Brianna Suggs

Dr. Missihoun
LBST 2102
11 March 2016

Feminism and Eco-Philosophy

For centuries, man has upheld the idea of anthrocentrism- humans place themselves
above all aspects of the environment believing they do so rightfully. Similar to the fight of nature
versus man, feminism fights the hierarchy of gender. Uniting with eco-philosophy, women have
developed the concept of eco-feminism, which ties together the fight against anthrocentrism, as
well as androcentrism, to move forward with both the Green movement and gender equality.
An Otherized group is defined as inferior and radically separate from the Center. The
idea of radical exclusion, a part of the centric structure as discussed through the androcentric
perspective, views woman as the peripheral due to their different nature. Eco-feminism takes
fighting the radical exclusion to an extreme as they battle not just the masculine center, but the
environments placement outside of the center fueling the idea of anthrocentrism. Eco-feminists
in the African diaspora face what is called the double bind. Both gender and race pull them
farther and farther from the center of mans hierarchy. Similar to the double bind race places on
woman, being an eco-feminist creates a double bind in that they are fighting two separate centers
in one instance. Being under radical exclusion and diverging from the homogenization of
cultures hierarchy, eco-feminists seem to have reached a new level of polarization. In a way,
fighting both andro and anthro centrism puts eco-feminist in the ultimate peripheral. Sex and
cultural status unite feminist and eco-femists, but creating a new type of double bind, ecofeminists bond with eco-philosophy to rise against more than Otherism and gender equality
alone.
De Beauvoir famously stated that humanity is male and men define woman not in
herself, but as relative to him. Colonization, for example, parallels mans outcast of women.

Dominant peoples (the center) infiltrate a country, which is then identified as different.
Differences are of little importance, unless they affect his own welfare and are judged as
grounds of inferiority, ultimately placing the natives in the periphery. Woman, the environment,
and natives of an invaded country, are all one in the same- Otherism has affected their wellbeing. Eco-feminists represent a key, yet overlooked portion of the world because they unite two
key elements of mans peripheral: women and the environment. The struggle of facing a
masculine center in an androcentric world has prevented major change from giving way, in
addition to the polarization of genders and cultures weakening.
One of the strongest aspects of the uniting of a single cause is location. The farther from a
problem, the closer to the center you become. Unable to see the wounds from anthrocentrism
only encourages the continuation of this behavior. The same goes for androcentrism, the ideology
behind Otherism, etc. Like the Other, effects of the centers actions does not take president
because most things are of little importance unless they affect his own welfare. The location of
a problem and the communities that strive for a solution are connected. The Black Atlantic is a
modern cultural-political collection of peoples that create a diaspora with a louder voice than one
single group. African, Caribbean, and South American blacks combine to speak for those in
different levels of the peripheral. They unite multiple communities to address problems that are
shared amongst cultures. It is the Black Atlantic the center should model itself after. Though it is
natural for man to create a hierarchy between himself and the world, the polarization creates a
lack of awareness that only further divides cultures.
Feminism and Eco-feminism play an important role in closing a divide that Otherism has
formed. Fighting for the breaking down of androcentrism, feminists uphold the challenging of
the centers ideology. Taking it further, eco-feminists contest the intrinsic behavior of man to

place himself above both women and the environment. In a sense, eco-feminists have created a
new form of the double bind. The Black Atlantic, a prime example of how diasporas can unite,
proves location can affect who is the center and who is the peripheral based on location, culture,
and race; ultimately, the union of feminists and eco-feminist, like the union of cultures, can
create a bigger challenge for the center to wither the polarized structure that is anthrocentrism.