Ecofeminism Revisited: Introduction to the Discourse

Book Details

• Author: Chhaya Datar

• Publisher: Rawat Publications

• Language: English

• Edition: 2011

• ISBN: 9788131603994

• Pages: 263

• Cover: Hardcover

• Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches

About the Book

This insightful volume by Chhaya Datar introduces readers to the critical discourse of ecofeminism, offering it as a powerful lens through which to examine women's lives, nature, and the socio-political systems that bind them. At its core, the book challenges the modernist divide between nature and culture—a dichotomy that, as Simone de Beauvoir argued in The Second Sex, historically aligns women with nature and men with culture, thereby underpinning systems of patriarchy.

While liberal and Marxist feminists have critiqued the association between women and nature as essentialist and oppressive, Datar presents a nuanced argument in favor of revisiting ecofeminist principles from a materialist and historical perspective. She highlights how ecofeminism, especially in the context of the Global South and grassroots movements, offers a meaningful critique of capitalist, market-driven development. Through the lens of real-world struggles such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan and resistance to Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the book foregrounds women's agency in preserving ecological resources critical for community survival and food security.

The book also unpacks key ecofeminist concepts such as subsistence production, decentralized communities, and alternative development models. Datar emphasizes that these are not romanticized visions of the past, but strategic frameworks rooted in ecological wisdom and feminist praxis that challenge dominant paradigms of progress and growth.

Intended as both an academic and activist resource, this book provides a vital introduction to ecofeminism as a perspective centered on women's reproductive and subsistence roles in an increasingly commodified world.

About the Author / Editor

Chhaya Datar was formerly a professor at the Centre for Women’s Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Her professional journey has spanned multiple identities—from housewife to feminist activist to academic. She is renowned for her grassroots work with rural women, particularly focusing on land and water rights to secure sustainable livelihoods.

A founding member of Forum Against Rape and Stree Mukti Sanghatana, Datar has been instrumental in shaping feminist thought and activism in India. Her deep commitment to rural development and ecological justice stems from a profound awareness of environmental degradation and the need to align development agendas with sustainable, community-based principles.