On The Meaningfulness And Dilemma Of Eco-feminism

Eco-feminism which was born in the 1970s and goes from strength to strength, is the outcome of the environmental movement and the Women's movement in the modern era in the west. In the 1960s, a book named "Silent Spring" which was abdicated by an US female oceanographer Rachel Carson has begun the prologue of the contemporary environment movement. The Feminine movement also reaches a new stage along with environmental protection movement's rapid development. In 1974, the French feminist Francoise·D'Eaubonne proposed a new concept"eco-feminism"for the first time in her book "Le Feminisme ou la Mort ". From then on, eco-feminine has spread rapidly in the west as a kind of thought.This thought is divided into different schools, the main representative figures are Karen·J·Warren, Carolyn·Merchant, Susan·Griffin, VanDana·Shiva, Rosemary·R·Reuther, Val·Plumwood. As eco-feminism growing strong globally, it has the different characteristic performances in different regions. But regardless of being school's differences or the regional disparities, considering both the gender equality and environmental equality, the eco-feminist all look at the problem from the specific status of nature and women as well as the relationship between them to provide new ideas and ways for the problem of environmental protection, women's liberation and social equality. It looks at the matter from a visual angle which is magnanimous and multivariate, and tries to reveal the status and relationship between men and women, human and nature, which is universally exist in society structure or ideological sphere, it also makes an in-depth analysis of the cause of women's and nature's being invaded, initiates the new harmonious relations for human and nature, men and women.After the development of more than thirty years, eco-feminism is quite influential in the western feminism, environmental philosophy and the eco-ethics, and it also has much achievement in practice. At the same time, as a kind of untraditional theory, the eco-feminine encounters some dilemma and raise doubts and difficult questions for discussion in the theory construction and the practice process. According to analyze the schools, value, key problems of eco-feminism, this article judges by the background of the thought's theory foundation and factual basis, as well as the developing situation all over the world to bring out the distinctive feature of it in different schools or regions, be realistic and truthful to summarize and analyze its theory value and practical significance, organize, reconsiders and criticize the theory scotoma and practice dilemma, then seeks after the outlet.