Book review

Two fascinating examples of women’s resistance to oppression

Posted onSaturday 15 June 2013Monday 10 June 2013

An excellent historical example of increasing patriarchal domination of women, and their ensuing resistance, is feminist historian and professor Ulrike Strasser’s “Bones of Contention: Catholic Nuns Resist their Enclosure.” The Pütrich nuns of Munich were established in the 13th century. Like all nuns at that time, they were not cloistered and therefore served extensively in…

Wisdom worth listening to: Daughters of Mother Earth

Posted onThursday 13 June 2013Monday 10 June 2013

Daughters of Mother Earth: The Wisdom of Native American Women, edited by Barbara Alice Mann, offers us a view of ecofeminism rooted in indigenous women’s teachings (one caveat: when I use “we,” I am recognizing that I, like the Whites being written about, am speaking from a position of social privilege which is and should…

To Tend and Befriend, part 4

Posted onMonday 10 June 2013Monday 10 June 2013

Actually, the physical and mental health benefits of social ties with women are experienced by men and women both — and for married men, these benefits occur even when the women are not present (85-86). As Taylor poetically notes, “women are heavily involved in stitching up all the little rips and tears in the social…

To Tend and Befriend, part 3

Posted onSunday 9 June 2013Saturday 8 June 2013

The myths about male dominance and female submissiveness are not the only current social issues, however, that I believe merit thoughtful scientific consideration — or rather, already have been studied, but should definitely have the derived data become part of the general public’s knowledge base. For example, as mentioned in previous postings, there is currently…

To Tend and Befriend, part 2

Posted onSaturday 8 June 2013Friday 7 June 2013

I cannot politely say why I think it is that white, Western, and usually male anthropologists feel the need to insist — in the face of constant data to the contrary — that hunting is more masculine, more dangerous, and more prestigious than gathering. However, I find it tragic that such blatant lies about human…

To Tend and Befriend, part 1

Posted onFriday 7 June 2013Friday 7 June 2013

It’s summertime for me now, and I’m gleefully starting my readings for Fall semester, which doesn’t start for another three or so months — this time I won’t get caught short on time! I’m going to try reading all the books that really interest me first, so I have plenty of time to ponder them….

Women & World Religions comps booklist

Posted onThursday 6 June 2013Tuesday 10 September 2013

Later edit: This bibliography has been seriously revised and updated due to professorial input. Check out the new version here. There! That’s all the reviews of all the books on my booklist for last semester’s Ecofeminism comps class. I figured posting the original versions, before they were edited down to fit into the comps…

Relational Reality & Tending the Soul’s Garden

Posted onWednesday 5 June 2013Monday 3 June 2013

Subtly weaving the suggestion to always perform right action — based on the sometimes unrecognized fact of personal relatedness with all life — into one’s daily living patterns is one of the most powerful culture-changing tools I am aware of. In this vein, two of the most significant works on praxis within the category of…

Reweaving the World

Posted onMonday 3 June 2013Wednesday 29 May 2013

While Merchant never uses the word ecofeminism in her book, a decade later ecofeminist professors Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Orenstein deliberately embrace it in order to thoroughly explore its effects and meaning. Their Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism not only exposes the ideological links between the oppressive exploitation of both nature and…

Two by Starhawk: Spiral Dance & Earth Path

Posted onSunday 2 June 2013Wednesday 29 May 2013

The potential and promise of post-patriarchal spirituality is reflected in Starhawk’s 20th anniversary edition of her pivotal, bestselling, and now classic 1979 work, The Spiral Dance. Included in this version are the initial book release, the ten year anniversary notes, and an added section for the 20 year anniversary Introduction and notes. Starhawk’s original text…