Ecofeminism is a minor social and political movement which unites environmentalism and feminism^[1], with some currents linking deep ecology and feminism.^[2] Ecofeminists argue that a relationship exists between the oppression of women and the degradation of nature, and explore the intersectionality between sexism, the domination of nature, racism, speciesism, and other characteristics of social inequality. Some current work emphasizes that the capitalist and patriarchal system is based on triple domination of the "Southern people" (those people who live in the Third World, the majority of which are south of the First World), women, and nature. ^[3] For the psychology topic, see Environmental psychology. ... Feminists redirects here. ... Deep ecology is a recent branch of ecological philosophy (ecosophy) that considers humankind as an integral part of its environment. ... Feminists redirects here. ... Oppress is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. ... Diverse women. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Intersectionality is a paradigmatic approach to sociology, cultural studies, and other social sciences, especially as applied to activism and social work. ... The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the... Racism is a belief or concept that inherent differences between people, in particular those upon which the concept of race is based, determine cultural or individual achievement, and may involve the idea that ones self-identified race is superior. ... The relevance of particular information in (or previously in) this article or section is disputed. ... Social inequality refers to disparities in the distribution of material wealth in a society. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. ...

Ecofeminist analysis

Ecofeminism, or ecological feminism, is a term coined in 1974 by Françoise d'Eaubonne. It is a philosophy and movement born from the union of feminist and ecological thinking, and the belief that the social mentality that leads to the domination and oppression of women is directly connected to the social mentality that leads to the abuse of the environment. It combines eco-anarchism or bioregional democracy with a strong ideal of feminism. Its advocates often emphasize the importance of interrelationships between humans, non-human others (e.g., animals and insects), and the earth. Françoise dEaubonne (March 12, 1920 in Paris - August 3, 2005 in Paris), French feminist, introduced the term ecofeminism (écologie-féminisme, éco-féminisme or écoféminisme) in 1974. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... Eco-anarchism argues that small eco-villages (of no more than a few hundred people) are a scale of human living preferable to civilization, and that infrastructure and political systems should be re-organized to ensure that these are created. ... Bioregional democracy (or the Bioregional State) is a set of electoral reforms designed to force the political process in a democracy to better represent concerns about the economy, the body, and environmental concerns (e. ...

A central tenet in ecofeminism states that male ownership of land has led to a dominator culture (patriarchy), manifesting itself in food export, over-grazing, the tragedy of the commons, exploitation of people, and an abusive land ethic, in which animals and land are valued only as economic resources. Other ecofeminists explain how the degradation of nature contributes to the degradation of women. For example, Thomas-Slayter and Rocheleau detail how in Kenya, the capitalist driven export economy has caused most of the agriculturally productive land to be used for monoculture cash crops. This lead to intensification of pesticide use, resource depletion and marginalization of the subsistence farmers, especially women, to the hillsides and less productive land, where their deforestation and cultivation led to soil erosion, furthering the environmental degradation that hurts their own productivity (Thoma-Slayter, B. and D. Rocheleau. (1995) Gender, Environment and Development in Kenya: A Grassroots Perspective). Look up patriarchy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... It has been suggested that Tyranny of the Commons be merged into this article or section. ... Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest land use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, or movement in response to gravity. ...

Vandana Shiva makes it clear that one of the missions of ecofeminism is to redefine how societies look at productivity and activity of both women and nature who have mistakenly been deemed passive, allowing for them both to be ill-used. For example, she draws a picture of a stream in a forest. According to her, in our society it is perceived as unproductive if it is simply there, fulfilling the needs for water of women’s families and communities, until engineers come along and tinker with it, perhaps damming it and using it for generating hydropower. The same is true of a forest unless it is planted with a monoculture plantation of a commercial species. A forest may very well be productive, protecting groundwater, creating oxygen, allowing villagers to harvest fruit, fuel, and craft materials, and creating a habitat for animals that are also a valuable resource. However, for many, if it isn't for export or contribution to GDP, without a dollar value attached, it cannot be seen as a productive resource (4 Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development 1988). Vandana Shiva (b. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ...

