The Plan has come Together

Although the inability to have a diner party was not ideal the next step was to deliver the food to my friends and collect donations to send to my choice organization, which is, Heart-Head-Hands (https://heart-head-hands.com/). They are an online organization that does, blogging, research writing, e-courses, workshops, coaching, consulting, and speaking focused on “everyday living for justice”.

One of the focuses of the organization is ecofeminism and vegan eating which supports my cause. One of their many feminist goals is, “Connecting this personal question of why vegan? With the political work of ecofeminism and movements for social, racial, gender, economic, and environmental justice” (Godbee). Organizer Beth Godbee is an educator, former professor, researcher, feminist and vegan herself. In her blog she writes about her ongoing efforts, struggles, and attitude toward maintaining living everyday for justice. After some research I felt this organization had a cause I wanted to support. I was so compelled to learn more about Beth being a vegan because I made the choice to try eating vegan myself, that I read her blog and found encouraging entries such as “Why I’m Vegan: Doing Something Small and Sustained” that reminded me why I was doing this is the first place.

In ecofeminist thought choosing to be vegan or even a vegetarian “marks a daily bodily commitment to resist ideological pressures to conform to political standards, and to establishing contexts in which caring for can be non-abusive”, (Curtin) therefore refusing to conform to patriarchal standards that encourage the mistreatment of animals for human consumption. By organizing this dinner party and explaining to my friends I created; for my friends, and myself a greater understanding of what being a “vegan” is. It’s not a fad or a bandwagon you should get on, its purpose has a deeper meaning that rests on feminism. I was surprised at how I was able to have a conversation about ecofeminism without preaching!   Reading Beth Godbee’s blogs highlighted the importance of what I was doing with the dinner party and my small personal change of eating like a vegan. I think the dinner party was a success in that my friends now see a connection between human and non-human animals and the oppression they share. Furthermore I was able to raise $150 for “Heart-Head-Hands”(there is also an option for monthly contributions) and although I have strayed somewhat from my vegan diet I have gained valuable knowledge to make better and more informed choices in the future and have saved some animals in the process.  That was my personal goal.

By making a small personal change I was able to educate other people about my cause. My personal decision to eat and cook vegan became political in the way I shared my experience and reason for my choice with others. Not only did I create awareness about vegetarian ecofeminism to my “dinner party” guests but also to my family, and co-workers who also observed my new eating habits (my family also participated in the 5-day vegan plan). I may not have converted anyone to veganism but I have planted a seed of ecofeminism in many of my friends and family, which is, in part what activism is about. I showed how ordinary people could contribute to doing something for the environment, and animals, even if it’s small. I think people were surprised that doing something like I did was considered activism. Which lead to a conversation about activism and then about feminism and so on. Like I said I might not have converted anyone to be a vegan but I feel I helped people understand the connection between meat and women and create awareness around the violence and mistreatment against non human animals so  they can make more informed choices. Whether your activism is big or small you have the ability to create change.

I have included the links to the recipe’s I used for the dinner party if you would like to view (or use) them. My favorites were the Creamy Mushroom Risotto and the Snickers Cheesecake!

Vegan Dinner Party Dishes

Spring Minestrone:

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/a43221/spring-minestrone-recipe/

Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils and Marinara:

https://cookieandkate.com/hearty-spaghetti-with-lentils-marinara/

Creamy Mushroom Risotto:

http://wallflowerkitchen.com/creamy-mushroom-risotto-vegan-gf/

Churro Banana Bites:

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51527/churro-banana-bites-recipe/

Vegan Snickers Cheesecake:

https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-snickers-cheesecake/#_a5y_p=5095848

 

Bibliography

Curtin, Deane. “Contextual Moral Vegetarianism.” 8 February 2020 <http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/curtin01.htm>.

Annotated bibliography:

Godbee, Beth. Heart-Head-Hands.com: Everyday Living for Justice. 31 March 2020. 6 April 2020 <https://heart-head-hands.com/>.

