According to A. E. Kings,’ “Intersectionality and the Changing Face of Ecofeminism.” Ethics and Environment they state, “The term intersectionality, which is generally attributed to Kimberlé Crenshaw, began as a metaphorical and conceptual tool used to highlight the inability of a single-axis framework to capture the lived experiences of black women”. From our previous discussions about how women are connected to nature and how women are equally oppressed. Yet, we haven’t reached the discussion of the specific types of women this includes. The article “The Necessity of Black Women’s Standpoint and Intersectionality in Environmental Movements, Cacildia Cain, she discusses how the ecofeminism thoughts excludes black woman by alternately focusing on white women and their oppression. Ecofeminist generate a different perspective when it comes to intersectionality. Women of color are typically taken out of the ecofeminism category. 
Intersectionality and Connectivity
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Vegan Praxis Part 2
My Ecofeminist action experiment with going vegan for a week went better than expected. I knew going in it would be very changeling because I was shocking my body with food that I don’t usually eat on a regular basis. Going shopping for the new foods I was going to prepare was really fun. I was different. (My mom thought it was weird that I was getting all these different vegetables and foods that aren’t normally in the house). While cooking the recipes I had seen online it became easier and easier as the days went on because some of the seasonings and ingredients that was needed I had in my house.
My goal for the week was to put myself in the shoes of a vegan it was difficult because of the change but it was an experience that I am glad that I can say that I did. I dont see myself joining the vegan world because of the some of the meals that I tried. For example I love waffles and the vegan waffles weren’t as tasty as I was hoping them to be. Also the vegan eggs defiantly had an acquiring taste to it. I can say that I enjoyed the vegan stir fry that I had! My family enjoyed it as well. But, at least I can say that I found out some junk food that we all eat on a daily basis is vegan!
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Praxis
For my Ecofeminist action, I plan on trying to become a vegan for a week. Knowingly this will be a difficult process for me because growing up a typical dinner that is usually in my house is chicken and rice. And of course you can’t eat chicken being a vegan. With trying ti become a vegan this also means that I would have to eat more fruits and vegetables than usual to fill myself up. Also, I like to eat seafood so this would be a big challenge. So, I decided to create a chart of what I would eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To get the process going, I called my aunt that has been a vegan or the past five years to know some expectations of becoming a vegan. The first thing she told me was to research some meals that would be interesting to me. So, I looked up “Vegan Meals for Beginners” and the meals were defiantly different. I then made a food schedule on what new meals I would try.
With trying to follow this schedule I hope that I can either turn into a vegan or change some of my eating ways for the better. If I I see myself leaning off the schedule I will just replace that meal or snack with something healthy.
Cant wait to tell you about the results!
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Vegetarian Feminism
The image above that my professor posted raises a lot of emotions and feelings about how animals are treated. No I am not a vegetarian but I do think about how animals get treated on a daily basis. I believe this image was chosen because it shows not only the violence but the distress we put on animals. As shown in the figure we see the figure (looks like the Pillsbury doughboy) cutting slices of the meat that was once was alive that will eventually be eaten by us humans. In my opinion I think that humans are content with the fact that we not only kill animals but then we eat them even after they are dead. In one of the readings, “Contextual Moral Vegetarianism” by Deane Curtin, introduces another author in the article, Carol Adam which wrote, “The Sexual Politics of Meat”. She emphasizes that there are connections between food and the oppression of women. And also the oppression of nonhuman animals. Carol states, ” the connection of women and animals through pornographic representations of women as “meat” ready to be carved up, for example in “snuff’ films; the fact that language masks our true relationship with animals, making them “absent referents” by giving meat words positive connotations (“That’s a meaty question;” “Where’s the beef?”) while disparaging nonflesh foods (“Don’t watch so much TV! You’ll turn into a vegetable”);…”(Curtin 1). As the author explains the connections between women and animals and the way certain phrases that are said about women in a negative way, she explains the way men are described in the same way but its not taken in a that the same negative way. When referring to man in a way that is describing him as a food its perceived in a good way. As to women its a negative meaning. She says, “…men, athletes and soldiers in particular, are associated with red meat and activity (“To have muscle you need to eat muscle”), whereas women are associated with vegetables and passivity ..” (Curtin 1). Curtin gives us an example of gendered foods by making the comparison to women and vegetables. She then describes her lifestyle of being a vegetarian and how people should really consider what they eat. Then, in the other reading Gaard explains the relationship ecofeminist see between sexism and speciesism and then in connection to women and animals. She then, describes the the different forms of oppression not only woman but animals face . She states, “Ecofeminists have investigated the ways that nonhuman animals function as an exploited underclass of workers whose “jobs” end up costing them their lives” (Gaard). This quote is explaining the problem animals face by humans and humans not realizing what they’re doing to a living creature. Curtain and Gaard both talk about vegetarianism and with them being a vegetarian it step closer at helping animals.