Some ecofeminists point to the linguistic links between oppression of women and land, such as the terms, "rape the land", "tame nature," and "reap nature's bounty." Terms also express nature as feminine (using the pronoun "she" and the term "Mother Nature") and women as "wild" and "untamed" (like nature). Ecofeminists also criticize Western lifestyle choices, such as consuming food that has travelled thousands of miles and playing sports (such as golf and bobsledding) which inherently require ecological destruction. There has been little inquiry into the paradox of women playing golf and their collaboration in this environmentally destructive activity. However, most ecofeminists and non ecofeminst will both agree that nearly every feature of modern human existence is bad for the environment -- driving, eating meat or vegetables, using electricity, having children, and exhaling. Mother Nature is a mythical personification of nature. ... This article is about the sport. ... Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered, steerable sled. ...

Feminist and social ecologist Janet Biehl has criticized ecofeminism as idealist, focusing too much on the idea of a mystical connection with nature and not enough on the actual conditions of women. However, this line of criticism may not apply to many ecofeminists who reject both mysticism and essentialist ideas about the connection between women and nature. This antiessentialist ecofeminism has become more prominent since the early 1990s [1] : it has an epistemological analysis of the Enlightenment^[4], places the spirituality in immanent world and then practices modern activism^[5]. The materialist ecofeminism discuss economical and political issues and can use metaphorically the link of Great mother earth or Gaia (while the idealistic tendency uses it literally)^[6]. Social ecology is, in the words of its leading exponents, a coherent radical critique of current social, political, and anti-ecological trends as well as a reconstructive, ecological, communitarian, and ethical approach to society. Social Ecology is a radical view of ecology and of social/political systems. ... Janet Biehl (1953 - ) is one of the premier authors on social ecology. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In philosophy, essentialism is the view, that, for any specific kind of entity it is at least theoretically possible to specify a finite list of characteristics —all of which any entity must have to belong to the group defined. ... This article or section should include material from Episteme Epistemology (from the Greek words episteme=science and logos=word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin and scope of knowledge. ... Enlightenment (or brightening) broadly means the acquisition of new wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception. ... Gaia or Gaea (from the Greek words Ge (γη) = Earth (Pelasgian), and *aia (αια) = grandmother (PIE)) thus Gaia (γαια), can refer to any one of the following: Gaia as myth, Greek goddess (her equivalent in Rome is Terra), in Sumerian mythology she is refered to as Ki; Gaia as metaphor - set of philosophical...

Views on technology

Françoise d'Eaubonne proposed a cooperative system in small unities (villages) with autonomization, without alienating technology. With ecofeminist ideals and pagan practices^[5], these projects are sometimes seen as a form of primitivism. However, while some ecofeminists see technology as inherently alienating, many see a substantial role for modern technologies in the creation and operation of such villages. A number of ecofeminists advocate the use of technologies such as solar power^[7] as a way to stay off 'the grid', which they regard as more important than relying upon poisonous industrial processes or materials. The ecological movement is itself split on issues like this. However, it is likely that an intermediate technology, appropriate technology, would be preferred in general if an ecofeminist movement sought to spread into developing nations quickly. Françoise dEaubonne (March 12, 1920 in Paris - August 3, 2005 in Paris), French feminist, introduced the term ecofeminism (écologie-féminisme, éco-féminisme or écoféminisme) in 1974. ... Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... Primitivism is an artistic movement which originated as a reaction to the Enlightenment. ... Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. ... Appropriate technology is technology that is appropriate to the environmental, cultural and economic situation it is intended for. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...

Schools of Feminist Thought

There are different relevant schools of feminist thought and activism that relate to the analysis of the environment. Ecofeminism argues that there is a connection between women and nature that comes from their shared history of oppression by a patriarchal western society; this connection also comes from the positive identification of women with nature. This relationship can be argued from an essentialist position, attributing it to biological factors, or from a position that explains it as a social construct. Vandana Shiva explains how women's special connection to the environment through her daily interactions with it has been ignored. "Women in subsistence economies, producing and reproducing wealth in partnership with nature, have been experts in their own right of holistic and ecological knowledge of nature’s processes. But these alternative modes of knowing, which are oriented to the social benefits and sustenance needs are not recognised 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.”^[8]

Feminist environmentalists study gender interests in natural resources and processes based on their different roles in daily work and responsibilities. Social feminists focus on the role of gender in political economy by analyzing the impact of production and reproduction of men and women’s relation to economic systems. Feminist poststructuralists explain gender’s relation to the environment as a reflection of beliefs of identity and difference such as race, class, gender, age, and ethnicity. In this way it tries to explain the relation of gender and development. Liberal feminist environmentalists treat women as having an active role in environmental protection and conservation programs. This role can become problematic. There is a common symbolism in the idea of ‘man’ pitted against nature while nature is feminized and “woman” is assumed to have profound connections with her environment^[9]. This becomes problematic because it places all the responsibility for conserving on her rather than him and doesn’t allow her to be seen as profiting from using the environment as well.

