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The Good-Natured Feminist Ecofeminism and the Quest for Democracy Catriona Sandilands |
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A foundational statement of the democratic promise of ecofeminism. Heroic mothers defending home and hearth against a nature deformed by multinationalist corporate practice: this may be a compelling story, but it is not necessarily the source of valid feminist or ecological critique. What's missing is the democratic element, an insistence on bringing to public debate all the relations of gender and nature that such a view takes for granted. This book aims to situate a commitment to theory and politics—that is, to democratic practice—at the center of ecofeminism and, thus, to move toward an ecofeminism that is truly both feminist and ecological. The Good-Natured Feminist inaugurates a sustained conversation between ecofeminism and recent writings in feminist postmodernism and radical democracy. Starting with the assumption that ecofeminism is a body of democratic theory, the book tells how the movement originated in debates about "nature" in North American radical feminisms, how it then became entangled with identity politics, and how it now seeks to include nature in democratic conversation and, especially, to politicize relations between gender and nature in both theoretical and activist milieus. "This book is to be welcomed as contributing to the growing scholarship on ecofeminism. It will also be very useful for those interested in postmodern perspectives and the debates around radical democracy." —Canadian Journal of Sociology Online "This book does not suggest a step-by-step route to democracy, it offers some subjects to think about during your quest for democracy. If you are anything like me, you could benefit from challenging some of your own assumptions. By the end I felt like a changed woman." —Sue Stack, Environmental Practice "Highly recommended reading" —Environmental Ethics “The Good-Natured Feminist is an essential text not only for those engaged in ecofeminist projects but, more broadly, for anyone interested in feminism, environmentalism, or social and political theory.” —TOPIA: A Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies Catriona Sandilands is assistant professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, Toronto. 256 pages | 5 7/8 x 9 | 1999 |
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$23.50 Paper