Talking Environment Vandana Shiva in Conversation with Ramin Jahanbegloo

by Jahanbegloo, Ramin; Shiva, Vandana

• ISBN13: 9780198091776
• ISBN10: 019809177X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-03-18
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The sixth in the series of Ramin Jahanbegloo's interviews of prominent intellectuals who have influenced modern Indian thought, Talking Environment is based on Jahanbegloo's conversations with Vandana Shiva, one of the leading environmental activists of our time. The book addresses issues encompassing nature and spiritualism, the Chipko Movement and the birth of Navdanya, ecofeminism, 'earth democracy', 'seed globalization', functioning of the neoliberal paradigm in India, swadeshi and village governance, corruption and poverty in India, the future of Indian farmers, among others. The dialogue flows effortlessly from Shiva's descriptions of her early life, influence of her parents and teachers, her affinity with the Himalayas, love for quantum physics, and experiences in the University of Western Ontario to the role of technology and science, the relevance of Gandhian philosophy in the contemporary world, and 'eco-imperialism'. Engaging and thought-provoking, this book is a journey into the life and work of one of the leading thinkers of our time.

Author Biography

Ramin Jahanbegloo, well-known Iranian philosopher, is a professor of political science and a research fellow in the Centre for Ethics at University of Toronto and a board member of PEN Canada.

Vandana Shiva, philosopher, environmental activist, and author, is well-known for conceptualizing 'ecofeminism'. In 1982, she initiated Navdanya, a programme of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology (RFSTE), a participatory research initiative to provide direction and support to environmental activism. Recipient of the Right Livelihood Award, she was also decorated with the Global 500 Award of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Earth Day International Award of the United Nations (UN).

Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I: FROM DEHRADUN TO WESTERN ONTARIO
Affinities with Nature
An Interconnected World
The Gandhian Influence
Einstein and Love of Physics
Canada and Quantum Physics
The Chipko Movement and the Birth of Navdanya
PART II: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON GANDHI
Globalization and Nonviolence
Gandhi Today
The Ecology of Transformation
Are there any Gandhians Left?
PART III: THE DIVISION OF INDIA
What is left of Gandhi's India?
The New Liberal Paradigm in India
What Happened to the Indian Democracy?
Swadeshi and the Village Governance
An Atomistic Society
The Corporate Greed
Do We Need a New Gandhi?
Contemporary Insecurities
The War against Nature
The Economy of Death
PART IV: THINKING ECOFEMINISM
The Reductive Nature of Scientific Reasoning
The Conquest of Human Beings
The Two Levels of Reductionism
Gandhi: Conservative or Reformer?
Gandhi and Modernity
Gandhi and the Spiritualization of Politics
What is the Role of Techno-Sciencein our World?
A Care for Life
Biodiversity and the Plurality of Knowledge
Corporations and Scientists
The Feminism of Ordinary Women
The Future of Poverty in India
How Could Indians Fight Corruption?
The Sacredness of Life
PART V: SAVING THE ECOSYSTEM
Staying Alive
The Polarization of Gender
Going Beyond Capitalist Patriarchy
What is Earth Democracy?
The Seed Globalization
Knowledge as a Public Good
Anti-globalization and Public Awareness
PART VI: ENDING WITH ECO-IMPERIALISM
The Indian Cow
The Green Revolution in India and Its Responsibilities
Is the Indian Identity in Danger?
Building Resistance
Looking Back After Forty Years
The Future of the Indian Farmers
From Party Politics to Freedom of Thought