“We women, in all our vibrant and fabulous diversity, have witnessed the increasing aggression against the human spirit, human mind and human body and the continued invasion of an assault upon the Earth and all her diverse species.” – Navadanya
Vandana Shiva has become a well-known activist in India after deciding to fight for environmental issues when discovering her “favorite chi
ldhood forest had been cleared and a stream drained so that an apple orchard could be planted” (Britanica). Since then she has obtained a few degrees in order to continue to fight against the ecological crisis that has plagued our world. There is a great need to protect the environment, especially the forests in the global south. In an interview with Scott London, Shiva states “people who are dependent on natural resources, on biodiversity, on the land, the forests, the water. Nature is their means of production. So for them ecological destruction is a form of injustice. When the forest is destroyed, when the river is dammed, when the biodiversity is stolen, when fields are waterlogged or turned saline because of economic activities, it is a question of survival for these people”.
Like Shiva, Bina Agarwal is an Indian feminist who focuses heavily on environmental injustices, but more specifically the relationship between women and nature. In her article, The Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India , Agarwal compares “feminist environmentalism” (119) in the United States and rural India. She states that “Third World women are dependent on nature…the destruction of nature thus becomes the destruction of women’s sources for ‘staying alive'” (124).
When we think of women’s issues we often forget that they happen all over the world, not just where we live. There are many countries in the global south that are suffering the effects of environmental degradation, resulting in major concern and the need for change. Some of the issues women in these countries face are: safe access to water, sanitation/hygiene, deforestation, forced displacement, lack of female representation in political issues, and general safety concerns.
Women and girls are the ones who are responsible for retrieving water. Because they have to do this by foot, often more than once a day, it leaves them at a higher risk of being attacked, and interferes with their education or making a living. Along with this, sanitation is a major issue. Having to use a toilet outside or sharing a bathroom with men has proven to be a problem. Sharing these bathrooms with men puts them at a greater risk for abuse or attack. The UN stated “a clean, functional, lockable, gender-segregated space is needed, with access to sanitary products and disposal systems, for women and girls to manage menstrual hygiene and pregnancy”.
Safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are extremely important and should have women’s voices involved. Women know what they need and know how things should change for the betterment of their safety, health, and education. One would think we would ask women to have a seat at the table and include their thoughts on how to better their society, and cater to their needs.
Hobgood-Oster references many of these same issues in her article, but speaks more from an objective Western perspective. She speaks more on the feminine connection to nature and how religion plays a role in patriarchal domination. Both Hobgood-Oster and Agarwal refer to many of the same topics: the oppression of women is a global issue, many protests have occurred in an attempt to fight for women and the environment, and violence has been used against women to silence them in their fight for these issues.
Of these two perspectives, I found both very interesting but enjoyed reading Hobgood-Oster more. I found her references to religion and science to be very informative and it made more sense to me. Both religion and science are two subjects that I enjoy reading about and with the connection to ecofeminism, weaponized or not, I found it easier to understand and relate to. That being said, I feel like part of that comes from my privilege and reading Agarwal really made me rethink some of the “issues” I have in my life and fight for sustainability. Because I don’t live in a third world country, I have better access to a lot of things and don’t have to worry as much about my livelihood being destroyed. Reading her article and the interview with Shiva put a lot of things in perspective for me and only makes me want to continue this fight.
I don’t think it should be so separated. I understand that some places in the world aren’t as technologically advanced or have easy access to clean water. There are women in those countries that are struggling to keep each other safe and protect their homes. Reading about this issues makes me wish I had a genie to solve these problems, but sadly that is not how the world works.
Educating ourselves, not only on issues in our part of the world, and learning that this fight is bigger than our small community is so important. We must protect our Earth in order to also protect ourselves.
https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-and-gender
Hi Lizzy,
I absolutely agree with your closing remark that Western Ecofeminism and Eastern Ecofeminism shouldn’t be separated. I think that the way forward must incorporate both viewpoints with an open-minded and empathetic lens that can encapsulate and lend a voice to women all over the globe. The only way that we can all be heard is if we all hear each other and amplify one another instead of causing further divides and facets.
I think a huge contender for this continued repression of ecofeminist perspectives across the globe is tied to the continued and ongoing marginalization caused by a lack of representation. The same UN-Water article that you cite in your post touches on this, “Women and girls are disproportionately affected by poor water, sanitation, and hygiene services… However, their voices and needs are often absent in the design and implementation of improvements.”
A way forward can look like Western Ecofeminists using what privilege they do have to draw attention to ecofeminist concerns that don’t necessarily affect their lives but that play a role in the lives of many women across the world.
Mariama Sonko doesn’t have a fraction of the privilege that many Western women do, and yet she still manages to make a seismic effect in her community and beyond. Sonko is an ecofeminist from southern Senegal in West Africa. She works to create sustainable agricultural reform and food sovereignty in Africa.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sonko eloquently emphasizes the inseparable connection between women, especially indigenous women, and nature. She says, “It’s the indigenous knowledge and the practices that have always supported food sovereignty and this knowhow is in the hands of the women … Ecofeminism for me is the respect for all that we have around us.” And that’s truly what is at the heart of Ecofeminism as a whole.
From the Western perspective, Hobgood-Oster would agree that ecofeminism is respect for the world and respect for each other. Eastern ecofeminists like Agarwal and Shiva would highlight the importance of indigenous knowledge and connectivity with nature.
In the end, if we help build each other up, it’ll only further the end goal of fostering more respect and compassion for everyone and, in turn, for the Earth itself.
Here’s the link to the full The Guardian interview with Mariama Sonko, her insight is invaluable and highlights same issues that Agarwal and Shiva bring up in their pieces that you cited in this post. From the threat of capitalistic multinational corporations to the importance of locally produced seeds, Sonko covers them all.
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/22/ecofeminism-is-about-respect-the-activist-working-to-revolutionise-west-african-farming
Hi Lizzy!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week!
I personally was more drawn to the Agarwal perspective, but I agree with your statement that Hobgood-Oster was easier to understand and relate to because of the privilege I have.
I don’t live, nor have I lived in a Third World country; however, I have visited one. A few years back I had the opportunity to go to Ecuador to do mission work. We traveled to different parts of the country, from working with schools and providing supplies, to going to the Dunamis Foundation which helps girls who were rescued from sex trafficking. When Shiva was talking about women having a special connection to the earth, it reminded me of how the girls at the Dunamis foundation made jewelry out of different nuts found in nature in order to provide an income for themselves once they left. At one school in particular, we had to travel by boat forty-five minutes on the river to get there. The only teacher there, who’s a woman, has to travel over an hour from where she lives everyday just to teach, and doesn’t have the funds to provide the kids with items we take for granted in a classroom. The water there is safe for the native population to drink however if you or I were to travel there we couldn’t even rise our toothbrush with the tap water without getting sick. I couldn’t help but think about how the teacher would get to the classroom if the rivers there became depleted, or if the water quality got worse, how would they be able to get safe, reliable drinking water? How would they be able to travel to teach the kids? Coming back to your point, the fight is much bigger than our community.