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In this weeks blog post I am showing you a place that shaped me into the person I am today. I didnt take this picture but this picture symbolzies how Brockton typically looks on a daily bases. Busy and cluttered.
My four years at Brockton High School wasn’t all good but it defiantly changed my view on a lot of things and gave me a new perspective on life. Starting off freshman year it was a rocky year for me. I would say actually it was an adjustment because of coming from the 8th grade (middle school) to high school which is a bigger setting and different dynamic. Of course being a “freshman” you try to fit in and act out but that only gets you so far. Being in high school shapes you into the person you want to become in the future going forth. As it came to senior year, I really had to sit and realize what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. At that time I was I was working the guidance office at my school, doing community service programs that was held at the Boys & Girls Club to give back to my community and doing things like that made me think not only do I love my city, but I want to see change. With reading “Knowing Our Place” by Barbara Kingsolver I defiantly agree with her when she expresses how its ok to appreciate the little things. She says, “People need wild places. Whether or not we think we do, we do. We need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it. We need to experience a landscape that is timeless, whose agenda moves at the pace of speciation and glaciers. To be surrounded by a singing, mating, howling commotion of other species, all of which love their lives as much as we do ours, and none of which could possibly care less about our economic status or our running day calendar. Wildness puts us in our place. It reminds us that our plans are small and somewhat absurd. It reminds us why, in those cases in which our plans might influence many future generations, we ought to choose carefully. Looking out on a clean plank of planet earth, we can get shaken right down to the bone by the bronze-eyed possibility of lives that are not our own”. She emphasizes how we should love everything around us and that we should be more appreciative. I also feel like I am a city dweller (coming from a city girl .. actually a town) because I feel like growing up outside made me appreciate the finer things in life instead of staying in.
What is Ecofeminism
Well to start off the actual definition of what ecofeminism is, is that it is a movement hat combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male domination of society. But in my own words I would like say that ecofeminism is the relationship between women and the world itself.
The image I chose above is a picture of a tree, but in the form of a woman body. And as you can see she is in a squatting position as the branches are coming out of her body. Indicating that us women are connected to nature.
The image I chose above is a picture of a tree, but in the form of a woman body. And as you can see she is in a squatting position as the branches are coming out of her body. Indicating that us women are connected to nature. Hobgood-Oster states that ecofeminism is a “multi-faceted and multi-located, challenging structures rather than individuals”. In Hobgood’s excerpt, she expresses that ecofeminists base the system of oppression based on gender and religion. She also, brings up the reference of referring to the book of Genesis. Which is used for different cultures. She states , “ For example, they interpret the creation stories in the book of Genesis, foundational for Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as demonizing both woman (Eve) and animal (the snake)”. Woman have always have been known for being pushed to the side or being to kind heated. The story of Adam and Eve proves that exact point. Adam felt as though he was above Eve and that also shows the dominance between the two. Also, that just proves the obvious. That it’s a mans world and we’re just living in it. Also Warren also expresses her points on Ecofeminism as well. She describes the connections of women nature and analyses of the nature of the twin dominations of women and nature. She says, “Some theorists focus on language, particularly the symbolic connections between sexist and naturist language, i.e., language that inferiorizes women and nonhuman nature by naturalizing women and feminizing nature. For example, there are concerns about whether sex-gendered language used to describe “Mother Nature” is, in Ynestra King’s words, “potentially liberating or simply a rationale for the continued subordination of women” (Y. King 1981). In this quote she questions is the word “Mother Nature” is a good or a bad thing. Or even if it puts US as women under man.
Sources :
http://users.clas.ufl.edu/bron/pdf–christianity/Hobgood-Oster–Ecofeminism-International%20Evolution.pdf
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Introduction
My name is Makayla Jordan and I am a English major. I am in my third year. The blog I picked to talk about was the one called “Ms. Magazine”. And on the cover is Superwoman. The blog is about the importance of woman and how important woman’s right are vocalized. This blog would work in the future for me because it would help back up the points I want to emphasize. But, also it may not help me because it could be minimal information when I may need more. An enviormental issue that is currently happening in my town (Brockton,MA) is that certain parts of Brockton that have available land that eventually will be used for buildings in the future have the a problem with the usage of hypodermic needles, propane tanks, ad hoc latrines and other debris. And because the land is filled with them its a safety issue.
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