1st Edition

Ecofeminist Natures Race, Gender, Feminist Theory and Political Action

By Noel Sturgeon Copyright 1997

    Examining the development of ecofeminism from the 1980s antimilitarist movement to an internationalist ecofeminism in the 1990s, Sturgeon explores the ecofeminist notions of gender, race, and nature. She moves from detailed historical investigations of important manifestations of US ecofeminism to a broad analysis of international environmental politics.

    Acknowledgments; Introduction; Chapter 1 Movements of Ecofeminism; Chapter 2 Ecofeminist Anti Militarism And Strategic Essentialisms; Chapter 3 Womanearth Feminist Peace Institute and the Race for Parity; Chapter 4 The Nature Of Race; Chapter 5 Ecofeminist Natures And Transnational Environmental Politics; Chapter 6 What’s in a Name?;

    Biography

    Noel Sturgeon is Associate Professor of Women's Studies and Graduate Faculty in American Studies at Washington State University.

    "Noel Sturgeon's book comprehensively explores the wide diversity within ecofeminist theory and activism while challenging the common assumptions that (1) feminist theory is, or should be, anti-essentialist, without any reliance on essentialist constructs, and that (2) all essentialist constructs are politically problematic, having no political usefulness. With the number of feminist and ecofeminist perspectives ever increasing and thus presenting a real danger of disunity across differences within the feminist movement the need for strategic alliances between feminists is all the more urgent. In this sense Sturgeon's argument is itself strategically well timed. Her book illuminates the ecofeminist literature that preceses it and affords clear direction for future work." -- Philosophy in Review
    "As both scholar and activist, Sturgeon approaches ecofeminism with a critical yet sympathetic voice, offering fresh insights that will be immediately useful. Racism is a woman's issue, as Sturgeon makes clear, and addressing this issue is central to the history and future of ecofeminism and all movements for social and environmental justice. We have waited a long time for a book like this one." -- Greta Gaard, University of Minnesota
    "... makes an invaluable contribution to the academic dialogue on ecofeminism by providing a historical/political context for ecofeminist thought as it has developed internationally and in the US... As a cultural critic with experience as an activist in the women's peace movement, Sturgeon seems perfectly positioned to tell... her narrative. Karla Armbruster, NWSA Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2000, pp. 210-216 As both scholar and activist, Sturgeon approaches ecofeminism with a critical yet sympathetic voice, offering fresh insights that will be immediately useful. Racism is a woman's issue, as Sturgeon makes clear, and addressing this issue is central to the history and future of ecofeminism and all movements for social and environmental justice. We have waited a long time for a book like this one." -- Greta Gaard, University of Minnesota