Ecological Borderlands: Body, Nature, and Spirit in Chicana Feminism

Citation:

Holmes, Christina. 2016.  Ecological Borderlands: Body, Nature, and Spirit in Chicana Feminism. University of Illinois Press. 

Author: Christina Holmes

Abstract:

Environmental practices among Mexican American women have spurred a reconsideration of ecofeminism among Chicana feminists. This book examines ecological themes across the arts, Chicana activism, and direct action groups to reveal how Chicanas can craft alternative models for ecofeminist processes. The book revisits key debates to analyze issues surrounding embodiment, women's connections to nature, and spirituality's role in ecofeminist philosophy and practice. By doing so, it challenges Chicanas to escape the narrow frameworks of the past in favor of an inclusive model of environmental feminism that alleviates Western biases. The book uses readings of theory, elaborations of ecological narratives in Chicana cultural productions, histories of human and environmental rights struggles in the Southwest, and a description of an activist exemplar to underscore the importance of living with decolonializing feminist commitment in body, nature, and spirit. The book attempts to revitalize ecofeminist theory by investigating its intersections with other theoretical traditions, including Chicana and new materialist feminisms.

Keywords: Mexican-American women, Chicana feminism, Chicana activism, direct action groups, ecofeminism, environmental feminism, ecofeminist philosophy

Topics: Coloniality/Post-Coloniality, Environment, Feminisms, Ecofeminism Regions: Americas, North America Countries: Mexico

Year: 2016