These views of gender and environment constitute feminist political ecology, which links feminist cultural ecology, political ecology, geographical ecology and feminist political ecology into one concept. It argues that gender is a relevant factor in determining access and control of natural resources as it relates to class, race, culture and ethnicity to transform the environment and to achieve the community’s opportunities of sustainable development^[10]. Feminist political ecology is a synthesis of the perspectives taken by several different feminisms, specifically those of ecofeminism, feminist environmentalism, socialist feminism, feminist poststructuralism and environmentalism. ...

Notable ecofeminist anthologies

• Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations, edited by Carol J. Adams and Josephine Donovan
• Ecofeminism: Animals, Women, Nature, edited by Greta Gaard
• EcoFeminism & Globalization: exploring culture, context and religion, edited by Heather Eaton & Lois Ann Lorentzen
• Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol J. Adams
• 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 Healing Earth: Third World Women on Ecology, Feminism, and Religion, edited by Rosemary Radford Ruether

Carol J. Adams calls herself a feminist vegetarian author. ...

Notable ecofeminist books

Non-fiction

• Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh, by Helena Norberg-Hodge
• The Chalice & The Blade: Our History, Our Future, by Riane Eisler
• Ecofeminism by Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva
• 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
• Sacred Longings: Ecofeminist theology and Globalization by Mary Grey
• The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams
• The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
• Tomorrow's Biodiversity by Vandana Shiva
• Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her, by Susan Griffin
• Ecofeminist Philosophy by Karen J. Warren
• Environmental Culture by Val Plumwood
• The Body of God by Sallie McFague
• Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development by Vandana Shiva

Helena Norberg Hodge is the founder and director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, a non-profit organisation concerned with the protection of both biological and cultural diversity, and education for action: moving beyond single issues to look at the more fundamental influences that shape our lives. ... Riane Eisler is an Austrian born American scholar, writer, and social activist. ... Maria Mies is a professor of sociology and author of several influential feminist books, including Indian Women and Patriarchy (1980), Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale (1986), and (with Bennholdt-Thomsen and von Werlhof) Women: The Last Colony (1988). ... Vandana Shiva (b. ... Val Plumwood (born 1939), formerly Val Routley, is an Australian ecofeminist intellectual and activist, who has been prominent in the development of radical ecosophy since the early 1970s. ... Rosemary Radford Ruether is a reknnowned feminist scholar and theologian. ... Rosemary Radford Ruether is a reknnowned feminist scholar and theologian. ... Carol J. Adams calls herself a feminist vegetarian author. ... Professor Mary Grey is Emeritus Professor of Theology at the University of Wales, Lampeter, a fellow at Sarum College, Salisbury, and visiting Professor at St Mary’s College, Twickenham. ... Carol J. Adams calls herself a feminist vegetarian author. ... The Spiral Dance: a Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess is a best-selling book about Pagan belief and practice by Starhawk. ... Starhawk (born Miriam Simos in St. ... Vandana Shiva (b. ... Susan Griffin is the eco-feminist author of The Book of the Courtesans: A Catalogue of Their Virtues (2001); Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her; Pornography and Silence; and A Chorus of Stones; Unremembered Country (1987); The Eros of Everyday Life (1995); What Her Body Thought: A Journey into... Karen J. Warren is an author, scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Macalester College. ... Val Plumwood (born 1939), formerly Val Routley, is an Australian ecofeminist intellectual and activist, who has been prominent in the development of radical ecosophy since the early 1970s. ... Vandana Shiva (b. ...

Fiction

Also see ecotopian literature and feminist science fiction Ecotopian fiction is a subgenre of Utopian fiction where the author posits either a utopian or dystopian world revolving around environmental conservation or destruction. ... LeGuins Left Hand Of Darkness Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on the examination of womens roles in society. ...

