Woman as Sacred Custodians of the Earth

by Low, Alaine M.; Tremayne, Soraya

• ISBN13: 9781571814678
• ISBN10: 1571814671
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Berghahn Books

Summary

Literature on women, development and environment is abundant. The relationship between women and ecology has been analyzed by various disciplines, by specialists from the North as well as the South. This book offers a new perspective, specifically to challenge the assumption that women have a special affinity with the Earth and therefore a historic mission for the care of the environment. The book explores spiritual, religious and philosophical beliefs concerning women and ecology, and whether women are truly "sacred custodians" of the Earth. This concept has evolved from ideas developed by eco-feminists. Whether and how different belief systems can be put to use to create an awareness to protect, preserve and improve ecological conditions is discussed. The collection of papers demonstrates the complexity of the issues and the variations and vulnerability of the assumed relationship between women and the environment in different cultural and political contexts. The book challenges policy solutions which are devised to be on a global scale and to create unrealistic global aspirations, and the value of targeting women in a particular attempt to achieve environmentally sustainable development.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Contributors	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Current Debate
Gender, Nature and Trouble with Anti-Dualism	p. 23
The Sacred
Sacred Landscapes: Religion and the Natural Environment in the Classical World	p. 47
Aboriginal Women and Sacred Landscapes in Northern Australia	p. 63
The Separation of the Sexes Among Siberian Reindeer Herders	p. 81
Priestesses and Environment in Zimbabwe	p. 95
Rice, Women, Men, and the Natural Environment among the Kelabit of Sarawak	p. 107
The Great Religions
Ecology and Christian Hierarchy	p. 121
Text and Practice: Women and Nature in Islam	p. 141
Soil as the Goddess Bhudevi in a Tamil Hindu Women's Ritual: The Kolam in India	p. 159
Nature and Gender in Theravada Buddhism	p. 175
Nature, Holism and Ecofeminism: A Chinese Worldview	p. 195
New Trends
Children of the Gods: The Quest for Wholeness in Contemporary Paganism	p. 219
Select Bibliography	p. 239
Index	p. 251
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