arun@vlsi.waterloo.edu (Arun Achyuthan) (08/06/90)
(Note: This review had earlier been posted in soc.culture.indian and uw.general. I am posting this in soc.feminism upon a suggestion I recieved from one of the readers in the above mentioned two news groups.) Book review: 'Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development', by Vandana Shiva History shows that the progress of mankind has always been accomplished by living in harmony with nature, But some time during the Age of Enlightment, the theory of progress started to diverge from this principle, and ultimately ended up with the definition of development as being linked to subjugation of nature. This subjugation and violation of nature has given rise to marginalization of women, tribals, and other communities who were both protectors and participators of nature's processes. Vandana Shiva, through her book 'Staying Alive', throws her weight behind the struggles of these hitherto excluded segments, particularly women, against inequality, exploitation and repression. The author argues that the assumption in economic, scientific, and technological development has always been inherently patriarchal, reductionist, violent, and exploitative, and has burdened women and nature, with destruction of forest, water, and land. This process, which the author aptly calls as 'maldevelopment', has been forced upon them in various forms, be it green revolution, white revolution, or industrial progress, and has resulted in losing our life-supporting systems. 'Staying Alive' is, in plain words, an attempt to articulate how rural Indian women, who are still embedded in nature, experience and perceive ecological destruction and its causes, and how they have conceived and initiated processes to arrest the destruction of nature and began its regeneration. But Vandana Shiva speaks much more in her book. She gives a perspective of feminism from the point of view of rural Indian women, for whom liberation is emancipation from the bonds of patriarchal concepts of science, technology, and development. With the help of factual and philosophical arguments, the author asserts the feminine principles with its holistic perspective and inclusive agenda of concerns based on its considerable respect for diversity. It is not surprising that environmentalists all over the world are re-discovering this principle to protect our planet. An excellently written book, with a wonderful Foreword by Rajni Kothari, 'Staying Alive' can give you a good reading, and perhaps can change the whole perspective of your thinking.