Ecofeminism in the Caribbean

This discussion of resources concerning ecofeminism in the Caribbean
took place on WMST-L in August/September 2003.  For additional WMST-L
files available on the Web, see the WMST-L File Collection.

Over the next year, as a contribution to a grant project in
international studies with an emphasis on transnational political
economy, I'll be developing an undergraduate syllabus piecing together
the following elements:
    * transnational ecofeminist theory
    * women's ecological activism
    * examples from the Caribbean region

Clearly this is a huge and vastly heterogeneous set of topics to work
with.  I've only begun the quest, and so far have discovered next to
nothing in ecofeminist writings directly about the Caribbean, much less
by authors from the region.  So I'd like listmembers' advice at this
early stage... My hunch is that the following areas will be relevant:

    * women, spirituality, and nature in the Caribbean
    * long-term histories of colonial uses of 'nature' in the Caribbean,
particularly with a gendered lens
    * articulations of the implications of development/underdevelopment
in the region, also considering gender (and I'm sure there's a lot under
this topic--e.g. labor, urbanization, migration, etc)
    * NGOs and grassroots groups, as well as transnational coalitions
concerned with these issues in the region
    * literary writings and artworks that address these issues

Any bells ringing?  Where should I go first?

Many thanks,
Janet Gray
gray  AT  tcnj.edu

I suggest a novel, *Abeng*, by Michelle Cliff (1970s), which addresses
class, race, colonialism, girlhood, relationships between women in the
Caribbean.

Audre Lorde's *Zami* might be relevant also.

Charlene

M. Charlene Ball, Ph.D., Academic Professional
Women's Studies Institute
Georgia State University
University Plaza
Atlanta, GA   30303-3083
404-651-4633
404-651-1398 fax
mcharleneball  AT  gsu.edu
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwwsi

the documentary film Life and Debt by Stephanie Black with narrative written
by Jamaica Kincaid would be most relevant.  about the exploitation of Jamaican
economy by world bank and imf.

Jane Caputi, jjxxcaputi  AT  aol.com, Women's Studies, Florida Atlantic University

Do you know how we can obtain an affordable copy of the documentary
Life and Debt?   I have seen it and it is extraordinary.

Cecilia Winters
Manhattanville College

Half.com-- it's about $20. Here is the link:
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1146831948&domain_id=1877&meta_id=3
Peace,
Summer Little

--On Friday, August 29, 2003 3:25 PM -0400 Cecilia Winters
<ceci  AT  BESTWEB.NET> wrote:

> Do you know how we can obtain an affordable copy of the documentary
> Life and Debt?  I have seen it and it is extraordinary.

Summer A Little
Program Services Coordinator
UNM Women's Resource Center
MSC06 3910
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
505.277.3716
505.277.2913 (fax)
salittle  AT  unm.edu

The video Life and Debt is available from the PBS web site www.pbs.org

The site also contains background info and other resources.

interview excerpt and link to full interview
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/lifeanddebt/thefilm.html

about IMF, World Bank etc (great intro for students!)
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/lifeanddebt/moreabouttheissues.html

online articles
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/lifeanddebt/resources.html

about the filmmaker
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2001/lifeanddebt/thefilmmaker.html

Molly Dragiewicz
Director
Women's Resource Center
Bucknell University
mdragiew  AT  bucknell.edu

I recommend starting with the web site for the Caribbean Association
for Feminist Research and Activism (CAFRA):

http://www.cafra.org

until soon, Hope

hopems  AT  mail.utexas.edu or hsmith  AT  csufresno.edu

Here are some more links on environmental activism in the Caribbean,
specifically Trinidad:

http://trinicenter.com/Environment/GeneticallyEngineeredFoods.htm

http://www.centrelink.org/fntt/Stollmeyer.html

until soon, Hope

Hope Munro Smith, PhD
hopems  AT  mail.utexas.edu