1st Edition

The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature

Edited By Douglas A. Vakoch Copyright 2023

    The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature explores the interplay between the domination of nature and the oppression of women, as well as liberatory alternatives, bringing together essays from leading academics in the field to facilitate cutting-edge critical readings of literature. Covering the main theoretical approaches and key literary genres of the area, this volume includes:

    • Examination of ecofeminism through the literatures of a diverse sampling of languages, including Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, and Spanish; native speakers of Tamil, Vietnamese, Turkish, Slovene, and Icelandic
    • Analysis of core issues and topics, offering innovative approaches to interpreting literature, including: activism, animal studies, cultural studies, disability, gender essentialism, hegemonic masculinity, intersectionality, material ecocriticism, postcolonialism, posthumanism, postmodernism, race, and sentimental ecology
    • Surveys key periods and genres of ecofeminism and literary criticism, including chapters on Gothic, Romantic, and Victorian literatures, children and young adult literature, mystery, and detective fictions, including interconnected genres of climate fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, and distinctive perspectives provided by travel writing, autobiography, and poetry

    This collection explores how each of ecofeminism’s core concerns can foster a more emancipatory literary theory and criticism, now and in the future. This comprehensive volume will be of great interest to scholars and students of literature, ecofeminism, ecocriticism, gender studies, and the environmental humanities.

    Introduction

    1. Ecofeminism and Literature, Patrick D. Murphy

     

    Part I. Literatures in Diverse Languages

    2. Chinese Literature and Ecofeminism, Chan Kit-sze Amy

    3. Taiwanese Literature and Ecofeminism, Peter I-min Huang

    4. Philippine Literature and Ecofeminism, Christian Jil Benitez

    5. Vietnamese Literature and Ecofeminism, Quynh H. Vo

    6. Australian Literature and Ecofeminism, Melanie Duckworth

    7. Tamil Literature and Ecofeminism, Chitra Sankaran and Gayatri Thanu Pillai

    8. Hindi Literature and Ecofeminism, Sangita Patil

    9. Bengali Literature and Ecofeminism, Abhik Gupta

    10. African Literature and Ecofeminism, Nicole Anae

    11. Arabic Literature and Ecofeminism, Pervine Elrefaei

    12. Turkish Literature and Ecofeminism, Hatice Övgü Tüzün

    13. Slovene Literature and Ecofeminism, Katja Plemenitaš

    14. Latin Literature and Ecofeminism, Artemisia Archontogeorgi and Charilaos N. Michalopoulos

    15. Francophone Literature and Ecofeminism, Giulia Champion

    16. Spanish Literature and Ecofeminism, Irene Sanz Alonso

    17. South American Literature and Ecofeminism, Nicolás Campisi

    18. Brazilian Literature and Ecofeminism, Izabel F. O. Brandão

    19. Native American and First Nations Literature and Ecofeminism, Benay Blend

    20. Icelandic Literature and Ecofeminism, Auður Aðalsteinsdóttir

    21. Nordic Literature and Ecofeminism, Katarina Leppänen

    22. Estonian Literature and Ecofeminism, Julia Kuznetski and Kadri Tüür

    23. English Literature and Ecofeminism, Rebekah Taylor-Wiseman

    24. Welsh Literature and Ecofeminism, Michelle Deininger

     

    Part II. Core Issues and Topics

    25. Activism and Ecofeminist Literature, Sunaina Jain

    26. Animal Studies and Ecofeminist Literature, Lesley Kordecki

    27. Cultural Studies and Ecofeminist Literature, Nicole Anae

    28. Disability and Ecofeminist Literature, Nicole A. Jacobs

    29. Gender Essentialism and Ecofeminist Literature, Asmae Ourkiya

    30. Hegemonic Masculinity and Ecofeminist Literature, Lydia Rose

    31. Intersectionality and Ecofeminist Literature, Chan Kit-sze Amy

    32. Material Ecocriticism and Ecofeminist Literature, Başak Ağın

    33. Postcolonial Literature and Ecofeminism, Aslı Değirmenci Altın

    34. Posthuman Literature and Ecofeminism, Kerim Can Yazgünoğlu

    35. Postmodern Literature and Ecofeminism, Karen Ya-Chu Yang

    36. Race and Ecofeminist Literature, Rebekah Taylor-Wiseman

    37. Sentimental Ecology and Ecofeminist Literature, Richard Magee

     

    Part III. Literary Periods and Genres

    38. Gothic Fiction and Ecofeminism, Anja Höing

    39. Romantic Literature and Ecofeminism, Kaitlin Mondello

    40. Victorian Literature and Ecofeminism, Nicole C. Dittmer

    41. Children’s Fiction and Ecofeminism, Anja Höing

    42. Young Adult Fiction and Ecofeminism, Michelle Deininger

    43. Mystery and Detective Fiction and Ecofeminism, Casey A. Cothran

    44. Climate Fiction and Ecofeminism, Iris Ralph

    45. Science Fiction and Ecofeminism, Deirdre C. Byrne

    46. Fantasy and Ecofeminism, Rhian Waller

    47. Travel Writing and Ecofeminism, Lenka Filipova

    48. Autobiography and Ecofeminism, K. M. Ferebee

    49. Poetry and Ecofeminism, Andrew David King

    Biography

    Douglas A. Vakoch, PhD, is President of METI, dedicated to Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence and sustaining civilization on multigenerational timescales. He has explored ecofeminism in seven of his earlier books, including Feminist Ecocriticism (2011), Ecofeminist Science Fiction (2021), and (with Sam Mickey) Literature and Ecofeminism (2018). Dr. Vakoch is general editor of two book series: Environment and Society and Ecocritical Theory and Practice. As Director of Green Psychotherapy, PC, he helps alleviate environmental distress through ecotherapy.

