Projects / Programmes
Eco-feminist theology and contemporary ecological crisis
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.11.00 |
Humanities |
Theology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H160 |
Humanities |
General, systematic and practical Christian theology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.03 |
Humanities |
Philosophy, Ethics and Religion |
ecological crisis, superiority of men over nature, patriarchal androcentrism, theological eco-feminism, process theology, environmental pragmatism, deep ecology and sustainable development, ethical paradigm of theological eco-feminism, theological eco-feminism in Mediterranean context.
Researchers (9)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
In Slovene socio-religious sphere, the perception of nature and of the man-nature relationship is deeply marked by the collective memory of man’s domination over nature. Despite the rising environmental awareness, which in most cases sprang up from the feeling of fear regarding the ecological crisis, the fundamental ethics or pattern remains the same. The stereotype of man’s superiority in relation to nature remains deeply rooted in the collective consciousness. In this point positive contribution of theological ecofeminism is of utmost importance, as it discloses and breaks down the prejudice of human superiority over nature by means of a critical historical overview of individual religious traditions. Eco-feminist theology is in fact a global interreligious phenomenon emphasising the ethics of basic mutuality and interdependence of all relationships in the web of life. It brings together two forms of discrimination: violence against women and violence over nature and our planet. The common denominator of these two forms of violence is the patriarchal system, a source of violence in both cases. Ecofeminism builds from the belief that all living beings are interconnected and thus mutually influence one another. It sees the creation as one body incorporating various ecosystems, an abundance of diversity that is united and connected in mutual coexistence. It regards the patriarchal system as an opposing system that builds on a hierarchical relationship. For this reason, the patriarchal system demolishes the harmonious connection between a man and a woman, man and nature. It strives for “a new consciousness” that would teach men and women to live and act in mutual symbiosis and harmony with nature. It has emerged with the second wave of feminism, appearing as a form of feminist theology in the early '70s. The main representatives of Christian ecofeminism are Rosemary Radford Ruether and Sallie McFague, who were later joined by numerous colleagues from the the Third World. Theological ecofeminism in the context of feminist theology is in Slovenia a pioneer field that has yet to find its proper place in academic scientific circles. The project will thus develop the issue of theological ecofeminism in Mediterranean context. Our study will continue with the research into symbolic connections between the inferiority of women and the inferiority of nature in Mediterranean countries, more specifically, in Slovenia. Within a macro context, the project will thus elaborate the issue of theological ecofeminism in a Mediterranean frame of reference, while in a narrower context it will focus on the creation of a model of Slovene theological ecofeminism. The general, theoretical level (work and findings by leading representatives of Christian ecofeminism), will be used as an aid in the formation of a Slovene model of theological ecofeminism (with an emphasis on Christianity as the religious system that most decisively marked Slovene historical and social realities and in this sense an important co-creator and co-designer of the collective memory of the Slovene nation). The project will enable a deeper understanding of the problems of the perception of nature and the man-nature relationship, not so much on the theoretical level as on a case study. The programme of the research project consists of three parts temporally coinciding with a period of three years. The first part researches into the perception of nature and the man-nature relationship in Slovene socio-religious sphere and context by means of a historical overview and analysis (emphasis on Christianity). The second part recognises and follows the influence of the collective memory of man’s domination over nature in contemporary Slovene Christian socio-religious sphere (quantitative research method). The third, final part creates a model of Slovene theological ecofeminism by means of the results of the above mentioned analysis and the hermeneutical key of Christian feminist theology.
Significance for science
The project results have broadly developed and distributed the question of theological ecofeminism in a Mediterranean-Slovene context. The research in this segment represented an original contribution to the contemporary theory of theological ecofeminism and a contribution to the formation of broader social policies of sustainable development in the sense of transcending anthropocentrism and the negative stereotyped perceptions of the man-nature relationship. The development of a model of Slovene theological ecofeminism has consequently enableed our integration into the worldwide network of theological ecofeministic science. This is the key contribution of the project to the development of science on a broader world scientific scale. Importance of the scientific sector for Slovenia: The project has brought the field of theological ecofeminism in the context of feminist theology and religious feminism into in the academic scientific circles, which were previously in Slovenia a pioneer field that has not yet found its place in the academic scientific circles and was a virtually unexplored and unknown area awaiting more thorough tackling and development. The project results also integrated contents dedicated to the ethics of theological ecofeminism, deep ecology and sustainable development ethics or education for sustainable development into the study programmes of Slovene universities. From this perspective, the project has provideed deeper insights into the problem of perceiving nature and the man-nature relationship in the Mediterranean and Slovene context.
Significance for the country
The project research results helped shatter the deeply rooted prejudice of man’s superiority over nature and contribute to the transformation of the patriarchal-anthropocentric paradigm. As a consequence, this will lead to an attempt to establish new platforms of evaluation and a new attitude of man towards nature. Linking them to the field of ethics in education, the impact of the results will also reach the field of education for the values of a humane (sensibilisation) and sustainable attitude towards our living environment. The results also extended to the field of improving social policies in the broadest area of life preservation, including legal protection natural environments. In addition, the influence of the results were discernable and directed towards a regulation of the religious sphere (in our case the majority Catholic Church). The application of the project results to everyday practice, education and the life of the Catholic Church would greatly contribute to a rise in the ecological awareness of the Slovene nation. In the part referring to sustainable development and education the project addressed the broadest circle of players in education, offering not only new theoretical-methodological, but also new practical guidelines for enabling better and easier access of the widest public to such knowledge. Within the framework of the project, we have trained new human resources (young researches/ research assistants/teaching assistants) for a deficient field, i.e. a field not yet represented in Slovenia within the group of philosophical and broader humanistic sciences. Through this project we were able to join in international exchanges (bilateral and research visits, as well as visits by renowned foreign researchers and teachers).
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2010,
2011,
2012,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
