OPINION/COMMENTARY

Colleges Foster Radical Environmentalism

One such manifestation is the purported connection between feminism and environmentalism called "ecofeminism." At Duke University, a course in "Feminism and Ecology" teaches students about "…the evolution of the field of ecofeminism." Students at Dartmouth College can take "Gender, Space, and the Environment" in which they discuss the "gendered construction of our society, and the ways we have organized our spaces and places…." Vassar College offers a seminar in "Feminism and Environmentalism" focusing on "…feminist scholarship and activism concerning the gendered implications of development policies and practices." French philosopher Francois d'Eaubonne coined the term "ecofeminism" in 1974, and it has since caught on around the world. Subscribers to the ecofeminist movement claim that nature is similar to women in that they are both oppressed by men in a "patriarchal society." The link between feminism and environmentalism creates a movement that is opposed to capitalism and modern industrial society. Ecofeminism is not simply an academic discipline. Rather, it is a progressive activism movement taking hold on college campuses. Julie Knutson of the University of Wisconsin stated, "Ecofeminism is a relatively new part of the feminist movement, evolving out of political activism over the past three decades. Peace marches, anti-nuclear protests, environmental and animal liberation movements, and world hunger activism have raised the consciousnesses of many."....

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