Eco-feminism



Eco-feminism

Introduction

Although the origins of ecofeminism are complex, French feminist Francoise d'Eaubonne is generally regarded as having first used the term ecofeminisme in her work Le feminism our far mort (1974) in which she argues that "patriarchal man" is responsible for overpopulation and environmental destruction, and that feminism is the only way to overcome these dual threats. As the name implies, ecofeminism incorporates ecological and feminist perspectives. Yet, just as there are a variety of environmental philosophies and multiple feminisms, there is no monolithic ecofeminism.

When they define ecofeminism, most ecofeminists use some key concepts such as critiques of power, domination, and the linked oppressions of women and nature. They then focus on what they personally see as the most important aspects of ecofeminism, those elements with which they most closely identify, For example, in discussing the meaning of ecofeminism, and one student I interviewed emphasized the connection to ecofeminism that arises not from intellectual affinity, but from personal experience, underscoring the resulting diversity in ecofeminist perspectives.

Ecofeminism expands feminist theory from a concern only for human relations - particularly as they are shaped by differences in power - to include human relations with the non-human realm. Moreover, most ecofeminists argue that ecofeminism is not only a philosophy or analytical tool, but a practice, as this teacher, lawyer and activist states in her definition of ecofeminism: It's a critique of existing relations between society and nature, and particularly a critique of patriarchal relations. One aspect of this critique, perhaps the central aspect, is that women and nature have been similarly degraded, both conceptually and practically. Also that ecofeminism is a practice, a practice whereby women in particular, although not only women, attempt to change attitudes towards nature in others and in themselves to begin to see nature as less something that's separate and other and out there, and as something closer to home.

Discussion

Is Ecofeminism a Social Movement?

One question I faced when undertaking this study was whether ecofeminism is truly a social movement. In light of ecofeminism' s relative lack of organization and leaders, and resource mobilization theory's tendency to define movements by these elements, this is a reasonable question. Gerlach (1983 [1971]: 131-134) argues that social movement studies are biased toward formal organization as an indicator of movement viability, neglecting the advantages that decentralized movement structure offers.

Methodological Approach

Schatzman and Strauss (1979:69) assert that, at its most basic, qualitative analysis is a means of discovering what they call subjects' "is's" and ''because's.'' The "is" reveals their designations of the things, people and events - the objectified content of these people's reality. The "because" reveals the presumed relations among all the designations, the why's and wherefore's, the causes, processes, and reasons - in short, the very logic of their thinking about the content of their reality. These "is's" and ''becauses's,'' however, only constitute the diagnostic component of a social movement.

As Hunt, et al. (1994) point out, social movements also provide prognostic and motivational frames: proposals about what can ...