 달린 황금 허리띠 등은 여신의 대리자인 여제가 왕권을 신탁하고 권한을 가지고 있었음을 나타내는 증거라고 한다. 고대 여신은 하늘과 땅, 인간에게 생명의 탄생과 죽음을 관장할 권한을 지닌 초월적 존재이자 생명과 치유의 에너지를 나눠주는 절대자이자 어머니같은 존재였다.

하늘 자궁에 땅 자궁, 물 자궁, 인간과 뭇 생명체의 자궁 등 천지의 자궁들을 품고 있는 검파형은 한마디로 우주 대여신을 표상한다. 단순한 지모신이 아닌 것이다. 검파형 여신상 내부에 구획된 공간들은 당시 사람들의 우주관과 세계관을 담고 있을 것이다. 검파형 여신상의 상징적 의미를 알고 나면 문득 깨닫게 된다. 마고할미, 설문대할망, 개양할미 같은 우리 여신들이 왜 그렇게 거대한 몸집을 가질 수밖에 없었는지 서술성모가 왜 하늘의 백마이자 우물의 계룡이면서 동시에 계림 숲이었는지 한눈에 다 이해가 되는 것이다. -467쪽

저자는 여신영성이나 여신문화 탐구는 여성의 우월성을 주장하기 위한 것이 아니라는 것, 여성성인 생명존중, 치유, 보살핌은 지구별에 함께하는 모든 생명이 공생하는 길이라는 점을 강조한다. 여성성은 모든 생명이 공존할 수 있는 가치를 만들어 가는 것이다.

'살만큼 살아보니 어머니로 생명을 낳고 기르고 보살피는 일이 갖는 의미를 깨우치게 됐다'는 저자의 고백은 찢기고 좌절하며 험난한 인생길을 헤쳐 온 모든 이들이 깨우친 진실이 아닐까. 자궁에서 나와 자궁과 같은 흙으로 돌아가는 것이 모든 생명이 순환하는 길이기에.

할머니가 없었더라면 인류는 더 이상 존재하지 않았을 것이라는 말을 실감한다. 생명의 가치, 돌봄의 가치를 존중하는 일, 여성성을 극대화 하고 여신의 현신인 어머니의 존재를 사랑하고 그녀가 하는 일의 가치를 인정하고 남성들도 함께하는 것이 저자가 제안하는 지속 가능한 삶을 위한 해법이다.

 1]번에 대하여 참고 될 글:
페미니스트 김신명숙은 왜 '여신'에 빠졌을까
http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0002448777
저자는 여신영성이나 여신문화 탐구는 여성의 우월성을 주장하기 위한 것이 아니라는 것, 여성성인 생명존중, 치유, 보살핌은 지구별에 함께하는 모든 생명이 공생하는 길이라는 점을 강조한다. 여성성은 모든 생명이 공존할 수 있는 가치를 만들어 가는 것이다.

"이제야 알겠다. 하찮은 일로 무시당해 온 여성의 일, 그 숱한 보살핌의 행위들, 밥해서 먹이고 씻기고 아플 때 돌보고 텃밭을 가꾸는 일들이 얼마나 신성하고 가치 있는 일인지를. 왜 이제는 남성들도 그 일을 배워야 하는지를." - 554쪽

덧붙이는 글 | 여신을 찾아서/ 김신명숙/ 판미동/ 19,500



여신을 찾아서

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