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Val Plumwood, Feminism and the Mastery of Nature, Routledge, London and New York, 1993 The existence

and perpetuation of dualism is built on denied dependency on the subordinated other. This necessarily means that those who are subordinated, belongs to the realm of the other, needs to be appropriated, incorporated, co opted and brought into the selfhood of the dominant, which then goes on to form their identity. This dualism rather than being random is carefully selected to institutionalize and perpetuate domination and accumulation which necessarily lead to an interface of the cultural and material. The material (accumulation) and the cultural (signifiers) are neither exclusive nor chronological. The duality of culture/nature is not a sudden occurrence in western thought but has evolved historically, seeped into cultural practices to institutionalize power that services the need of the dominant. This cutting line between culture and nature and its hierarchical opposition enables those located in the dominant to view the world through its perspective which includes the dominated and the latters perception of its self. The other (i.e. the subordinated) is defined in terms of the negative, the negative of the subject, which is at the center, which facilitates, perpetuates and institutionalizes the logic of exclusion. The hegemonizing agenda of domination and subordination, extraction and accumulation of what is perceived as the natural realm is supported by the naturalization and wide acceptance of this dualism. While this does not mean that the framework of dualism is necessarily a gendered process, the opposing culture/nature is usually given attributes of the masculine/feminine. Other variants like universal/particular, public/private, which apparently seems to operate outside a gendering process, are connected to masculine/feminine with what is called linking postulates. Linking postulates are those implicit ways, embedded in culture in which concepts placed in hierarchical opposition, are linked with other oppositional hierarchical pairs. This web of linking postulates, make it possible for such conceptual pairing to come under an overarching gendering thus assigning masculine/feminine traits to dualistic realms. While the categories can change, the dualistic framework justifies the subordination of all categories that are assigned to the dominated realm by the dominant. 1

Dualism is different from hierarchy, as hierarchies are shifting and open to change. Dualism is based on radical exclusion that is deeply entrenched in the cultural, naturalized as the order of the day, which makes it resistant to change. The culture, values of the dominant which is based on exclusions and define the other in negative, are internalized by the dominated. These values become the core values, the lack of which justifies subordination of the other. The dualistic framework, thus paralyzes any sort of change, as a lack, negative is the basis of this exclusion, making any sort of mutual equity impossible. Backgrounding: One of the essential features of this dualistic framework is backgrounding, as without backgrounding/foregrounding, the periphery/core framework will get demolished. Backgrounding requires the denial of the dependency the self has on the other, without the other, the self cannot constitute itself. But to acknowledge this dependency would be to acknowledge the need of the other, and thus its relevance/importance both materially (accumulation) and culturally (signifier). To make irrelevant and inessential the function and being of the other, a hierarchy of activities needs to be created which would makes the other look dispensable. Backgrounding becomes an essential task in maintaining the oppositional hierarchy of the self and the other. Radical Exclusion (hyper separation): Radical exclusion is one of the key indicators of dualism. This exclusion is based on differences which are magnified and which justifies oppositional hierarchies. Any attempt of continuity, continuum or contingency is erased and differences held up as evidences of inhabiting different spheres. This polarization or maximization of differences while erasing continuities explains and justifies dualism and naturalizes domination of one realm over the other. This is also achieved with classification of characteristics that are assigned to a realm with complementary characteristic assigned to the other. The elimination of overlaps creates separation, barriers that cannot be bridged, and continuous emphasis on this gap is necessary to distance one realm from the other. The other is needed to constitute the self, the inferiority of the other needs to be highlighted. Based on such

exclusions the self can be established. This makes the identity of the self precarious, which is why hierarchies need to be constantly emphasized on. Incorporation (Relational Definition): The other is always defined in negative, in relation to the self. Although both are dependent on each other, for identity, the selfs quality is primary, the other is defined lacking in those primary qualities. Any quality that falls outside this relation of self and other (which is defined in negative for the other), is not acknowledged or denied. Instrumentalism (objectification): While the relationship between the dominated and the dominator is projected as mutually beneficial, it usually is that the former is an instrument for that latter to achieve his own ends. The other is not recognized with needs of its own, but as means to the selfs end. Homogenization and stereotyping: For domination to be naturalized, homogenization (i.e. disacknowledgement of all individual characteristics is necessary to reduce a whole segment of population (based on gender, class, colonized etc) as inferiors. For those who are located on superior end of the binary, homogenization works towards both instrumentalism and radical exclusion. To maintain the two sharply differentiated realms, different but complementary, where one is used to fulfill the needs of the other needs to be regimented and strict vigilance on individuals maintained in subtle ways to maintain the naturalness of domination. Dualism is a conceptual framework that polarizes the world in to sharp orders. It does not create difference; it acts on existing differences to create hierarchies that benefit those in the center. The logic of dualism (classical logic), defines the whole universe as (-)P with P at the center. What is important is that (-)P does not stand by its own, it has no independent identity of its own but depends totally on P to be defined. This puts P in the center, and allows everything else to be defined accordingly. There can be no interaction between the two.

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