Rethinking ecofeminism: women’s voices in Indian environmentalism

ABSTRACT

This viewpoint article considers the roles of women’s voices, conflicts, and activism in the protection of natural resources in India. This Indian environmentalism could be viewed as part of the ecofeminist movement because of the strong evidence supporting the relationships between women’s voices and environmental protection. Through various historical storylines, women have increased their resistance to environmental degradation. In precolonial India, protecting khejri trees originally emerged as a dominant ecological storyline. After independence, the advancement of the same ecological storyline led to the formulation of environmental policies and the creation of a social storyline to defend the rights of women and Adivasis. In the neoliberal age, climate change has become another dominant storyline challenging world leaders to take climate action. This article discusses how these women leaders and child activists spearheaded ethnic-based environmentalism by means of powerful storylines and arguments within the wider environmental discourse in India.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecofeminism
• environmentalism
• storylines
• women’s voices
• conflicts
• India

Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 5: Gender equality
• SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
• SDG 13: Climate action
• SDG 15: Life on land
• SDG 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Acknowledgement

I am thankful to Patrick Kilby and Emily Finlay for their thoughtful suggestions and comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.