Beth Godbee is the founder and creator of “Heart-Head-Hands” website. Beth lives in Washington D.C. and is a educator, researcher, entrepreneur, and public writer. She also is a former professor at Marquette University. The website features a blog, online courses, coaching, and workshops all focused on feminist issues such as environmental justice, racial justice, gender and economic. Beth herself is a vegan and centers a blog around her choice to be vegan and her journey of commitment for justice.

It All Starts With a Plan

One of the major issues facing ecofeminist is our relationship to non-human animals and how we perceive them. Vegetarian ecofeminism is a theoretical view attached to sympathy of non-human animals. Millions of animals are killed, or worse unnecessarily everyday in the U.S. alone. These animals are rendered powerless to the hands of humans. Furthermore non-human animals are oppressed by the same patriarchal structures that oppress women. Greta Gaard confirms there is a “specific linkage between sexism and speciesism between the oppression of women and the oppression of animals” (Gaard). In that respect there is a connection between feminism and veganism and thus is an ecofeminist central issue. In order to raise awareness regarding this important aspect of ecofeminism I plan to enact a personal/political idea. In feminism, the personal is political.

My choice of activism will be to donate. I will support my cause by raising money for a charity related to ecofeminism, ideally one specific to my interest of vegetarian ecofeminism. My original plan was to host an entirely vegan dinner party and request my friends “donate” what they would normally pay to go to a restaurant to attend the dinner party. I would then donate that money to an organization that supports my cause. However, in lieu of the pandemic that we’re currently experiencing I have to get more creative and modify my charity dinner. Instead of having guests come to my home I have decided to prepare an all-vegan dinner and do “take-out” for the friends I invited. They have all agreed to still participate and accepted “take-out” as an alternative. In addition, to further expand my activist action I have decided to challenge myself to become a vegan for this period of 5 days (or longer). Although I’m currently a meat eater, to completely represent the change I want to see, I will have to “practice what I preach” to support my cause.

In order to organize the dinner party I would receive donations for I would first need to prepare a vegan menu. This is a challenge as I mentioned before I’m currently not a vegan and I’m not used to cooking like this for my family or myself. I looked up recipes for the “dinner party”. Here is what the menu will consist of:

First course

• Mixed greens salad with garlic and lemon vinaigrette
• Spring Minestrone

Main Course

• Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils and Marinara Sauce
• Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Desert

• Churro Banana Bites
• Vegan Snickers Cheesecake

I hope that my dinner will initiate conversation with my friends and family about why I choose to do this and give me the opportunity to discuss veganism as a ecofeminist perspective.  In addition, I also hope as a result of changing my eating habits others will recognize the possibility of contributing to making a change as well.    In other words I hope my eating choices can reinforce the message that small change can make a difference.

Bibliography:

Gaard, Greta. “Ecofeminism on the Wing: Perspectives on Human-Animal Relations.” Women & Environments (2001): 19-22.

Activism and Ecofeminism

Ecofeminist believe that women and nature are both oppressed by patriarchal power structures. Activism rooted in Ecofeminism seeks to tackle the oppression brought forth by economic, political, and other patriarchal structures. All over the world women have suffered as a result of environmental degradation. Some women suffer as a direct result of depleted resources and some women suffer as a result of defending the resources they rely on For example, Native women in South Dakota have been sexually assaulted by non-native men as a result of oil booms where “man camps” have been established to house oil workers (Levin). Women at Standing Rock were fired at with rubber bullets, imprisoned, and harassed by local police for speaking out against the Keystone XL pipeline. Unfortunately President Trump restarted the Keystone XL approval process in 2017 after former President Barack Obama blocked construction in 2015 and the project will commence after the COVID-19 pandemic ends (Brady) despite their efforts. Other women are suffering from the environmental degradation happening as a result of political and governmental refusal to act on their behalf.

