I would be remiss to write about other people’s art and not have the balls to share my own. this is my series that I created in spring of 2022 entitled rape of the earth. all pieces completed with glaze on ceramic.
ecofeminism n.
a movement where in a connection is seen between degradation and exploitation of the natural resources of the earth with the oppression and suppression of women. an intellectual critique of the confounding consequences of patriarchy and capitalism.
in addition to pointing out the ways in which the effects of climate change disproprotionately affects women, ecofeminism calls us to understand how our ontological feminization of the earth has framed and, therefore, justified human beings’ degregation of the earth. think first to the gendered language we have used throughout history to characterize our philosophical relationship with nature: virgin land, fertile soil, mother nature, conquest, domination. this gendered paradigm has separated the world of man (which is rational, scientific, modern, measureable) from that of the non-human (which is irrational, mystical, timeless, emotional).
we are not merely a part of the natural world. we are not mere animals. we are man, created in the image of god. we are entitled to the earth’s resource. we are entitled to her fruits.
consequently, society’s capacity for patriarchy is weaponized to extend our capacity for degredation of the earth. those familiar with the feminization of the Orient will recognize this same weaponization being used to justify colonialism and white supremacy in the years of empire and Orientalism.
these pieces attempt to capture the parallels between these two paradigms: patriarchy and human supremacy. just as we are okay with seeing women’s bodies as vessels for abuse, reproduction, and neglect, we turn a blind eye to humanity’s exploitation of the earth.
recommended readings:
Feminist Environmental Philosophy, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2015.
Ecofeminism Explores the Relationship Between Women and Nature, Leah Thomas, Teen Vogue, 2022.
Women…In the Shadows of Climate Change, Balgis Osman-Elasha, United Nations Chronicle.
Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love, Elizabeth A. Johnson, 2015. (tbh this one is only marginally relevant to this topic but it’s a really beautiful book on theology that introduced me to the concept of ecofeminism from a really beautiful class entitled “Religion, Science, and Technology” and I highly recommend it)
The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson, 2020. (not about ecofeminism but I recommend this book to literally everyone who breathes)
nhiều chuyện, by angel lin 