Ecofeminism as Politics: Nature, Marx, and the Postmodern
Ariel Salleh, Ecofeminism as Politics: Nature, Marx, and the Postmodern, (London, Zed Books Ltd, 2017) 369 pages, $25
In 2017, Zed Books published a second edition of Ariel Salleh’s Ecofeminism as Politics, featuring two new forwards written by Vandana Shiva and John Clark, respectively, and a 2009 interview with the author. Originally published in 1997, the text has become one of the most influential works of ecofeminist thought, engaging with core themes of environmental justice and the gendered political structures which influence them.
In the two decades following its original publication, literature addressing the global climate crisis has become commonplace, and despite the stubborn persistence of various forms of climate change skepticism and denial, the myth of returning to the 20th century’s climactic stasis has all but vanished. While discourse surrounding these topics has grown, Salleh’s assertion of embodied materialism remains a compelling theoretical framework in troubled times and an appropriate recommendation for readers at all levels of scholarly practice.
Ecofeminism as Politics argues for a feminist interpretation of a historical materialist framework which Salleh names embodied materialism. At its core, Salleh’s book offers a fundamental critique of Marxism and its relation to political ecological thought. While Salleh nods to the significance of Marx and Engels’ work, noting that “[they] were very much ahead of their time,” (109) she challenges their inability to disentangle the relationship of Man and Nature and their tacit acceptance of the subsumption of Woman into Nature. Salleh contends that Marx’s work is essentially flawed because of this inability to reconcile the ‘nature question.’ Salleh makes a compelling case for a reinterpretation of the Human in relation to Nature with special attention on the mechanisms by which patriarchy shapes and maintains this binary.
Salleh opens Part I, “Women and Ecopolitics,” by arguing that women “already live [in] an alternative relation to nature,” (19) thus carving out the distinct opportunity to effect change within a global political moment characterized by climate change. To briefly summarize, ecofeminism demands that ecological thought attends to the fact that the social reproduction of care work predominantly takes place at the hands of women on a global scale, relying on their unpaid labor as a foundational building block for capitalism. In Chapter 1, “Ecology Reframes History,” Salleh lays out the foundations of ecofeminist thought. She argues that pervasive liberalism within green thinking is made more problematic by an uncomplicated Marxist perspective that fails to incorporate an intersectional approach. Salleh suggests that while materialism remains relevant, contemporary thinkers must be willing to address the ways in which the specificities of material life have changed, and how these changes enable patriarchy to maintain strongholds across borders of all kinds. Salleh’s embodied materialism addresses the specific mechanisms by which capitalism relies on patriarchy’s coupling of women and nature. In Chapter 3, “Body Logic: 1/0 Culture,” Salleh analyzes this ideological basis for modern patriarchal capitalism. What is to be especially praised is Salleh’s continued return to colonization perpetuated by a Man/Woman paradigm as well as a North/South paradigm.
In part II, Salleh articulates the tensions perpetuated by Judeo-Christian logics and their influence on patriarchal hegemony, tracing the very roots of such logic to the Eurocentric construction of the relation of self to Mother, where Mother is Other, a great source of discomfort. Salleh illustrates this apparent visceral discomfort displaced by patriarchy onto Women and therefore the conception of Nature. She writes, while discussing Kristeva’s Powers of Horror,
Dissociated from natural time, the alienative consciousness finds death as problematic as birth. For what is death but the other end of lived time where humanity recedes ambiguously back into nature? Mothers, wives, and daughters know this well. Greek peasant women wash their loved ones for burial chanting, ‘the earth which fed you, now must eat you.’” (72)
These chapters are as poetic as they are powerful, arguing finally that the process by which Woman comes to know herself—across culture, time, and place— is inextricably intertwined with Nature, and therefore presents a unique connection to Nature and the body itself. She concludes that this modern system, which effects unequal advantages to men, maintains itself through this socially constructed logic of libidinal energies that are founded upon positivistic Eurocentric forms of knowledge.
Since Ecofeminism as Politics original publication in 1997, Salleh has maintained an active participation in ecological debates. Salleh has published a number of texts including Eco-Sufficiency and Global Justice: Women Write Political Ecology (2009). She has lectured at universities worldwide, including New York University, University of Western Sydney, and York University. In her decades-long career, Salleh has become an indispensable player in political ecology, at all times remaining persistently dedicated to laywomen’s contributions and experiences in environmental politics with particular focus on indigenous scholarship and experience.
Salleh, and perhaps ecofeminism as a whole, appear to have been ahead of popular feminist thought. (Or more correctly, may be owed recognition for contributing to feminism’s subsequent growth) For example, a common practice in Ecofeminism as Politics is the intentional application of a decolonial critique— exhibiting Salleh’s determination to write inclusive and effective theory. Throughout her writing, Salleh often refers to specific Aboriginal struggles and applies her critique within, thus rooting her theoretical tenets in real time. Further, she painstakingly centers the work of women at the margins of global society, rural women and indigenous women in particular. In this way, Salleh weaves these strands of decolonial thought together with a radical sex/gender analysis and carefully thought through socialist principles.
The addition of Salleh’s 2009 interview is crucial to the pertinence of this new edition. Here, Salleh can be found in conversation with contemporary counterparts, addressing political qualms and nuanced discussions in the ecological left. Specifically, Salleh turns to Tim Morton and John Bellamy Foster to identify the ways in which masculinist Marxism and ecological critique erase ecofeminist’s work, absorbs its tenants, and maintains gendered divides. What is more, Salleh argues for an integrated and lasting interpretation of ecofeminism’s political structures. Over time, ecofeminist thought has been falsely identified as essentialist. Salleh asks the reader to reevaluate their understanding of what essentialism is, again returning to Tim Morton. She writes “[w]hole civilisations [sic] are built on [essentialisms], so there’s nothing especially essentialist about ecofeminism,” (299) demonstrating her continued ability to move beyond entanglements in language and concept, at once engaging in academic discussion of her work while rising above the circular nature of such discussions. The author continues in this manner, addressing everything from the 2008 financial crisis to meta-industrial labor.
Ecofeminism as Politics remains an incredibly relevant text and will appeal to scholars of feminism and environmentalism. Despite the text’s theoretical achievements and depth, Salleh’s language is accessible and easily understood. Throughout Salleh’s work, the reader is meant to feel as if she is an active participant in conversation. This is one way in which Salleh builds a connection with her readers, demonstrating a dedication to the praxis for which she argues. It feels appropriate to close with Salleh’s words. In summary, “[e]mbodiment joins the human condition to its natural condition… embodiment joins theory to praxis… embodiment joins the experience and knowledge of workers, peasants, gatherers.” (298)
Katrina Hamilton
Sociology Department
Virginia Commonwealth University
katrinamhamilton@gmail.com