Women’s Perceptions of Nature

An Ecofeminist Analysis of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body

Datos Bibliográficos

ID20249265
AutoresNigus Michael Gebreyohannes (0000-0002-6234-2132, Addis Ababa University, autor de correspondencia), Abiye Daniel Ambachew (Addis Ababa University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen11
Número6
Páginas159
Fecha de publicación2022-12-15
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHumanities (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2076-0787 • E-ISSN: 2076-0787
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/h11060159
OpenAlexW4311794214
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas12

The purpose of this article is to explore ecofeminist issues in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body. It mainly focuses on the relationship between women and nature and explores the perceptions of women toward the natural environment. Thus, a close reading was done to extract the necessary information from the novel. Next, the extracted data was analyzed using textual analysis. Additionally, ecofeminist literary criticism was adopted as a lens to analyze the novel. Therefore, based on the analysis made, the novel portrays various issues related to women and nature. Firstly, the novel shows that African women are gardeners, agricultural laborers, and protectors of the land and the natural environment, which makes them have a strong relationship with the natural environment. On the other hand, it shows, that not all women have the same perception of nature. In this manner, Tracey, a white businesswoman, considered nature as an income generator in the form of the ecotourism industry, regardless of the degradation of the natural environment. In contrast, the native women consider nature as a means of their survival. Nyasha, a woman from Zimbabwe, believes nature and land space enhance co-operation and harmony between inhabitants. Similarly, Tambudzai, also from Zimbabwe, recounts the beauty and healing power of nature, and she expresses her concern about the degradation of the natural environment. Therefore, the novel has discovered the different relationships between women and nature. Their understanding of and connection to nature vary and directly relate to their background and context. At last, the novel portrays the impact of neocolonialism and capitalism predominantly on women and nature. In this manner, the author shows her concern for African women and the natural environment

Aesthetics · Art · Beauty · Ecofeminism · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Geography · Harmony with nature · Perception · Sociology · Visual arts · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies · Ecology