Response Paper “Ecofeminism”

By Watini

The passage is written by Amanda Baugh that the title is “Gender”. The paasage is in book “Grounding Religion” that publicated in Routledge, New York, 2011. Ecofeminism or ecological feminism is a feminist perspective based on the assumption that woman and nature are linked and mutually denigrated (130). Ecofeminist’s argument are particularly relevant to religious environmental ethics. One is the assertion that the oppression of woman and nature are related and that establishing proper human relationship among human and other creatures obligates an overturning of patriarchal civilization and corresponding breach between men  and women. The other claims is that women are closer to nature and it categoorized as sacredness and it is recognized as effort to reharmonize life on earth (in The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature by Bron R. Tylor and friends, (602) Environment, Worlview, and Religion, Yogyakarta: Universitas Gadjah Mada, 2006).  Talking about relation between women and nature, it is like compare that if ecology doesn’t work, women is the first party that they experience many problem that it is shown in “Belakang Hotel” film, 2014.

They are marginalized because they doesn’t work many thing if the nature (especially water ) is very limited. They difficult to clean household and many thing such as, take a bath, washing clothes and plate and cook water even they buy water in market’s toilet to take a bath. To solve this problem,  society in there use method that policy have role to take action. Then, after BLH warn the hotel, there are water arround society there. About gender or eco-feminism, in Yogyakarta there are many organizations to defend their right in many thing like in ecology. They are Rifka Annisa and Pusat Studi Wanita (PSW) in UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Amanda explains that more than 30.000 women from Britain and the United States opposed patriarchal militaristic agendas. Thus, a series of  conferences on women and the environment in the middle 1970’s, the growth of green politics and the emergence of grassroots movements responding to local environmental issues developed  in there (132). According to Griffin, women have a special intuitive understanding of all human’s connections with the earth. Vandana Shiva describes that women had special knowledge for living sustainably within nature (133). Merchant, Griffin and Shiva is feminist from Western patriarchals worldviews but there are many scholars and theologians written negative legacy of Western Christianity’s treatment of both women and the earth (134).

Sallie McFague, feminist theologian offered a vision of God that supported the equality of women and the value of the earth. Practicioners of feminist spirituality assume that the earth is sacred and all living beings are worthy of respect (135). In religion women  have special possition in nature because women needed is many more than men. There are Women and Life on Earth (WLOE). It is a non-profit organization and internet project whose stated goal is to support “women in international cooperation for peace, ecology and social justice”. The Women and Life n Earth  project developed out in 1980’s. WLOE was inactive by 1982 but in 1999 the organization was restored when several of the original members launched Women and Life on Earth as an internet project dedicated to peace, ecology, and global justice. If we compare in Indonesia, Indonesia also have feminist actor that is Rahman Wahid. In short, women closely related to nature than men. It is bacause women have many needed in water than men. Women are closer to nature and it categoorized as sacredness and it is recognized as effort to reharmonize life on earth.