MvBZ Lecture in Feminist Theory | Care, Gender and Environment

Gender, Nature and the Environment : Ecofeminism and Carer

Ecofeminism has revealed, through the intersecting oppression of women and nature, the connection between gender issues and environmental issues. It is this connection that we will investigate through a study of the relationships between care and environment. We will thus examine how the introduction of care by ecofeminists such as Karen Warren and Val Plumwood has transformed environmental ethics by bringing concern for nature back into everyday, ordinary life.  All care is environmental: this is what ecofeminist thought contributes to theories of care, thereby strengthening the political link between care and justice, care and democracy.  The environment is not only the object of our care; it is also the subject, as a provider of care. The consequences of this reciprocity of care are both ethical and political.

The MvBZ Lecture in Feminist Theory is part of a series organised and chaired by Susanne Lettow (MvBZ, Freie Universität Berlin).