Feminism-Ecology: Revolution or Mutation?

Ethics and the Environment, 4(2):175—177 ISSN: 1085-6633 Copyright © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. Françoise d'Eaubonne Feminism—Ecology: Revolution or Mutation? INTRODUCTION I am very glad to be here and thankful to the University of Montana. The amicable invitation allows me to say that in 1978 I was the founder of the stream Feminism—Ecology. My book with this title was at that time published in Paris and was much echoed in Canada, in Latin America, and in Tibet. But the greatest acknowledgment was in Australia (where also a thesis in the faculty of arts was made): in that land, there is a feminism-ecology party with headquarters in the governmental assembly. Presently, I am proud to witness that America is studying this option in its universities. THESIS OF MY WORK The Following Ones: 1) The Historical Ones Patriarchy appears at the end of the Neolithic. Its two mainstays are: a) the changeover from the dry agriculture with the hoe to the agriculture with the plow and the irrigation, inventions and practices of the men, who then took hold of the technique of fertility, that is, the main richness of the ancient world. Direct all correspondence to: F. d'Eaubonne, 8 Bd Bonne Nouvelle, 75010 Paris, France 175 176 ETHICSAND THE ENVIRONMENT Vol. 4, No. 2,1999 That phenomenon corresponds with the decline of the cult of the Great Goddess; it is well-known by all the anthropologists and was quite often spoken about in the XIXth century as "the substantial defeat of the feminine sex." b) But much fewer researchers noticed the second fact: that is, the discovery of the process of procreation by the men. The human belief—which lasted quite long!—was of women being fecundated by divine beings! It is probable that the phase of stock grazing, which allowed the observation of animals instead of the hunting, was at the origin of that discovery. Here is the second mainstay of patriarchy, the mastery of fecundity, another main source of richness of the ancient world. (We do not want to accredit here the doubtful theory of matriarchy, which was formed by Bachofen, but we state that the Agricultural Mother—in the center of civilization, not at the summit of it—was the civilization system in the ante-patriarchy, in the times of the Great Goddess.1 The two discoveries of the founders of patriarchy meant an incontestable progress of mankind. The wealth increased much and the world population increased, in spite of wars which broke out suddenly with the system of the men. And therein lies the main point: these two discoveries, the mastering on fertility and impregnation which were at the origin of such a progress, are nowadays directly connected with the origin of the two ecological disasters threatening our species: overcrowding and exhaustion of the resources. 2) Modern Times and Feminism That study shows the importance of the overlap between feminism and ecology. Of course, it does not at the least mean a regression to the ancient ways of life with the pretext of manly patriarchy leading to dangers and spoiling discoveries of technics with the instinct of domination and death. Worldwide, women are more involved in the ecological problem than men. The grounds: they give life, and have, therefore, more of the concern of future generations. The are more in touch with life and preservation of life. Secondly, the problem of demography involves their freedom since the confiscation of the control of demography means subjection, even slavery (for example, in fundamentalist Islam). The struggle of women for conquest of their bodies extends over that control over the impregnation. Yet, it is not all. During the centuries until now, the relationship of the masculine system to environment has become exploitation, plunder, indeed irreversible destruction; this relationship is like the relationship between the sexes, patriarchy being exploitation, subordination, even murder of the woman or her destruction as a human being, entirely devoted to animal reproduction. Suppression of patriarchy is not only women's liberation, but hope of salvation for the whole species. Feminism—Ecology 177 3) Nowadays These items have been treated for 20...