Theoretical Approach to Ecofeminism

One of the important outcomes of the development of world economics hasbeen quick destruction of natural resources and ecosystem of the world. Somefeminists believe that ecology is a specific feministic issue and they createdsomething which can be called “ecofeminism”. Before the advent of westernexploitation and western sciences, natives had close and friendly relations withthe world nature all over the world. Natural forces commonly were consideredfeminine as they were manifestation of productive powers of vegetation andreproduction.There was a feminine principle that is woman’s specific relations with thenature through production and reproduction, giving birth to a baby, feedingbabies and keeping them safe during their growth. This feminine principle was aguarantee that natural environment should not be abused, but it should beattended to and put into operation with care. However, this relation with thenature and natural resources was severely damaged with the advent of westernexploitation. And the feminine principle was overturned. Nature which was stillconsidered feminine turned into a passive resource. The overturning paved theway for environment destruction, overuse of the earth and harmful expansion oftechnology. The only way out of this crisis was to reestablish primitive relationof women with the environment and promotion of returning to the nature. In thisway, ecofeminism came to existence. For this reason, ecofeminism is an effortto overcome the shortcomings of the main stream of sociology to respond theecosystem problems which the world is grappling with. This theory tries toovercome the methodological reductionism of the main idea of feminism byconsidering the necessary usage of multi-reasoned explanations in studying thesuperior and inferior relations, and it has thus turned into a promising theory toovercome some methodological, epistemological and ontological shortcomingsof feminism.