And of course, females are a part of the Earth.ĭr. Prakriti is female, so nature, Earth, everything is interrelated. Women lived it and then tried to live in harmony with nature. There was no need for invoking the idea of Ecofeminism as a subject, as a genre. Shimkhada Ecofeminism as you know, you know, I don't have to tell you, is a modern concept in the West, right? So even though this is a new concept in the West, for us, I think if you go back to ancient times, I think, you know, the goddess worship was part of life. Smritee For me, it raised the question, How long has Ecofeminism been around? Or more specifically, how long have the ideas of Ecofeminism been around?ĭr. Mary Mellor "It seems to me there's been a resurgence of interest in Ecofeminism." Smritee Remember this quote from earlier? Shimkhada I'm really fond of Hindu goddesses because I grew up within the environment of Hindu goddesses in Nepal because my father was a goddess worshiper. Deepak Shimkhada, an adjunct professor at Chaffey College.ĭr. Smritee Have you found that devotees of Hindu goddesses believe that women are intrinsically closer to nature and the Earth?ĭr. I wanted to learn more about the relationship between contemporary understandings of Ecofeminism and Hinduism. Smritee But these definitions are adapted in different ways throughout the world, and no one single definition captures what Ecofeminism is in all local contexts. The false assumption that powerful men are in charge of our future and the false assumption that some races, some religions, are superior. Those are the two key issues: the false assumptions that we are separate from nature and powerful men are masters of nature. Vandana Shiva "How does Ecofeminism decolonize this violent process - of a war against life itself and the war against women and the war against the future? By removing the false assumptions of superiority and separation.
#The divine feminine stream how to#
Smritee Ecofeminist pioneer Vandana Shiva also looks at power and the ways Ecofeminism can intersect with - and teach us how to address - social justice issues like environmental racism, white supremacy, women's rights and climate change. So my Ecofeminism is about looking at the social structures that undermine sustainability and social justice." Mary Mellor "The important point of analysis from my perspective here, is to allow us to analyze the structures of power that intercede between us as humans and the natural world. She defines Ecofeminism as "a movement that sees a connection between the exploitation and degradation of the natural world and the subordination and oppression of women." I found Mellor's comments to be a helpful starting point, but we'll come back to this later. Smritee That's Mary Mellor, author of the book Feminism and Ecology. Mary Mellor "It seems to me there's been a resurgence of interest in Ecofeminism, because I've been around in it for almost as long as it's been going." Early Ecofeminists defined their practice as "women caring for the world." But the movement has evolved. Our discussions centered women, believing that women shared a special connection with nature. I was first introduced to Ecofeminism while reading excerpts from books like Braiding Sweetgrass and the Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism in class.
In particular, I became interested in how Ecofeminism and Hinduism intersect in South Asia.
In my second year of college, I became more interested in how religion and ecology intersect, especially within Hinduism. I grew up Hindu, but I knew that I didn't know everything, if for no other reason than how expansive and diverse Hinduism is. We have a prayer room filled deities, when I was young, my mom would read stories about Hindu gods and goddesses, and we celebrated Hindu holidays, at least as well as we could in the United States. Smritee I grew up in a Nepali household with Hindu parents, and since I can remember Hinduism has played a huge role in my life.
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