Global traces of ecofeminism: An exploratory study of grassroots movements in Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, and Spain

Abstract

Scientists are largely in agreement that the climate change we are witnessing today has resulted from human activities that escalated significantly following the industrial revolution. However, while this manmade problem is affecting people around the world, its effects are not being felt equally. Drawing from the ecofeminist theory, the authors explore how the environmental movements and women’s struggles for equality are intertwined and how they are both opposed to patriarchal capitalism. The authors examine the ecofeminist practices of local ecofeminists or ecofeminist movements in Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, and Spain by looking at existing literature and engaging with ecofeminists in each country through one-on-one interviews, and a group discussion. The findings suggest that although ecofeminism is not a common terminology, the idea of human rights being tied to the rights of nature is an innate part of all these regional movements, and has predated the coining of the term. Further, there is a common thread of ecofeminists taking a community-based and collaborative approach towards countering the oppressive forces of patriarchy and capitalism. More recently, there has been an increased uptake of ecofeminist practices by institutions and political parties in Greece, Italy, and Spain. The paper concludes by proposing the need for more systematic research from a comparative perspective to understand how and why ecofeminism as a concept is mobilised (or not) in cross-regional context.