Ecofeminism Meets Criminology

Abstract

I suggest that law breaking has traditionally been and continues to be an important part of feminist political protest. Law breaking can also be understood as a symbolic act that seeks to challenge the dominant ideas and values in a society. Additionally, as well as challenging the norms of a society, increasingly, ecofeminists are attempting to reconceptualize our relationship with nature. If this challenge is successful and societies start to develop new ways of valuing the environment this will inevitably reflect on criminology. Currently environmental law is anthropocentric (i.e. human centred), however, if the meanings and values that we attach to nature start to change (i.e. become more ecocentric: nature centred) then essentially what currently counts as a criminal act will have to change.

Acknowledging Female Victims of Green Crimes: Environmental Exposure of Women to Industrial Pollutants

“…As noted, there has been insufficient attention paid to WGV in the green and feminist criminological literatures, perhaps due to the failure to sufficiently connect green and feminist analysis (Lane, 1998; Wonders & Danner, 2015). In addition, this result could also stem from criminological neglect of ecofeminism, a perspective which emerged in the 1970s (Ling, 2014).…”

“…In addition, this result could also stem from criminological neglect of ecofeminism, a perspective which emerged in the 1970s (Ling, 2014). Although ecofeminism has been identified as potentially important for shaping green criminological research (Lane, 1998; Lynch & Stretesky, 2003), green criminologists have yet to substantially elaborate an ecofeminist green criminology. Ecofeminism—a movement that combines women’s activism with theories related to the dual or intersecting domination of women and nature, addresses the empowerment of women in combatting green harms—could play an important role in developing criminological discussions of green crime, law, and justice, including WGV.…”

“…The earliest and only extensive discussions of the potential intersection of green criminology and ecofeminism were made by Wilson (1996) and Lane (1998). Drawing on an early ecofeminist position, Wilson (1996) suggested an association between women’s criminal victimization and criminal victimization of the environment.…”

“…Her argument notes that the exploitation of nature and women “sustain one another” (p. 148), and she explores how these circumstances relate to a critique of environmental law. For her part, Lane (1998) used an ecofeminist position to explore how female political protests against environmental crime can promote social movements against environmental crime and the forms of female oppression environmental crimes generate. Lynch and Stretesky (2003) outlined how ecofeminism might extend the scope of green criminological analysis of victimization.…”

Of Theory and Meaning in Green Criminology

“…In 1998 -coincidentally the same year as the first full journal issue devoted to green criminology (see Agnew 1998;Benton 1998;del Olmo 1998;Groombridge 1998;Lane 1998;South 1998;South and Beirne 1998 referred to it as the 'defining moment' of his presidency (Noah 1998 Say what you will about Clinton's politics or his involvement with Ms. Lewinsky, but the man did have a point: our definition of concepts and words not only has a temporal dimension, 2 but also has one that reflects our understanding of them. In other words, how we describe something reveals our comprehension of it, and how we grasp something conditions how we behave and conduct ourselves.…”