Gendered Environments

Question 1

3 main purposes of ecofeminism

Answer 1

1. It interrogates the traditional cultural-conceptual association of woman and nature (e.g. mother nature)
2. It observes that woman and nature have both traditionally been treated as objects of subjugation and control and studies their mutual domination
3. It asks how the domination of woman and nature can be overcome

Question 2

Answer 1 to overcoming domination: Feminism of uncritical reversal - 3 points

Answer 2

1. Solution is to accept and celebrate woman-nature association
2. Woman-nature understood in opposition to man-culture, but hierarchy should be reversed
3. Woman-nature’s shared, special talents for reproduction, cultivation, and care should be esteemed and revered more than man-culture

Question 3

2 general critiques of feminism of uncritical reversal

Answer 3

1. It essentializes women as only nurturers and cultivators despite no innate link between woman and nature
2. Naturalizes a narrow, traditional vision of who and what women are, and what they can do, leading to naturalize “a woman’s place is in the home” -> reinforcing oppression

Question 4

Plumwood’s critique of feminism of uncritical reversal - 4 arguments

Answer 4

1. Dualisms always incite domination because they define a dominant concept in terms of its non-identity to a subordinate concept; they are often stacked (woman-nature-animal-other); and operate through hierarchical exclusion (valuing one because it has no resemblance to the other)
2. This distorts the image of men and women, who have many similarities
3. Swapping roles of dominator and dominated isn’t genuine liberation
4. Must get over dualism to overcome domination

Question 5

Overcoming domination: Feminism of uncritical equality

Answer 5

Equate woman and man under category of ‘human’, thereby liberating woman by moving her over to the side of man (human-culture-self vs. animal-nature-other)

Question 6

Plumwood’s critique of feminism of uncritical equality - 2 points

Answer 6

1. Still maintains dualism, so also maintains domination and distortion
2. Nature remains subordinate, now dominated by woman and man together -> freeing woman while continuing to dominate nature isn’t genuine liberation

Question 7

Overcoming domination: Plumwood: Critical ecological feminism

Answer 7

Humanity must be reimagined as continuous with nature, conceptualized on the same spectrum of continuity

Question 8

What 3 advantages does critical ecological feminism have, according to Plumwood?

Answer 8

1. Doesn’t distort humanity or nature by claiming they are opposites
2. Breaks down hierarchy between human and nature - if we’re continuous with nature, we cannot also be its master, thus removing need to dominate it
3. Proximity to nature no longer means distance from humanity, e.g. woman (and man) can be close to nature and still fully human