I realize that I did not provide a specific definition of Ecofeminism in my first post, as the title promised; so, here is an awesome diagram that I believe presents Ecofeminism in nutshell (pun intended).
My limited understanding of Ecofeminisim—which I plan to expand through this study—is that Ecofeminists seek to dispel the myth of the 1/0 binary of human/nature that our society perpetuates. As a beginner in this field, I am afraid that my knowledge of Ecofeminisim equates to "vulgar," or reduced Ecofeminism, and I look forward to discussing the intricate details in this blog.
~Blake
This image was taken from the blog: http://www.cottenielab.org/2010/11/ecofeminism-not-just-tree-hugging-and.html
To be honest, I'm not quite sure what the 1/0 binary of human/nature even means, but I'm confident that you'll let me know next time I see you. I also love the graphic - it's very helpful to have visual aids.
ReplyDeleteI quickly skimmed through the blog post that you pulled the graphic from, and it was beautiful. I really loved the intersection of academic and personal, of reason and emotion that the author (Ingrid) managed in such a brief posting. I think the site can be a valuable resource for us this summer in our research.
Also, I am pretty sure that we have a valid excuse to have our face-to-face meetings "outside" instead of cooping ourselves up in the library after reading her argument. :)
Yes, I loved that blog too. I pulled the 1/0 binary idea from Jayne Glover's summary of ecofeminism in her article on Oryx and Crake.
ReplyDeleteBasically, it is used to describe the idea that society erroneously imagines a binary relationship between humans and nature and in this (false) binary humans are valued (1) and nature is othered and considered less than human (0). This attitude leads to our abuse of nature for selfish reasons.
Also, I think we should meet in a park and discuss our reading for this week.
;-)
I also like this diagram. I am starting out with zero knowledge of ecofeminism, so I really appreciate the definitions you are giving. I think by 1/0 binary you refer to the first circle in the diagram, which is clearly an imbalanced hierarchy, whereas in the second circle in the diagram, there is a balanced, harmonious duality. I also found this venndiagram helpful in understanding ecofeminism, which illustrates Karen Warren's definition of ecofeminism as that space where feminism, environment, and marginalized cultural narratives intersect:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.eco-res.org/files_shift/Warren_VennDiagram.pdf