Shiva, Vandana (b. 1952)

Vandana Shiva was born November 5, 1952 in the Himalayan forests of India. She is a worldrenowned environmental thinker and activist known for her third world feminist critique of capitalism and science and her vision of a community‐based democratic politics that promotes ecological and cultural diversity. In 1993, Shiva was the recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (known as the Alternative Nobel Peace Prize). Her most influential works include Staying Alive, Ecofeminism (with Maria Mies), Monocultures of the Mind, Biopiracy , and Earth Democracy . Among the fields where Shiva has contributed intellectually and through activist campaigns are intellectual property rights, ecological and biodiversity, biotechnology, bioethics, water conservation, and participatory or “earth” democracy. She has assisted grassroots organizations on five continents and is a longtime member of the International Forum on Globalization.