A New Eco-Feminism?
As many may know, a discourse emerged in the mid-1970's that aimed to investigate the connection between feminism and earth and animals. These women called themselves Eco-Feminists and generated many ideas about the nature of women, the plight of animals, and the need for conservation. Due to a whole host of theoretical and practical conflicts, this project was never seriously embraced by academic feminists. Duke Women's Studies New Eco-feminism project hopes to revisit these questions, and develop theories and methodologies that will resonate within academic feminism today. We learned from E2T that there is a great need for further study of conservation, land use, and animal advocacy, not just from the perspective of science but from the humanities and interpretive sciences as well. We believe that contemporary feminist theory has much to offer such an engagement. Despite the fact that our eco-feminist foremothers may have been entrenched in essentialist ideology in their formulations, we believe their questions were the right ones. What can feminist thinking offer in response to the many global crises we face today including massive development, deforestation, animal torture, extinction, habitat loss, pollution, and global warming? A lot, we think. Won't you join us in forging a new approach to earth and animals and an updated agenda for a New Eco-feminism?

For more information contact Kathy Rudy (krudy@duke.edu ) or Ranjana Khanna (rkhanna@duke.edu ).


THE POLITICS OF FOOD FILM SERIES 2009-2010 - Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program and the Film/Video/Digital Program. Presented as part of the Screen/Society film exhibition program.

September 27
Food, Inc. Food, Inc. reveals surprising - and often shocking truths - about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here. Followed by discussion in the East Duke Parlors. Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program and co-sponsored by the Film/Video/Digital Program. Richard White Auditorium, 7 pm.

LISTEN to the PODCAST!

October 25
Flow: For Love of Water. Flow concentrates on the big business of privatization of water infrastructure which prioritizes profits over the availability of clean water for people and the environment. Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program and co-sponsored by the Film/Video/Digital Program. Richard White Auditorium, 7 pm.

November 15
Our Daily Bread. Our Daily Bread depicts how modern food production companies employ technology to maximize efficiency, consumer safety and profit. It consists mainly of actual working situations without voice-over narration or interviews as the director tries to let viewers form their own opinion on the subject. Sponsored by the Women's Studies Program and co-sponsored by the Film/Video/Digital Program. Richard White Auditorium, 7 pm.

Resources

The Organic and Non-GMO Report (pdf) - Information to help you capitalize on markets for organic and non-genetically modified products.

Ecofeminist Resources

Ecofeminist Visions Emerging

Humans-Animal Web-Forum at the National Institute for the Humanities