Many ecofeminists like Greta Gaard see animals and humans very similarly, for instance “from an ecofeminist perspective, speciesism is a form of oppression that parallels and reinforces other forms of oppression. These multiple systems of racism, classism, sexism, speciesism are not merely linked, mutually reinforcing systems of oppression: they are different faces of the same system” (Gaard, 20). We have studied and learned about how women are harmed at large under various forms of oppression and elements of hyper capitalism, now when we examine non-human animals we can start to understand that they also can experience the same levels of oppression.

I think it’s important to note that oppression was given a very reliable and clear definition this week… From Gaard’s article, “Ecofeminism on the Wing” another feminist writer,  Marion Young describes oppression as a “condition in groups” and with groups there are different types of oppression, Young breaks them down to, “ exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism and violence” (Gaard page 20). When it comes to an ecofeminist perspective on non-human animals, key elements that ecofeminists address is that speciesism is just as relative as any of the widely known “isms” and within that non-human animals are still susceptible to the conditions that oppression brings that Young described.

Power: There is a large population of this country that eats non-human animals. Around the time of me visiting the Animal Kill Clock there had been roughly 8.1 billion non human animal deaths this year. As a meat eater who knows that the food and agriculture industry could be safer and more ethical. This number was alarming to me because we are only just now at the end of February. Non-human animals do sit at the bottom of our social hierarchies. I say this somberly but with more awareness moving forward. In Gaard reading, power dynamics were at play greatly. The writers brought home this idea that non-human animals don’t necessarily consent to the treatments and experiences that go through to be food in our food system and for human consumption because, “transfer of energies from one group to another to produce unequal distributions and surely the labor of wild and domestic nonhuman animals. their reproduction and their bodies as well have been exploited by humans” (Gaard page 20). And like Curtin addresses under perspectives of moral vegetarianism, “I cannot refer to an absolute moral rule that prohibits meat eating under all circumstances” (Curtin Page 1). Curtin  perceives non-human animals in their analysis of vegetarianism and the importance of when it would morally be okay to exhibit any oppression to non-human animals.  What’s more is that Curtin elaborates on the effects of speciesism when “ethics of care” are considered for non-human animals as it relates to the cultural imperialism element of oppression that is bound to happen between human and non- human animals in this food system. Like in Japanese culture there is , “Shinto ceremony that pays respect to the insects that are killed during rice planting” ( Curtin page 2). The ceremonies are an amazing example of the idea that ultimately while trying to keep humans fed in Japanese society smaller less powerful creatures are killed, this awareness and homage from the dominant group will go a long way for the oppression and ethics of care for non-human animals.

Gendered Eating:

Example 1: Man and woman are out at dinner, women order a salad, man orders a steak. 

Explained: Men are seen as needing to be more masculine and strong. So when it comes to eating and especially in an intimate setting like a date with a woman he will socialize to present and order something heavy and strong like red meat. Women are seen as feminine and dainty so they would be conditioned to order something light and subtle like a salad. 

Example 2: Women wash dishes after a long day,  men watch t.v. after dinner and unwinds. 

Explained: Women are seen in domestic roles under patriarchy. So for a woman to be taking care of the dishes and the home as a form of unpaid labor, this would be the norm. 

Image: At first glance I assumed the image above was of pillsbury dough boy, a mascot for a bakery company. After further examination I see the small white figure cutting through meat with two knives. I think this image was chosen for this week because we were all discussing how deep vegetarianism and ecofeminism runs. In my opinion if the white figure in suppose to represent pillsbury dough boy, a baking goods company, then replacement of dough with meat symbolizes the treatment of non human animals in this society.

I have lived in towns and cities in Massachusetts all of my adult life, only venturing out for quick 

vacations and work trips to places that are also classified as towns in cities. While my time in Massachusetts has really informed my disposition in this world. It isn’t my place, I took a trip to Los Angeles in April of 2022 and it changed my life. The revelations that I came to greatly shifted my world. What resonated with me on this trip was that my professional career had truly taken over my life. I was living to work.

 And for what good reason? This phenomenon of being displaced from oneself was incredibly sad to realize. 

This theory that bell hooks writes about in “Touching the Earth”, is one that brought up a lot of feelings around this specific displaced time in my life. In her essay she writes about the displacement of Black people from southern farmer land as the Industrial period in America began. As I read I envisioned myself on the land she described so vividly, using words like “richness, shining, warmth, sparkle” to name a few. All of these inviting descriptors are by hooks when she describes Southerns lives on farms and how she speaks about the North and the language she uses when talking about displacement are antonyms. The cadence of this part in the reading invoked that same sadness in me. 

Even though hooks is writing ,at one point, from the perspective of the industrial revolution, the writing holds up well for 2023. I was even able to relate directly to it. 