    "This superb collection will soon prove to be indispensable to any serious reader, be they thinker or activist, who seeks a deeper understanding of the causes of our current environmental crises and how to meet the challenges these crises pose to all of us. A great achievement that assembles and addresses the profound work of a century, a volume which one hopes will help us survive the future."

    —Susan Griffin, author of Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her

     

    "With 49 chapters covering numerous languages, works of literature, cultures, and literary periods and genres across the world, The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature is a truly global compendium of ecofeminist theory and praxis. It is undoubtedly a tour de force on ecofeminism, the most comprehensive overview ever published. I highly recommend this impressive volume."

    —Serpil Oppermann, Cappadocia University, Turkey; coeditor of International Perspectives in Feminist Ecocriticism

     

    "The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature is an indispensable resource for both specialists in ecocriticism and newcomers to the field. Douglas Vakoch has orchestrated a handbook that demonstrates the global reach of ecofeminism and its relevance to an impressive range of themes and genres, from animal studies to climate fiction." 

    —Scott Slovic, University of Idaho, USA; coeditor of Nature and Literary Studies

     

    "Interrogating varied oppressive discourses and practices driven by patriarchal, racist, sexist, and imperialist ideologies that have continued to harm women and nature, the authors offer us alternative ways of cohabiting our earth equitably and sustainably. This handbook is an invaluable resource for teachers and students of ecofeminism and literature."

    —Zaynab Ango, Federal University Dutse, Nigeria

     

    "This book is an excellent scholarly achievement with an astounding range of topics and depth of research. By presenting brief surveys of ecofeminist literature from around the world, it investigates key periods and genres in world literatures as well as core topics such as activism, intersectionality, and posthumanism. This is a must-have for postgraduates, scholars, and teachers eager to broaden their knowledge of ecofeminism and literature."

    —Katarzyna Burzyńska, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland; author of Pregnant Bodies from Shakespeare to Ford

     

    "The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature is an encyclopedic reference for practitioners of ecofeminism involving ecocritics from six continents. Douglas Vakoch has edited a must-read handbook for anyone considering ecofeminism from diverse perspectives, literary periods, and genres. A delightful guide providing an insightful analysis of key examples of ecofeminism in canonical texts that makes it the most comprehensive study of ecofeminism and literature to date."

    —Bechir Chaabane, Majmmah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

     

    "Featuring the work of an impressive range of international scholars in dialogue with each other, this book is a timely and valuable contribution to ecocritical studies at this critical juncture in the history of the biosphere."

    —Anita Balakrishnan, Queen Mary’s College, India; author of Transforming Spirit of Indian Women Writers

     

    "Narratives, life writings, and critical studies in ecofeminism have been posing critical challenges to fetishizing the manner of canon formation. This wonderful book engages with these and so many other challenges, turning our customary gaze towards women, particularly marginal, and the visualized lives they live. This essential collection of essays is a detailed invitation to rethink our received theoretical frameworks that remain an obstacle."

    —Hatem Mohammed Al-Shamea, Sana’a University, Yemen; author of Islam and Woman: Decoding the ‘DNA’ of Patriarchy

     

    "The voices in this volume collectively address the environmental emergencies and challenges of our current time, providing critical analyses of gender dimensions of literary texts. Conceptualizing the convergence of gender and environmental issues, the volume highlights the analogous forms of oppression and domination, which result in the degradation of the lives of women and the natural world. Hence, the volume contributes to a more multifaceted exploration of gender and the environment, applying different perspectives to dismantle dichotomous categorizations driven by patriarchal power structures."

    —Işıl Şahin Gülter, Fırat University, Turkey

     

    "An astonishing array of perspectives, intersections, and in-depth as well as overview insights into ecofeminist literature and the many correlating approaches across genres and literary periods thankfully not focused on just one region, but spanning literature from six continents."

    —Dunja M. Mohr, Erfurt University, Germany; author of Worlds Apart?: Dualism and Transgression in Contemporary Female Dystopias

     

    "The Routledge Handbook of Ecofeminism and Literature is a much-needed volume bridging varied concepts of ecofeminism through the ages as well as in modern times. In a post-pandemic world, when environmental degradation in the Anthropocene has become an eye-opening reality, this handbook emerges with a sense of urgency."

    —Nibedita Mukherjee, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, India; editor of Gendering the Narrative: Indian English Fiction and Gender Discourse