Review article

SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF ECOFEMINISM

Marija Geiger

Abstract

This article presents fundamental concepts of cultural ecofeminism which analyses the environmental problems in context of patriarchal society and patriarchal culture, and which creates alternative (matriarchal) model of society based on communication, solidarity, equality, cooperation and consensus. It emphasizes the spirituality as key factor of personal and social change. Debates about spirituality are very controversial, so they cause a conflict between liberal, social and cultural ecofeminism. Cultural ecofeminism and “earth based spiritualities” stresses the nesessity of spirituality from historical, ethical, epistemological, metodological, conceptual and theoretical reasons. Spiritual ecofeminism rejects the Christian anthropocentrism with white masculine construct of One God — the Lord. Instead of this belief, it renewes the ancient matriarchal beliefs and cults of Goddess Mother as symbol of fertility, as well as animistic beliefs in Ghost or a Spirits, and it incorporates some elements of hinduism, budism and christianity. This form of ecofeminism reject anthropocentric/androcentric concept of Universe and suggest the ecocentric image of the world as a circle — the symbol of eternal return and holistic concept of love as a strenght which will help to solve the ecological crisis.

Keywords

anthropocentrism; cultural ecofeminism; dualism; ecofeminism; concept of God and Goddess; holism; matriarchy; patriarchy; spirituality

Hrčak ID:

139457

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/139457

Publication date:

15.1.2002.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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