Feminist perspectives on resource and environmental management

Abstract

Feminist theory articulates a position that confronts dualisms and shows that entities previously seen as dichotomous - mind and body, reason and emotion, and culture and nature are neither separate nor separable.

In relation to science, technology and environmental management, feminist analysis has focused on exposing how dichotomies are used to sanction and perpetuate domination of the side of the dualism considered to have less value than the other. While approaches vary, a feminist orientation within these fields of inquiry agrees that man-machine-nature discussions that ignore the female are incomplete. From such a standpoint, such approaches are seen to be short-sighted as they ignore the women-nature identification as well as the female-male dualism and its relationship to other dualisms. These must be incorporated into any analysis aimed at understanding the connections between them and working towards ending those dualistic relationships.

Ecofeminism, theory and praxis which integrates perspectives from feminism and ecology has the potential for teasing out the links between the feminist and ecological critiques of domination. Ecofeminism provides insights to, and has the potential to eventually weaken the whole dualistic structure. An ecofeminist vision for environmental management is informed by the need to recognise the connections between all forms of domination, and is based upon the principles of holism, reciprocity and equality.