In Brazil for example women and the environment are in dire straits because of patriarchal structures that fail to recognize acknowledge consequences of capital gain. In the Metropolitan area of Recife you will find beautiful bridges dressed with colors of yellow, blue and red. Despite the structures seemingly beautiful appearance what’s beneath it reveals a devastating reality.   The river is filled with garbage in the slums. The pollution of the river infects the water source, food supply and health of all of the impoverished people that live in many of the slums of Recife’s north side. “Larissa Silva, a ten-year-old has chronic ringworm covering 80 percent of her body” and is a result of the pollution in this area of Brazil (Correa) an article from Vice reports. Its stories like these that remind us of ecofeminist struggles to create awareness of the oppression that women and the environment experience.

Activist that organized the Green Belt Movement in Africa and the Chipko Movement in India were motivated by the guiding principles of ecofeminist in order to protect the resources that not only help them thrive but also helped sustain them. In 1973 activist from the Chipko movement were successful in preventing the trees from felling for developers to build a sport goods company (edugreen). Greenbelt activist recognized the responsibility they had to till the fields, nurture crops, and harvest food meant that they would be the first to notice the environmental degradation that was going on; and they did. Despite kickback and brutal resistance from the government and local police Wangari Maathai successfully lead the movement to stop a skyscraper and statue from being built on one of Nairobi’s largest parks and the planting of millions of trees (Maathai).

Ivona Gebara on Feminism

Ivona Gebara takes a religious stance that the patriarchal values that encourage the oppression of women and the degradation of the environment stem from religion in Brazil. She argues that while feminist, ecologist, and ecofeminist are trying to figure out how to theorize, destruction of forest, rainforest, and other eco systems continues. Her version of ecofeminism that she calls an “eco of feminism” focuses less on theorizing and more on concrete solutions. Using Recife as an example she talks about making a difference there to the problem that most women don’t know how to help themselves and feel they are in “jail” as Gebara puts it. Her solution is to move beyond theology, “official theologies are cultural products of our hierarchal and masculine philosophies and ideologies. They can give life and strength for a while but they need to be renewed” (Gebara 98). With that she asserts that with new understandings applied to religious traditions a new fresher perspective can be born, a new utopia. She encourages us to put our individual theories and utopias together and create an ecological, social, and political order for the common good of women and the environment, one where patriarchal institutions don’t shape out lives. “The new understanding needs a critical analysis of what is going on in our world in order to clarify what could be a common utopia for us” (Gebara 100).  Her term “eco of feminism” seems to move beyond ecofeminism theory and usher in tactics of activism to support her utopian vision for justice of women and the environment.

Bibliography

Correa, Talita. The Brazilian Slum Children Who Are Literally Swimming in Garbage. 30 January 2014. 1 April 2020 <https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kwpwja/the-brazilian-slum-children-who-are-literally-swimming-in-garbage-0000197-v21n1>.

edugreen. The Chipko Movement . <http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/chipko.htm>.

Gebara, Ivona. “Ecofeminism: A Latin American Perspective .” Cross Currents 53.1 (2003): 93-103.

Levin, Sam. “At Standing Rock, women lead fight in face of Mace, arrests and strip searches.” The Guardian (2016).

Maathai, Wangari. The Green Belt Movement . 4 May 2000. 1 April 2020 <http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/key-speeches-and-articles/speak-truth-to>.

Annotated Bibliography:

Brady, Jeff. Builder Of Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline Says It’s Moving Forward. 31 March 2020. 1 April 2020 <https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/824445928/builder-of-controversial-keystone-xl-pipeline-says-its-moving-forward>.

In this article legislation by President Donald Trump reinstates the Keystone XL oil pipeline project. Despite its past former President Barack Obamas decision to stop the project construction is expected to resume. The article touches on the environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas effects and highlighted the economic advantages such as jobs and revenue to the restart of the project. Also the article discusses the COVID-19 pandemic that is now the only thing standing in the way of construction of the 1,210-mile pipeline.

