Ecofeminism and International Law

Ecofeminism as a philosophical framing for critique of social praxis has the potential to be applied in many contexts, and given its antecedents in feminist theory and ecology, international environmental law is a particularly fruitful area of inquiry in this regard. The synergies generated by a base of inquiry that attends to women’s chronic under-representation in decision-making and over-representation among the poor, who bear the brunt of the environmental degradation that is prompted by gendered, hierarchical, social practices, coupled with an understanding that the environment itself is adversely affected by the latter, are hugely interesting in the context of environmental law at all levels, not least the international (more broadly see the article “Feminist Approaches to International Law” in Oxford Bibliographies in International Law). In the international law context ecofeminism is germane to the examination of the intersections between environmental degradation and human inequality. Use of the term ecofeminism, however, erroneously suggests a unity of approach: accounts of development in the area demonstrate significant diversity across essentialist, through cultural/liberal, to socialist ecofeminisms. Briefly, essentialist/affinity ecofeminisms, rooted in radical feminism, emerged from the work of theologians and artists in the United States and use biology and/or spirituality to argue for an inherent affinity between women and the environment on a personal level. Cultural ecofeminism shares some elements with essentialist ecofeminism, but centrally promotes a form of structural reversal, promoting the valorization of the devalued, in this case women and nature. In seeking recognition and accommodation of equality/difference within current societal values, cultural ecofeminism is a manifestation of equality-oriented liberal feminism. Socialist ecofeminisms, also rooted in radical feminism, came to the forefront of ecofeminism as it developed, and are based the idea of a socially constructed special relationship between women and the environment. Ecofeminisms have also developed over time to embrace intersectional analysis, accommodating gender alongside race, ethnicity, class, age, and ableism and the links between them through compound disadvantage. Socialist ecofeminisms promote societal re-ordering, dismantling dualism and patriarchy, replacing them with egalitarianism applied to both non-gendered humanity and nature. While ecofeminisms have always been diverse, they share core elements, tending to combine theory and activism (the latter valuing the role of lived experience); and focus on hierarchical dualism, as applied to both women and nature, as variously expressed in “othering,” oppression, and exploitation. Ecofeminisms have also, facilitated by embracing intersectionality to address the complexity of compound oppression, often sought to forge coalitions and alliances with other areas of activism.