– Vinita Govindarajan
A concept that rose to prominence during the second wave of feminism in the 1970s, Ecofeminism as a movement and an ideology has been much contested and argued upon. There has been a marked revival of interest in the theory over the past decade. Ecofeminism as an idea has now evolved and grown in terms of content due to multiple interpretations. This article traces the development of this ideology, including the recent interpretations of it, and discusses its relevance in today’s market-driven society.
The link between women and nature is no longer defined as ‘mystical’. To overcome the intense criticism it faced during the 1990s, ecofeminism is now being interpreted in a more materialistic sense rather than a spiritual one. But how far can this dimensional change as a world view influence societal perceptions today? The Irish Times hails ecofeminism as a possible substitute for leftist philosophy, or in other words, yet another approach to counter the effects of capitalism.
Ecofeminism grew out of an analysis of power dynamics in a patriarchal society, which is known to propagate patriarchal dualism. Here the power is structured in such a manner that one group that dominates the other, and is perceived as superior. Women and nature are grouped under the same classification- inferior to man. They are subjected to the oppression and exploitation of man, and hence bind these two entities together. Yet another link which has been criticized to be reinforcing stereotypes is that women are closer to nature as both women and nature are life-givers and nurturers. This view has brought Ecofeminism the title of ‘essentialist’ and has contributed to its decline in popularity. In addition to this, the propagandist method of advocating its ideas and its radical approach towards patriarchal norms has prompted academicians to question the implications of this ideology.
However, the attractiveness of the core philosophy which is broad enough to incorporate the oppression of race, caste and class, has brought a new train of thought into this field. Ecofeminism as a broad world view evolved, wherein it looked at the connections between oppressed objects such as gender, caste, class and race n the light of global issues like reproductive rights, maldevelopment, industrialized animal food production, environmental racism etc. These reviews of feminism in this light were however rejected as academic works, stating that ecofeminism seemed to concern ‘almost everything’ and there was no fine tuning and differentiation. By the 1990s, a more anthropocentric approach to feminism had grown which became the dominant strand of thought. Here the structure of oppression was examined instead of the relationship between the oppressed. Thus there was little concern for the environment and much focus on human categories of oppression.
A more recent trend in thinking about Ecofeminism revolves around the material relevance of women and nature in a patriarchal society and the exploitation of their services. The inadequate compensation of women’s work as well as damage to nature has been the argument for the revival of Ecofeminism. A large number of protests movements against environmental degradation have been actively propelled by women, such as the Chipko movement in India, under which situation women are supposed to be aware of the oppression of the patriarchal regime against women, nature and other factions of people. Thus, ecofeminism is now regarded in light of its attempt to overthrow the anthropocentric viewpoint of a patriarchal society, rather than its essentialist linkages between the oppressed objects.
In an era where market activities are increasingly important economic and political domination, exploitation of certain human and ecological entities is an obvious end result. Ecofeminist arguments are playing an increasingly important role in making a strong case for the rights of these entities and are drawing more attention to the oppressive side of capitalism. It cannot be denied that ecofeminism poses disconcerting questions about the relationship between men, women, nature, race, class or caste. However, this ideology does require a lot more recognition and academic review in order to broaden its scope and acceptance.
The Externality 