Intersectionality and Ecofeminism

Intersectionality in Feminism is an approach that encompasses all oppressions and the fact they are all interconnected. Kimberle’ Crenshaw first defined it  as a “metaphorical and conceptual tool used to highlight the inability of a single-axis framework to capture the experiences of black women” (Kings). Intersectionality dissects the interconnectedness of race, class, gender, disability, sexuality, caste, religion, age, etc. in relation to discrimination, oppression, and women. “People experience multiple aspects of identity simultaneously and the meanings of different aspects of identity are shaped by one another” (Kang, Lessard and Heston). Crenshaw developed this term in 1989. It was a way for black women to express how they were discriminated against by race and gender and further by class, and economic status. Crenshaw and Patricia Hill assert that environmental movements don’t take black women struggles into account and therefore, “there is no movement that truly addresses the intersectional oppression black women face from sexism and environmental racism” (Cain). The theory of intersectionality is specific but flexible and can be used in a variety of ways when discussing oppression in feminism.

Ecofeminist’s argue that they have been applying the concepts of intersectionality before 1989.

Ecofeminism says, “A healthy, balanced ecosystem, including human and nonhuman inhabitants, must maintain diversity” (Bookchin), diversity that encompasses all living things. Ecofeminism surfaced in the 1970’s and 1980’s and claims to have had an understanding of intersectionality before the term was coined.  Similar to the principles of intersectionality, ecofeminist’s strive to demonstrate how the lives of humans are interconnected in the environment, specifically women in. Further, “classism, sexism, heterosexism, naturism, and speciesism are all intertwined” (Hobgood-Oster). For example, Ynestra King contests that nature and culture are separate thus making an intersectional connection to ecofeminism. Similarly ecofeminist principles suggest an intersectional approach believing, “life is an interconnected, web not a hierarchy” (Bookchin). Ecofeminist principles support diversity and oppose domination and violence. Most central to ecofeminism is that women and nature are oppressed by patriarchal structures. Ecofeminist show the connections between all forms of domination, including the domination of nonhuman nature (Bookchin).

Black Women and Ecofeminism

Despite ecofeminism’s inclusion of an intersectional approach black feminist critique that ecofeminist principles fail to recognize the struggles of black women and their environmental concerns.  In “Women of Color, Environmental Justice and Ecofeminism”, Dorceta Taylor compares how the mainstream environmental movement and the ecofeminist movement focus primarily on the middle class and white women rather than include the black community (Cain).  Although ecofeminist seek to eradicate the patriarchal and economic forms of oppression that degrade women and the environment Taylor says black women of degraded communities are “the waste products of capitalist production and excessive consumption” (Cain). This argument would suggest that ecofeminism is not intersectional its approach.

However, the interconnected web of ecofeminism connects women and the environment as well as race, class, sexuality, religion, disability, species and age.  Martin Luther King Junior said, “No one is free until we are all free.” This quote demonstrates that black people or white people aren’t free until the other is free. According to Kings, “Intersectional ecofeminism builds upon this foundation by further postulating that the ‘freedom’ of humanity is not only reliant on the freedom of nature and women, but it is also reliant on the achievement of liberation for all of those at intersecting points on along these fault lines” (Kings). Ecofeminism’s interconnected web has been looking at the connection of women and the environment in an intersectional way and has evolved to include more ways we can look at ecology and feminism in relation to different degrees of oppression and will continue to evolve. To preserve diversity ecofeminist must look at all participants in an intersectional way. Although intersectionality may not offer a complete solution to issues of difference it can help us to explore ways that different forms of oppression impact those who would otherwise be ignored.

Bibliography

Bookchin, Murray. The Ecology of Feminsm and the Feminism of Ecology. 27 Oct 2019. 26 March 2020 <https://libcom.org/library/ecology-feminism-feminism-ecology>.

Cain, Cacldia. “The Necessity of Balck Women’s Standpoint and Intersectionality in Environmental Movements .” Black Feminist Thought 2016 (2016).

Hobgood-Oster, Laura. “Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution.” 31 January 2020 <http://users.clas.ufl.edu/bron/pdf–christianity/Hobgood-Oster–Ecofeminism-International%20Evolution.pdf>.

Kings, A.E. “Intersectionality and the Changing Face of Ecofeminism.” Ethics and the Environment 22.1 (2017).

 

Annotated Bibliography

Kang, Miliann, et al. Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies . Amherst: University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries, 2017.

