Ecofeminism and Xenofeminism

Contemporary environmentalism frequently employs feminine language when discussing our planet, referring to "mother earth." However, does the concept of nature provide solid foundations for feminist political action? Ecofeminism, a radical feminist ecological philosophy that emerged from the anti-nuclear weapons activism, indigenous rights movements, and environmental conservation efforts of the 1970s and 1980s, posits that planetary exploitation and systematic abuse of women's bodies represent manifestations of the same patriarchal-capitalist system. Yet this raises complex questions: Why has nature been gendered as female, and should feminist thought perpetuate this association? Simultaneously, xenofeminism, a parallel philosophical tradition, developed different answers. Xenofeminism embraces cybernetic thinking, technological curiosity, and sometimes enthusiastic technophilia, positioning technological advancement and transcendence of "natural" limitations as indispensable to feminist liberation. As the Xenofeminist Manifesto provocatively declares, "If nature is unjust, change nature." Contemporary debates across environmental justice, decolonization efforts, transgender medicine, and reproductive autonomy continue revealing tensions between ecofeminism and xenofeminism. The question persists: Should feminist politics ground itself in concepts of "nature," or do such frameworks impede emancipatory transformation? How might we comprehend the intricate relationships connecting gender, ecological systems, technological systems, and various forms of systemic oppression?

This course provides a thorough exploration of ecofeminism and xenofeminism's competing and sometimes overlapping analytical approaches, building conceptual frameworks essential for contemporary political action within the Anthropocene era (or, in the terminology of Joshua Clover and Juliana Spahr, the Misanthropocene). Drawing on thinkers including Val Plumwood, Donna Haraway, Maria Mies, the Cyberfeminism Index, Vandana Shiva, Legacy Russell, Winona LaDuke, and the Laboria Cuboniks collective, the course traces historical roots and contemporary articulations of both positions, alongside recent critical interventions from theorists like Alyssa Battistoni who question oversimplified either-or framings. As we develop familiarity with ecofeminist and xenofeminist approaches to masculinist knowledge systems, alienation, and capitalist economies, we'll examine their implications for disability justice and "Crip" liberation, climate action, and queer political movements, among additional important domains. Ultimately, the course asks whether ecofeminism and xenofeminism truly constitute an unbridgeable divide. Battistoni argues that because "both eco- and xenofeminists have taken up questions of nature, technology, femininity, domination, and human identity in strikingly different yet frequently complementary ways," synthesis becomes possible through "xeno-eco-feminism," conceptualized as ecofeminism that embraces strangeness, monstrousness, alterity, and maintains skepticism toward imposed "Nature" while remaining attentive to nature as it actually manifests in our world. As far-right and deeply troubling eco-fascist and "deep green" transphobic movements consolidate influence in contemporary America, how might we identify and strengthen the antifascist, socialist "xecofeminisms" already operating in practice?