At 11:52 AM 11/11/97 -0500, you wrote:
> Dear Carolyn: I have been working in the forefront of the environmental
>movement with a lot of women leaders in Puerto Rico, organizaing
>communities to face socio-economic and environmental problems. My comment
>about the definitios of ecofeminism and the implications that could have
>if we are talking about a real inclusive and holistic movement that
>promote real social change, understanding that toward the portection of
>the environment, the complte elimiation of oprressive, patriarchal,
>colonial, imperialistic and capitalistic, intitutional sytems of
>power, is neccessary, then it is great. The expereinces of the
>women leaders that I have been working with, reagrding the whole
>feminist movement in United States, have been one of exclusion.
>
>
I am a poverty-class-income lesbian, and it is very true that the feminist
movement of the 1970's and early 1980's represented white middle class
heterosexualist women's agendas. What I see in publishing, in women working
at all levels of government and in universities is a mandate for
anti-colonialism and inclusiveness. The distrust women developed from that
Second Wave of feminism has been slow to dissipate --- understandably, but
it has also been exploited by homophobic and sexist left wing movements with
other agendas.
Carolyn Gage
>
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>On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, Carolyn Gage wrote:
>
>> At 09:35 AM 11/11/97 -0500, you wrote:
>> > It is important, in this discussion, to defien properly what is femism
>> >and what are we are defining as ecofeminsm. For example, if we are
>> >refering to the withe middle class feminism that has dominated the US
>> >feminism movement and suportted directly and inderectly the socio-economic
>> >structure of capitalism, then I do not see this kind of eco-feminism as
>> >good. This is a very important discussion and it is imperative to keep
>> >the dialogue.
>> >
>> >Carlos R.Alicea
>>
>> "White middle class feminism" no longer sets the agenda for the feminist
>> movement in the US and hasn't for years. What an erasure of the very vocal
>> and very activist women of color and working class/poverty class women
>> activists! It's principle effectiveness is as a weapon for anti-feminist
>> men to use in the name of multi-culturalism. Doesn't fool any of us.
>>
>> Carolyn Gage
>> <http://www.monitor.net/~carolyn>
>> >
>> >
>> >On Tue, 11 Nov 1997, Will Bason wrote:
>> >
>> >> > But, there is a very real topic here and if we don't focus on it
>> >> >and get caught up in the politics of the vehicle we will be missing out.
>> >> >
>> >> > Green Village's are not ecofeminist societies. No one went out
>> >> >of their way to take patriarchy out of their society, except maybe
>> >> >lesbian communes. And even they, I would imagine must struggle.
>> >> >Do these places exist and if so how did they arrange their society
>> >> >differently?
>> >> >And if they don't exist, how would we go about structuring a truly
>> ecofeminist
>> >> >society? How do translate ecofeminism to female/male relationships?
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >Cheryl Taylor
>> >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> >> >West Virginia University
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> You are right, cheryl, about there being a good topic here that we
>> >> shouldn't let get "get caught up in the politics of the vehicle".
>> >>
>> >> I think it's safe to say that most intentional communities (IC) and
>> >> all ecovillages(EV) are trying to take patriarchy out of their (and our)
>> >> society or at least feel that they are involved in this struggle. Most
>> >> communities have worked hard on this, but i wouldn't say its "going out of
>> >> their way". I think the search for balance,and fairness, with each other
>> >> and with the rest of nature, is the engine that drives the movement
>> >> towards intentional community and ecologically sustainable villages.
>> >>
>> >> I believe that the small, largely self sufficient community will be
>> >> a major componant of a future society that is true to ecological and
>> >> feminist ideals. I like your term "green village" a lot better than
>> >> "ecovillage", and i think we have a right to insist that any community
>> >> calling itself either of these is working towards ecological and feminist
>> >> ideals.
>> >>
>> >> Will Bason
>> >> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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