The Quest: An Ecofeminist Study of Selected Southern African Women Writers

Abstract

Eco-Feminism is the combination of ecological issues and feminism. Ecofeminists are not just theorists but are activists. They advocate changes in the society besides stressing on environmental health. A social-constructionist ecofeminist perspective states that the patriarchal society integrates the domination of nature with certain social conflicts like gender oppression, racial discrimination and class hierarchies. These various forms of oppression are interrelated by ecofeminists. There is a brief history of events that shaped the society of South Africa. There are conflicts like female and male, white and non-white issues prevailing in the region of South Africa. The above issues in the society vary from time to time. So, social feminism is indispensable for analysing South African literature. Some South African feminists have questioned the ways of adopting western theory like Eco-Feminism in the context of South African literature. The idea of women’s liberation or feminism began to gain momentum from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This research paper focus on the woman writers of the South African society in the light of Eco-Feminism. These writers have played a major role in the reform of the society.