The section of this book on Intersectionality is part of a larger category of gender studies titled, “Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies”. This section details the concept of intersectional analysis. The problem that can be run into is when issues that surround feminism stop at gender. Intersectionality is a theory that can further explore the interconnected issues that apply to feminism. The book on a whole explores other issues that impact feminism such as binary systems, institutions, culture, work-family policy, economy and social movements.

What is the Connection Between Women, Government and the Environment?

According to research having a women in power yields better results for the environment and ecosystem.  Why is this you ask?  The theory is that women are more concerned with environmental issues (1) because they have more pro-environmental values (2) they are more risk averse (3) are more likely to participate in social movements (4) typically suffer disproportionately from environmental degradation (5) and finally sexism and environmental degradation can be a mutually reinforcing process (NorGaard and York 519).  Kari NorGaard and Richard York conducted research to prove this theory.  Based on findings from two countries Norway and Singapore, the conclusion they came to, was that societies with more female representation in government were more likely to have better environmental policies and subsequently healthier environments.  In other words societies that value gender equality are more likely to protect the environment.  So why are women more concerned with environmental issues than men?  Norgaard and York suggest this is because women have been socialized to be family nurturers and caregivers (NorGaard and York 508). Therefore women are more likely to view caring for and nurturing the environment as a priority.

Conventionally men run our government and subsequently influence our laws and policies almost predominantly.

Due to capitalism and patriarchal ideals men have dominated law decisions and policymaking.  Therefore, the contributions of women are seen as invisible in a capitalistic society because any work that does not produce a profit or capital is viewed as non-productive. Ecofeminist argue that women and nature have been dominated by these factors described as ”logic of domination” where women are oppressed and nature is exploited (NorGaard and York 509).  Ecofeminist assert that class and race as well as gender intersect and are built into the social system affecting gender equality and state environmentalism.  Norgaard and York found that gender equality positively impacts state environmentalism however; states that appear to be environmentally responsible are actually the greatest contributors to environmental degradation most likely due to capitalistic and modernized society.

In order for women to make a difference in influencing state policy they would need to make up 30% of government leaders.

Many countries do not meet those requirements including ours. During the time of the study conducted by Norgaard and York, Norway had one of the highest percentages of women in government in the world at 36.4% in sharp contrast to women in Singapore who made up only 4.3% (NorGaard and York 515).  The major factor that contributed to these numbers was gender. Norway’s key political leader at the time was a woman, Gro Harlem Bruntland who valued issues such as women’s rights, human health, children, the environment, and future generations. In contrast Singapore had an overall lack of interest in gender equality and state environmentalism.  This is due in part to women’s limited participation in government policy making and the lack of environmental programs.  The results of Norgaard and York’s analysis support ecofeminist theory that gender equality specifically in government positively influences state environmentalism.

Norgaard and York discuss that women are more concerned than men with environmental issues for many reasons including their tendency to be family nurturers and caregivers. An example that demonstrates Norgaard and York’s theory comes from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.  The Massachusetts DEP leaders consist of primarily males including the commissioner Martin Suuberg.  Of the seven members that make up the political leaders of the DEP only one of them are women.  This directly correlates with Norgaard and York’s analysis that there are more men identified as political leaders and this case directly impacting environmental decisions. The possible result is men more than women will influence the policies implemented by the Massachusetts DEP.  (https://www.mass.gov/service-details/about-massdep) Interestingly enough when looking at how Massachusetts compares with other states when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, “Massachusetts is starting to fall behind other states which have passed aggressive carbon emissions standards” (LeBlanc).

Below is a quote and statistic from the Pew Research Center that shows Norgaard and York’s general thesis:

“There are areas where the public sees female leaders as having an advantage. In both business and politics, majorities say women are better than men when it comes to being compassionate and empathetic, and substantial shares say women are better at working out compromises and standing up for what they believe in. Similarly, more adults say female political leaders do a better job of serving as role models for children (41%) and maintaining a tone of civility and respect (34%) than say the same about men”

(https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/09/20/women-and-leadership-2018/)

This statistic reiterates the results of analysis NorGaard and York conducted that women have a tendency to be more compassionate than men because of their traditional role of being caretakers and nurturers therefore paying more attention to issues such as environmentalism.

