Feminism and Eco-criticism: Women, Nature, and Power in Literature
Feminism, Eco-criticism, Ecofeminism, Women, Nature, Power, Literature.
Abstract
The intersection of feminism and eco-criticism has emerged as a vital critical framework for analyzing the ways in which literature represents women, nature, and power. Rooted in the shared histories of oppression and exploitation, feminist eco-criticism—often termed “eco-feminism”—seeks to understand how patriarchal systems simultaneously dominate women and the natural environment, and how literary texts respond to or resist such ideologies. This approach considers literature not only as a mirror of socio-cultural attitudes but also as a powerful site of resistance where alternative visions of gender equality and ecological harmony are articulated.
Eco-feminist critics argue that both women and nature are often subjected to dual forms of marginalization under patriarchal-capitalist systems, being reduced to objects of control, consumption, and exploitation. In literature, metaphors and symbolic associations frequently align the feminine with the natural world—through images of fertility, nurturing, cyclical rhythms, and emotional depth—while the masculine is often aligned with culture, rationality, and domination. This dichotomy, deeply embedded in myth, folklore, and literary traditions, reinforces hierarchical structures that privilege male authority while silencing women and devaluing the environment. Feminist eco-criticism interrogates these representations, revealing how they perpetuate ideologies of power and exploitation.
At the same time, literature also becomes a space for subversion, where women’s voices, ecological wisdom, and spiritual connections to nature challenge dominant paradigms. For instance, women writers across cultures have drawn on their embodied experiences and environmental consciousness to critique industrial exploitation, colonialism, and gendered violence. Texts such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Kamala Das’s poetry, or Mahasweta Devi’s stories, demonstrate how ecological and feminist struggles intersect, foregrounding issues of survival, identity, and justice. Similarly, indigenous and postcolonial literatures reclaim the symbolic ties between women and the land, emphasizing resilience, community, and reciprocity against narratives of dispossession and ecological degradation.
Feminist eco-criticism also highlights the politics of representation, emphasizing how marginalized women—especially those from rural, indigenous, or working-class backgrounds—bear the brunt of ecological destruction. Their struggles, often ignored in mainstream environmental discourse, reveal the gendered dimension of ecological crises. Literature, by voicing these experiences, expands critical awareness of the intertwined systems of gender, class, caste, and environment. In this way, the study of women and nature in literature challenges the invisibility imposed by patriarchal frameworks and calls attention to alternative epistemologies rooted in care, interdependence, and sustainability.
Moreover, power is central to the feminist eco-critical project. By exposing the structures that exploit both women and nature, literature encourages a rethinking of relationships between humans and the environment, as well as between genders. Through symbolic reconfigurations, texts envision egalitarian and ecological futures, where domination gives way to coexistence. The recognition of women not as passive victims but as active agents of ecological consciousness destabilizes traditional narratives and opens new possibilities for empowerment.
"Feminism and Eco-criticism: Women, Nature, and Power in Literature", IJSDR - International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (www.IJSDR.org), ISSN:2455-2631, Vol.10, Issue 9, page no.b503-b509, September-2025, Available :https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2509161.pdf
Volume 10
Issue 9,
September-2025
Pages : b503-b509
Paper Reg. ID: IJSDR_305038
Published Paper Id: IJSDR2509161
Downloads: 000136
Research Area: Languages
Country: Samastipur, BIHAR, India
ISSN: 2455-2631 | IMPACT FACTOR: 9.15 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016
An International Scholarly Open Access Journal, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 9.15 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator
Publisher: IJSDR(IJ Publication) Janvi Wave
