Feminism and Ecology - by Mary Mellor (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In recent years, as environmentalists have examined the link between women's subordination and the degradation of our natural world, the relationship between feminism and ecology has become a crucial one. In Feminism and Ecology, Mary Mellor, tracing ecofeminist activism from the Love Canal demonstrations to socialist ecofeminism, provides a comprehensive introduction to the ecofeminist movement and its history.
Mellor examines the connections between feminism and the Green movement, outlining the contributions of major participants while contextualizing them within a wider range of debates. Looking past the shortsighted assertion that women and men stand in equal relation to the natural order, Mellor discusses the association of women with biology and "nature," illustrating how the relationship between women and the environment can help further our understanding of the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Against trends toward radical economic liberalism, global capitalism, and postmodern pluralism, she argues that within the feminist and Green movements is the basis of a new radical movement.

Review Quotes

"A coherent, readable, and critically engaged survey that will be an indispensable resource for anyone thinking about, or teaching, the relations between ecological politics, feminist theory and philosophy, and the `new social movements.'"-- "The Times Literary Supplement"

"Mary Mellor has written a timely and exciting book which leads one to share her optimism about critical social analysis and the politics of new social movements--and the potential for social change."--Diana Leonard, University of London