Bibliography

LeBlanc, Steve. Massachusetts Senate approves ‘net zero’ environmental bills. 30 January 2020. 18 March 2020 <https://www.gazettenet.com/Massachusetts-Senate-approves-net-zero-environmental-bills-32367325>.

Norgaard, Kari and Richard York. “Gender Equality and State Environmentalism.” Gender and Society August 2005: 506-522.

Annotated Bibliography: In this article Steve LeBlanc reports what Massachusetts is lacking in environmental laws and policies and what bills the senate can pass to rectify Massachusetts failure to comply with environmental laws . The article explains that several bills are waiting to be passed by congress with the goal to for a statewide “net zero” emissions greenhouse gas by the year 2050.

What is Anthropornography?

What is Anthropornography? This term coined by Carol J. Adams will shed some light how animals and non-human animals are related to each other. Adams explores how the advertising industry has fooled us into seeing animals as nothing but consumable objects rather than living beings objectified and violated similar to the ways women are objectified by men. She also makes the connection to patriarchy and food saying that “women are animalized and animals are sexualized and feminized” (Adams 13) therefore connecting males and manliness to being the consumer of meat. She further details that meat eating is associated with masculinity and subsequently being male means eating meat. In the list of who is a consumer and who is the consumed she identifies white males as the consumer. White-males being the most privileged in our culture is the reasoning behind her assertion. Females and animals are the consumed as their privilege in society is much less. In this way anthropornography like pornography is advantaged based on how privilege is formed.

Animal consumption is made to look sexy as a way to rationalize the torture, degradation, and suffering they face to satisfy consumers. Therefore the advertisements sexualization of animals makes it seem okay to consume animals because like women they are sexualized and made to look like objects, not living beings. Adams explains this phenomenon by saying, “Animalizing women and feminizing animals helps in this process because it renders women and dead animals used as flesh as commodities” (Adams 15). Lisa Kemmerer who shares similar views to Adams points out, “‘everyone can enjoy the degradation of women without being honest about it’. These images are part of the structure of our culture, so we fail to notice that women are also being exploited: we fail to notice that ‘consumable’ animals are invariably portrayed as feminine, as sexual – available to men, just like female human beings” (Kemmerer). Anthropornography can be then seen as, “misery made sexy” (Adams 15).

Because women become symbolically female and fall into the category of consumable females they are seen as meat… this concept reiterates what we see in the images from Adams slide show of food advertisements. Looking at one of the images we can see how this chicken has been sexualized as a female, ready for consumption.

The advertisement makes the chicken look promiscuous like it wants to be eaten; to be consumed by a male. A second image advertises an ice cream company not only picturing a cow’s exaggerated rear end to look large and volumptuous but with the wording saying, “dairy air” further focusing on the female cows backside making the dairy product of the cow appear sexy therefore consumable. Here, a female’s body parts are represented by a female cow. “If animals are burdened by gender, by gender associations, by the oppression that is gender, then clearly they cant be liberated through representations that demean women” (Adams 20). Clearly the image of the cow being compared to a women is demeaning to women but as Adams argues is inviting to men. Finally a third image pictures a famous black male holding onto a black females leg like he is an animal ready to devour his meal. In the forefront is a chicken and a beer represented as female. Not only are black women seen as promiscuous but they are also depicted as being wild and needing to be tamed. The wild nature of the picture sends the message that the male is taming his meal. Adams see’s this as the overlapping of “absent referents” (Adams). The overlapping absent referents here are white males and animals. Kemmerer describes the goal of these advertisements targeted at the white male as “Nonhuman animals are whoring for you. Nonhumans want you, too” (Kemmerer). Another image I came across is that goes along the same lines of Adams’ theory that animals are sexualized. In this advertisement of lobster a women’s behind is shown with the words “Lobster, all the meat is in the tail.” Just as females are used as objectifaction for males an animal is depicted in this advertisement as also raw material for consumption of humans.

