59
THE ECOFEMINIST DESIRE FOR NATURE
brought on by a new phase of neo-colonialism, but the ongoing burdens of
sexism as well27
At the end of the Decade, in 1985, the UN sponsored the Second UN
Conference on Women in Nairobi, stimulating unprecedented discussion
between northern and southern feminist activists, shedding light on the global,
diverse, and complex nature of women’s approaches to social and ecological
questions.
The
Nairobi
conference
signaled
the beginning
of a
new
international phase of feminist activism and dialogue that, like the publication
of This Bridge, began to challenge universal categories of gender, as well as
domestic/public binaries, that marked white ecofeminism in the U.S. In
addition, as women in the South spoke publicly about multiple issues of
globalization, cultural identity, and development, they began to challenge
essentialist understandings
of the monolithic
“Third World Woman55
or
“indigenous woman55 that were embedded within white feminism of the 1980s.
For many poor women in Third World situations,
discussions of
“development55 reflect a desire for ecological integrity, that in turn, are bom out
of a particular set of identities and situations. For many in the South, the desire
for “nature55 is rooted in an analysis and critique of colonialism, global capital,
sexism, and environmental policy—rather than out of a nature/culture dualism.
Within such discussions, “nature55 itself is a contentious ground owned and
controlled by international regulatory agencies, development agencies, and
trade agreements. In turn, “nature55 also often represents a set of agricultural,
economic, medicinal, spiritual, and cultural practices based on local knowledge
built up over generations.
For women in subsistence economies, ecology often represents the
day-to-day articulations between an encroaching global capitalist economy,
governmental formations, and traditional organic cultural symbolic practices. In
turn,
for
many
poor
southern
women
undergoing
processes
of
proletarianization within newly emerging industrialized contexts, ecological
issues mean not only poisoned water and air, but toxic work places where
women are exposed to harmful chemicals, over-work, and under-pay which
keep women in a continual state of stress and poverty.
Through international dialogue, women addressing issues surrounding
development began to articulate a “global feminism55 that brings together the
economic, cultural, and ecological insights of women in both the North and
South. Vandana Shiva, one of the few environmental activists from the South to
identify with the term ‘ecofeminism5, has emerged as a major voice in global
feminist forums. In her work over the last fifteen years, Shiva has articulated
the struggles of women in rural India to resist colonial policies of deforestation,
agriculture, and land use. In particular, as a socialist ecofeminist, Shiva has
been instrumental in elucidating issues relating to biotechnology and seed