ISSN:
1573-8167
Keywords:
ecological feminism
;
ecofeminism
;
purity
;
mestiza consciousness
;
environmental racism
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Sociology
Notes:
Abstract Ecofeminists call attention to the associations that have been made between “woman” and “nature,” which can operate as a source of both subjugation and resistance, exploitation, and inspiration. This paper expands upon feminist critiques of “purity” by phrasing these concerns in an ecological feminist perspective. This theoretical exercise of problematizing the ideal of “purity” sheds light upon the intersections of human and nonhuman oppression. Preservationist work has tended to employ the logic of “purity” by focusing on protection of the purity of the “wild” regions of the earth from the polluting forces of humanity. However, such approaches retain the troublesome nature/culture dualism. The author illustrates how attempts to fragment and radically separate people from the environment can prove to be highly dangerous. She connects the theoretical resistance to “purity” to the important activist work that is being done to expose environmental racism. Finally, she discusses how “muddying the waters” and resisting the logic of “purity” can offer a promising approach to pressing problems revolving around the intersections of human and nonhuman oppression.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1010120511552
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