Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Philosophy

Major Professor

Lee Braver, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Alex Levine, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Brook Sadler, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Lillian King Abadal, Ph.D.

Keywords

Climate Ethics, Feminist Phenomenology, Karen Warren, Environmental Ethics, New Materialism, Val Plumwood

Abstract

Ecofeminists have predominantly refuted oppressive conceptual frameworks by rejecting dualistic logic and value hierarchies, despite the foundational view of ontology that underlies our logic and value systems. I argue that ecofeminists must engage in the creative process of articulating an ecofeminist ontology. I demonstrate that the omission of ontological discourse in ecofeminist scholarships is primarily due to the time period during which ecofeminism gained peak traction and their concerns with essentialism. I also show that feminists experienced an ontological turn in the 2000s that produced a new model for ontological theories that would be beneficial for ecofeminists to embrace. In laying out a new ecofeminist ontology, I give an overview of feminist ontological insights, including new materialism, temporality, and embodiment, in combination with ecofeminist insights regarding ecological relations. I briefly introduce each of these in turn, showing how they relate to and move beyond ecofeminist theories from the past few decades, as well as how they build upon one another. Finally, I look at three major ecofeminist concerns: avoiding essentialism, arguing for the agency of non-human beings, and strengthening ecofeminist ethics. I show that ecofeminist ontological insights can resolve issues that have held ecofeminists back from the applications and popularity that their theories deserve. In the end, I aim to establish a new project for ecofeminists to undertake that I believe will support the expansion of ecofeminist scholarship.

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