Question

What are the similarities and differences between deep ecology and ecofeminism?

Answer 1

The  Deep Ecology Viewpoint:

 This perspective tends to be male centered; many of the leading voices within the movement are male.  And there is some sense in which the view is unified, much moreso than the ecofeminist position.

For deep ecology, the locus of the problem is identified as humanity; deep ecologists blame the human centered attitude toward nature for the degradation of nature.  They contend that humans ought not to think of nature in an instrumentalist way and to acknowledge its inherent worth and value. 

Deep ecologists charge that the ecofeminist mission becomes distorted through analyses of power and domination.  They claim that the environment would be better served if humans restored it to its own ends, recognized its intrinsic worth, and acknowledged the priority of the sovereignty and autonomy of nature.

The Ecofeminist Viewpoint:

This perspective tends to be woman centered, though there are certainly men involved.  The ecofeminist movement can have difficulty achieving a unified voice, however, due to pluralism and due to the movement’s desire to be inclusive.

For ecofeminists, the locus of the problem is not humanity in general, but androcentrism (which is a male point of view or a male focus in analysis) more specifically.  Ecofeminists also see patriarchy and unjust domination as the problem, believing that environment injustice can only be addressed after human injustice to other humans is resolved.  In some sense, the ecofeminist view can be said to insist that an environmental ethic should develop through a broader ethic centered first on issues of justice.

Ecofeminists claim that deep ecology is too shallow because it fails to acknowledge that the domination of nature occurs as part of a broader scheme of oppression and patriarchy.

These are the similarities between the two views:

Both focus on the relationship between humans and nature (though I claim that this is going to cause problems between the two theories)Both make critical claims about the status of the human relationship with nature.Both aim to end the domination of nature, at least to some extent.