D. Uma Devi

Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development, an Eco-feminist Perspective by Vandana Shiva

D. Uma Devi

Abstract

Environmental degradation and violence against women are the two major problems of the society. Voice against both the societal problems has been raised for years. Patriarchal systems where men own and control land are seen as responsible for the oppression of women and the destruction of the natural environment. The empowerment of women can make its contribution in reducing the impact of environmental degradation because women are the one who play major role in the management of ecological system. Ecofeminism connects the exploitation and domination of women with that of repairing social and ecological injustices. Eco feminists feel that women must work towards creating a healthy environment and ending the destruction of the land that most women rely on to provide for their families. Vandana Shiva is a social activist and a feminist whose work focuses on

embracing not only the principles of feminism but also the principles of ecology. The aim and objective of this study is to analyse and interpret the textual and conceptual essence of Ecofeminism in brief with reference to Vandana Shiva‘s Staying Alive.

Key words: Ecofeminism, Degradation, Oppression, Injustice

Introduction

A branch of ecocriticism which has gradually gained its place is its feminist standpoint which began to be known as Ecofeminism. In 1974, the term "Ecofeminism" was conceived by d'Eaubonne as a connection of the Ecology and Women (Morgan 4). The socio-historical association between woman and nature is the starting point of Ecofeminism. Women are the ones who get affected by the

impact of climate change and natural disasters first and at the same time they often play a greater role than men in the management of eco system and food security and sustainable development. The empowerment of women can make substantial contribution in reducing the impact of environmental degradation. Ecofeminism has brought into light the various atrocities by men against women and nature through their literary works. They have also brought to the knowledge of the readers how women fight against the violence against themselves and nature. Eco feminism argues that there is a connection between women and nature that comes from their shared history of oppression by a patriarchal western society.

Vandana Shiva – An Environmental activist

Vandana Shiva is considered as one of the notable environmental activist and a

radical scientist in the world. She has spent her life in advocating the diversity and indigenous knowledge. She wrote many books about the agriculture and food. She was involved in many campaigns against the development in the agriculture through genetic modification. She also got ―Right Livelihood Award‖ in 1993 which is also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize. Staying alive is one of the best books written by Vandana Shiva. It was published in 1998.

Staying Alive, an Ecofeminism Perspective

Staying Alive is one of the fundamental books of the Ecofeminism. Vandana Shiva defines that how ecological crisis, patriarchy, colonization and oppression of the women have a strong link together. This book talks about the feminist perspective in the human interaction with nature. She says,

Women in subsistence economies, producing and reproducing wealth in partnership with nature, have been experts in their own right of holistic and ecological knowledge of nature‘s process. But these alternative modes of knowing, which are oriented to the social benefits and sustenance needs are

not recognized by the capitalist reductionist paradigm, because it fails to perceive the interconnectedness of nature, or the connection of women‘s lives, work and knowledge with the creation of wealth. (Staying Alive 24).

This book is very important to understand how women played a significant role in the past and also provide the history of the long struggle of women for the environment. In the beginning of the book, she questions the basic concept of the development. According to Vandana Shiva the development of modern science and economics is not developing the society. It has reduced to the continuous process of the colonization which is purely based on the exploitation and exclusion of the women. It always sees forest merely as the resource for the industries not as the system which is essential for the living. She also argues that history of development entails the destruction of nature, women and culture for which third world women, tribal and peasants are still fighting. She further argues that how modern science and economics assumptions of western patriarchy have main aim of only profit for which they destroyed the whole ecology and created misbalance in nature.

Vandana Shiva claims that this development is the project of the patriarchal men to displace women and nature from the productive work. She explains how modern science and economic progress is violent in nature and it is the political need of the capitalist whereas feminine principle is very non-violent in nature which allows interconnection and diversity. Modern science is used by men only to slave women and nature. Other than this modern science denies the traditional knowledge and values of women and tribal communities.

According to Vandana Shiva women have a major role in the human survival. Further, she talks about both the philosophies and practices of the women help in the production and renewability of the life. Women have been expert of the holistic and ecological knowledge of nature. Vandana Shiva also mentioned that people have conserved and sustained the nature with their traditional knowledge and system. But the traditional knowledge and system is destroyed in a few decades by

the patriarchal thoughts. They destroyed the traditional intimate relationship between human life and nature.

She also talks about the forest and living methods of women and tribal. Women and tribal were removed from forest which was their means of survival. In response to that, there were many ecological movements which were led by women. She further described two paradigms of the women one is the life-enhancing paradigm that emerges from the feminine principle and talked about sustainability and other is life destroying which only care about profit maximization.

Vandana Shiva further discusses how women have a very important role in food gathering. They consider forest as their mother because forest feeds them; provide fodder for livestock, wood for burning and many herbs for medicinal use whereas patriarchal development sees forest as only the means of extracting valuable natural resources. She concludes by saying that modern science and development is responsible for the current economic and ecological crisis whereas feminine principle has the solution for the crisis and it will be a non-violent, non-gendered and human inclusive alternatives.

Conclusion

Vandana Shiva tries to look for the gender issues in the ecological context and provides the intimate connection of the women and forest. She vividly portrays development as exclusion project which deprived women and tribal. . She tries to create a space to the voices of the third world country in radical way. Her views on the diversity were to the point, although it provides an alternative way to see the history through ecological and feminist perspective. On the whole, Vandana Shiva‘s Staying Alive brings out the deprivation against women in the name of patriarchy from a feminist point of view

References

 Dobie Ann. Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. Cengage

Learning, 2011. Print. Morgan, J. Ecofeminism  Morgan, J. Ecofeminism an Emerging Social Movement. 1992. TS. University of

Minnesota, Minneapolis. Plant, Judith. Women and Nature. N.d.Web.30 May 2015. www.thegreenfuse.org/plant  Shiva, Vandana and Maria Mies. 2014. Ecofeminism. London: Zed Books.  Mack-Canty, C. (2004). Wave Feminism and the Need to Reweave the

Nature/Culture Duality. NWSA , 16 (3), 154-179.  Conrad-Rossi, M. R. (2016, November 19). The Eco-Philosophy of Vandana Shiva

A Critical Review of Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development.

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