Glynis,
I think certainly on the 2nd point I made you heard "correctly."
As for the 1st, I did not mean to imply that liberal feminists are not
feminists. I don't believe in "Club Feminism" or any type of feminism
with a capital F. Allowing for self identification is important to
me. Which I guess I didn't explain thoroughly in my Rachael Carson
reference. I have mixed ideas as to whether or not we have the right to
label someone who specifically says that they are not a particular label.
This leads to all kinds of trouble. For example, if I self identify as a
lesbian, is it O.K. for someone to call me a gay woman? What are the
implications of each of those labels/identifications. I believe that
there is a difference between a woman who works in the environmental
movement and a feminist. For many, they are different issues. For most
ecofeminists I know, they are not. It seems to be a matter of self
identification. But again, we get sticky here. Is a woman who supports
the stewardship approach to environmentalism an ecofeminist? In my way of
thinking, no. Can a woman be against reproductive rights and still be a
feminist? Again I would have to say no. But this is just my opinion.
Carson's work per se is an invaluable tool for teaching about ecofeminism,
in the same way grassroots activism as discussed in the Merchant articles.
Liberal feminism is an essential part of learning about feminist ideology.
I have also been in classes where most women can't/won't connect to any
form of feminism until the teacher goes through liberal feminism first.
However, two weeks ago I sat in an Environmental Ethics class where
Ecofeminism was the day's topic. The professor and his "NOW expert" gave
liberal feminism as the background to Karen Warren's article _The Power
and Promise of Ecological Feminism_. I tried to explain "can't get there
from here" and followed up with a further analysis. Besides being red in
the face, the guy stated at the end of the class that feminism (liberal
feminism as some monolithic ideology representing all of feminism) had
some cogent points. However, he concluded that ecofeminism was "stupid"
because it's essentialist argument was inherently just as sexist as the
oppression it was trying to eliminate. So much for liberal feminism
supporting ecofeminist ideology.
I agree, that an ecofeminist "philosophy" or "ethic" as being the basis of
a total environmental ethic is not possible now partly because feminism
is so broad and partly because it is still relatively new. However,
unless it is discussed, it will never be taken seriously. I read the Deep
Ecology/Ecofeminism debate in _Environmental Ethics_, but no other
students seem to have a clue unless it is discussed by some professor,
preferable one with tenure, before they will look at it. As for at my
university, most of the students who are exposed to it have been
"instructed" to ignore it. Again, rah, rah liberal feminism.
Well, I have gone on too long. Hope to hear from more people in the list.
Randi Zimmerman
"In the process of infinate beginnings, even immortality is mortal."
-- Trinh T. Minh-ha