• 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
• 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

A Door into Ocean is a 1986 feminist science fiction novel by Joan Slonczewski. ... Joan Lyn Slonczewski is a biologist who teaches at Kenyon. ... Always Coming Home is a novel by Ursula K. Le Guin published in 1985. ... Ursula Kroeber Le Guin [ˌɜɹsələ ˌkɹobɜɹ ləˈgWɪn] (born October 21, 1929) is an American author. ... Ursula Kroeber Le Guin [ˌɜɹsələ ˌkɹobɜɹ ləˈgWɪn] (born October 21, 1929) is an American author. ... The Fifth Sacred Thing (ISBN 0553373803) is a post-apocalyptic novel by Starhawk written in 1993. ... Starhawk (born Miriam Simos in St. ... The Gate to Womens Country (ISBN 0553280643) is a post-apocalyptic novel by Sheri S. Tepper written in 1988. ... Sheri Stewart Tepper (born July 16, 1929) is a prolific American author of science fiction, horror and mystery novels; she is particularly known as a feminist science fiction writer, often with an ecofeminist slant. ... Suzy McKee Charnas (born 1939 in New York City) is an American novelist and short story writer, writing primarily in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. ... Suzette Haden Elgin is an American science fiction author. ... Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 — February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. ... Surfacing is a novel by Margaret Atwood published in 1972. ... Margaret Eleanor Atwood, OC (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian writer. ... Marge Piercys novel Woman on the Edge of Time (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976) is a utopian fantasy set in a framework that contrasts present-day (1970s) New York City with the village of Mattapoisett in 2137. ... Marge Piercy (born March 31, 1936) is an American poet, novelist, and social activist. ... Marian Engel (May 24, 1933–February 16, 1985) was a Canadian novelist whose feminist approach made her one of Canadas foremost modern writers. ...

Organizations

Women's Voices for the Earth, Montana, U.S.A.

Notable ecofeminists

• Vandana Shiva
• Wangari Maathai
• Marie Haisová
• Karen J. Warren
• Ariel Salleh

Vandana Shiva (b. ... Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai born April 1, 1940 in Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District of Kenya is an environmental and political activist. ... Karen J. Warren is an author, scholar and Professor of Philosophy at Macalester College. ...

References

Carol J. Adams is an author writing about feminism and vegetarianism. ... Maria Mies is a professor of sociology and author of several influential feminist books, including Indian Women and Patriarchy (1980), Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale (1986), and (with Bennholdt-Thomsen and von Werlhof) Women: The Last Colony (1988). ... Vandana Shiva (b. ... Starhawk (born Miriam Simos in St. ...

See also

• List of ecofeminist authors
• Deep ecology
• Anarcha-feminism
• Anarcho-primitivism
• Social ecology
• Green syndicalism
• Ubuntu

An alphabetized list of Ecofeminist writers includes the following: Carol Adams Lynda Birke Chris Cuomo Françoise dEaubonne Alice Fulton Greta Gaard Stephanie Greenwood Susan Griffin Donna Haraway Marti Kheel Ynestra King Anna Kingsford Petra Kelly Winona LaDuke Maria Mies Carolyn Merchant Val Plumwood Rosemary Radford Ruether Ariel Salleh... Deep ecology is a recent branch of ecological philosophy (ecosophy) that considers humankind as an integral part of its environment. ... Anarcha-feminism combines anarchism with feminism. ... Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization. ... Social ecology is, in the words of its leading exponents, a coherent radical critique of current social, political, and anti-ecological trends as well as a reconstructive, ecological, communitarian, and ethical approach to society. Social Ecology is a radical view of ecology and of social/political systems. ... Green syndicalism has been used as a name for the philosophy of the green guild or sustainable trades movement. ... Look up ubuntu in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

External links

• www.ecofem.org
• An Ecofeminist Look at the Patriarchal Social Order
• Ecofeminism Web Ring
• ecofeminism.net
• Eve Online
• Catherine Keller's 2005 pdf article: Ecofeminism and the Democracy of Creation
• An Ecology of Knowledge: Feminism, Ecology and the Science and Religion Discourse" by Lisa Stenmark