The psychological effects of displacement in my case were felt before and seen all on that work trip I took to LA in 2022.  Hooks brilliantly explains the epiphany I had about placement of the body’s relation to place, labor, and oppression as, “working in conditions where the body was regarded solely as a tool (as in slavery), profound estrangement occurred between mind in the body. The way the body was represented, became more important than the body itself. It did not matter if the body was well, only that it appeared well.” (hooks 366). In my case I was operating as a tool for the company to make large sums of money, my thoughts on how a business should be run did not matter as long as I served as a vessel for the store. 

With all of that being said, I believe that city dwellers may experience a connection wit

h earth but it may look similarly to Chantal’s homestead experience but just on smaller scales. Access to community gardens in larger cities is happening all over the country. I have included a list of community gardens in the Boston area that are entirely managed by local residents. Bringing nature to more greenery to cities has already happened. The connection should be sustained and increased through more community engagement with places like community gardens and outdoor terrain.

List of Boston Community Gardens 

https://thetrustees.org/content/list-of-boston-community-gardens/ 

After coming to my2022 epiphany I quit my very demanding job at the beginning of the summer and focused on self care and my personal wellness. It was in the quietness of the summer that I realized balance was going to be key in the next chapter of my life. It felt great to be still and focus on taking care of myself. The quiet only took me so far until my internal clock kept going off, letting me know I needed to return to work.  Emerging back into the workplace Fall 2022 was all about balancing all of my environments. Kingsolver talks about quietness frequently throughout the essay, “Knowing Our Place” explaining her own preferences when writing, “blessed emptiness of mind that comes from birdsong and dripping trees” (Kingsolver 2).

*The above picture was taken of me in LA, the writing behind me says Support Black Art.*

With all of the quietness I experienced in my time away I grew to appreciate the noise, so I agree with Kingsolver we need wilderness. A healthy balance of both is what is necessary for humans because the duties of our lives can swarm us but,“to be surrounded by a singing, mating, howling commotion of other species, all of whom love their lives as much as you do, and none of whom could possibly care less about your economic status or your day-running calendar” (Kingsolver 2). When I had the opportunity to place myself back in a more natural environment to rest and then remerge when the time was right, so that now I have a healthy relationship with both work and my environment.

  Women living in the Global South are affected by environmental degradation everyday through aspects of their physical surroundings and abstract happenings. Environmental conditions like, “water- logging, creating what the local people aptly call “wet deserts” (Agarwal) are largely affecting women and girls who are normally designated as the people who perform daily tasks like caring for the home and water gatherers. Regions surrounding countries in Asia and Africa, specifically India as showcased in this week’s reading that, “degradation in India’s natural resource base is manifest in disappearing forests, deteriorating soil conditions, and depleting water resources” (Agarwal). What causes more of an alarm to me when it comes to this matter (women and environmental deterioration) is this alarming point that Agarwal brings up. She says this on women in regions of India, “groundwater levels have fallen permanently in several regions, including in northern India with its high water tables, due to the indiscriminate sinking to tube wells the leading input in the Green Revolution technology. As a result, many drinking water wells have dried up or otherwise been rendered unusable. In addition, fertilizer and pesticide runoffs into natural water sources have destroyed fish life and polluted water for human use in several areas” (Agarwal). The conditions are exacerbated for women because like the United Nations Reports says “women and girls usually have the responsibility of fetching water. This can be a dangerous, time-consuming and physically demanding task. Long journeys by foot, often more than once a day, can leave women and girls vulnerable to attack and often precludes them from school or earning an income” (UN Article).

**This week I was exposed to the acronym of W-A-S-H from the United Nations article. WASH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.

Western ecofeminism perspective will prioritize an, “approach to transforming relationships of domination and the removal of hierarchical thinking” (Last week’s reading). 

While under a non -western perspective of ecofeminism, the priorities of ecofeminism include:

1. There are important connections between domination and oppression of women and the domination exploitation of nature.

2. In patriarchal thought, women are identified as being closer to nature and men as being closer to Nature is seen as inferior to culture; hence, women are seen as inferior to men.

3. Because the domination of women and the nation of nature have occurred together, women have a particular stake in ending the domination of nature, “in healing the alienated human and non-human nature.” 

4. The feminist movement and the environmental movement both stand for egalitarian, archical systems.

Which Thoughts on Ecofeminism are more interesting?

In my opinion both streams of thoughts on ecofeminism are so interesting. For this week I will say the non -Western ecofeminism introduced a few new points to the conversation. Upon reading Agarwal’s work this week the idea that society places women more connected to nature than men and the idea that oppression of women and nature are always occurring at once is a new perspective that resonates with me deeply. Many of these non- western ideas  I had never thought about but I feel will more than likely be a recurring theme in ecofeminism.