I think Adams has some very interesting insight when it comes to how the meat industry advertises meat that is obviously targeting the white male. As Adams states everything about the advertisement is intentional. We have become unaware of the messages behind these advertisements and desensitized to the patriarchal implications of the meat industry. For instance, “Female cows, chickens, pigs and other species, are routinely exploited due to their reproductive abilities” (Pevreall). This and the other concepts I discussed are some of the situations that have been forgotten on our quest to satisfy our privilege.

Bibliography

Adams, Carol J. “The Politics of Carol J. Adams.” Antennae. Annie Potts. Ed. Glovanni Alol. 2009. 12-24.

Kemmerer, Lisa. “The Pornography of Meat By Carol Adams.” Philosophy Now (2006).

Pevreall, Katie. “Sociaology Professor Deems Not Eating Meat A Feminist Act.” Live Kindly, 2017.

 

Annotated Bibliography:

This short article written by Katie Pevreall explains how a sociology professor Anne DeLassio-Parson makes the connection between eating meat and patriarchy. In the article she asserts that not eating meat can affect gender hierarchy and binaries in a variety of positive ways. She addresses the intersectional ways that black women are affected by their decision to be vegan and how that decision has become an act of social justice. Finally DeLassio touches upon the exploitation of animal’s particularly female animals, because of their reproductive capabilities.

Women in the global South are affected by environmental degradation in a variety of ways. Women in the Global South are disproportionately affected by not having access to clean water. Without clean water women in low-income countries face sanitization and hygiene issues that complicate menstruation, pregnancy and childrearing. Having clean water is important and directly affects women in these areas. Further affecting women is the fact that women are responsible for collecting clean water for their household. This is time consuming and can have related consequences such as missed time for education and vulnerability for abuse and attack to use a toilet. Eco feminist are striving to alter this sense of reality and say, “Embedding gender equity into policy at all levels will be crucial to achieving water and sanitation for all” (https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/gender/).

https://images.app.goo.gl/31mqCRHzwh12CgYv7

In addition to the shortage of clean water women in the Global South are affected by exploitation of resources and the manipulation from the Global North that control those resources and ultimately make farmers dependent on them for agricultural necessities. Also many women of the Global South are dependent on the land for food, water and shelter therefore ecological destruction is a type of oppression as a result of economic greed. Vandana Shiva is a physicist and activist who has made groundbreaking progress on some of the issues that affect women-nature connections and puts it this way, “…people who are dependent on natural resources, on biodiversity, on the land, the forests, the water. Nature is their means of production” (Shiva). Bina Agarwal, also an eco feminist asserts that gender-class effects of environmental degradation are caused by a shift of natural resources to patriarchal systems like the state. Because women (and men) rely so heavily on the environment for healthy nourishment, clothing, shelter and fuel, the degradation of the environment is a direct patriarchal assault on women and the ecosystem.

In contrast to eco feminist like Hobgood-Oster and Warren who have more of a focus on dualistic hierarchies and historical and cultural factors such as Warren’s women-nature connection of “Symbolic Connections” Agarwal seems to focus on environmental degradation and its subsequent effects on women. Both seem to tie in the patriarchal entities that govern the oppression of both women and environment. Further she focuses on problems with the distribution of property, power, and knowledge, how that relates to the environment and eventually how it affects gender. For example, she mentions several terms in relation to resource management in India:

• Forms of Environmental Degradation
• The Process of Statization
• Process of Privatization
• The Erosion of Community Resource Management Systems
• Population Growth
• Choices of Agricultural Technology and Erosion of Local Knowledge Systems

These terms identify Patriarchal systems in which resources are either stolen or damaged and she notes that poor households and women are harmfully more affected. I enjoyed Agarwal’s perspective because of the diversity of her focus. Her Global South perspective is refreshing and should make us mindful that eco feminism just like feminism is intersectional and must be viewed in every context. Not just from our own geographic location but awareness of other countries and cultures can help us better understand the actions and changes that eco feminist can use to eradicate patriarchal structures that support the oppression of women and nature.