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Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions
"Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions" addresses the practical relevance of the interconnection of feminism, ecology, and religious theological thought, and will ask questions about the lack of attention to gender issues in both ecological theology and deglobalization theory. The book knits together four concerns: globalization, interfaith ecological theology, ecofeminism, and deglobalization movements and thought. It examines how gender needs to be connected with inter-faith ecological theology and with critical analysis of globalization. It asks how to connect theory and practice; and how theoretical views about a more earth friendly theology have actual relevance to the deglobalization struggle. The book looks at these issues comparatively across different world religions and across different regions of the earth.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Radford Ruether
85 books58 followersVisiting Professor of Feminist Theology B.A. Scripps College; M.S., Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School
Rosemary Radford Ruether was the Carpenter Emerita Professor of Feminist Theology at Pacific School of Religion and the GTU, as well as the Georgia Harkness Emerita Professor of Applied Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She had enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and activist in the Roman Catholic Church, and was well known as a groundbreaking figure in Christian feminist theology.
Education
B.A. – Scripps College
M.S., Ph.D. – Claremont Graduate School
Recent Publications / Achievements
Christianity and Social Systems: Historical Constructions and Ethical Challenges (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009)
Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism (New Press, 2008)
America, Amerikkka: Elect Nation and Imperial Violence(Equinox, 2007)
Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America, with Rosemary Skinner Keller (Indiana University Press, 2006)
Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (University of California Press, 2005)
Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005)
Mountain Sisters: From Convent To Community In Appalachia, Forward (University Press of Kentucky, 2004)
The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Fortress Press, 2002
Rosemary Radford Ruether was the Carpenter Emerita Professor of Feminist Theology at Pacific School of Religion and the GTU, as well as the Georgia Harkness Emerita Professor of Applied Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She had enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and activist in the Roman Catholic Church, and was well known as a groundbreaking figure in Christian feminist theology.
Education
B.A. – Scripps College
M.S., Ph.D. – Claremont Graduate School
Recent Publications / Achievements
Christianity and Social Systems: Historical Constructions and Ethical Challenges (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009)
Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism (New Press, 2008)
America, Amerikkka: Elect Nation and Imperial Violence(Equinox, 2007)
Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America, with Rosemary Skinner Keller (Indiana University Press, 2006)
Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (University of California Press, 2005)
Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005)
Mountain Sisters: From Convent To Community In Appalachia, Forward (University Press of Kentucky, 2004)
The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Fortress Press, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2007
It's a little sad when a book fails to do what is obviously stated as its goal in its very own title. I saw this book in the stacks at the Reg while looking for something else and thought, "Wow! Perfect!" because it dealt with the major themes I've been focused on of late, and having something to tie it all together would be really great. But the "integrating" doesn't really happen here. Rosemary Radford Ruether does link together ecofeminism and the world religions, and discusses how the major world religions may or may not be currently amenable either to feminism or to sustainability and environmentalism. Likewise, she details how globalization fails to satisfy any ecofeminist principles, as the multinational corporations pushing the current model of globalization are regularly behind the removal of rights of women and all citizens as well as major environmental damage.
But these links have been made in numerous books before. For a better look at the relationship between all the world religions and the environment, Richard Foltz's Worldviews, Religion, and the Environment is a much more thorough representation of the reflection currently be done in this area, as are Grim and Tucker's Worldviews and Ecology and J. Baird Callicott's Earth's Insights: A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics (both are shorter and perhaps a bit more readable than the Foltz). As for the relationship between globalization and ecofeminism, the majority of what Ruether says is pulled from the work of Vandana Shiva. True, on both topics Ruether is able to condense information incredibly well to provide a good, if not well-argued, overview. But the link that I was really hoping to see here is that of the relationship between the world religions, especially as they are gaining a stronger environmental consciousness, with the process of globalization. The basic jump is there and can be made by the reader: if one's religious beliefs lead you to care for the environment or for human rights, you should be concerned about the activity of corporations. However, no historical link between the religions as institutions with other corporations is made, nor is there any offering of how the church, the first truly global institution, might integrate philosophically or theologically an anti-globalization stance. In her conclusion, she does provide examples of religious orders that have developed along the lines of other anti-globalization movements, in terms of returning to local, organic food production. She also points out the the theological problems with the support of U.S. militaristic imperialism by many U.S. Christians. (Basically, belief in the U.S. as a chosen nation by God, that evil is socially located in others, and that the U.S. should remove this evil by force, contradicts the Christian beliefs that all people are fallen from grace, and that God yet loves all people and works through all people, and that Christians are to work lovingly and peacefully, not through force.) Unfortunately, though, the larger picture of religion-corporate relations are not addressed.
It is true that Ruether's book may work well for anyone wanting a quick intro to all these themes and the ways in which they are most basically connected. For readers looking for a clearly articulated defense of any of the positions Ruether takes, however, as well as for readers with background in these topics truly looking to integrate them, there are probably better books to turn to.
But these links have been made in numerous books before. For a better look at the relationship between all the world religions and the environment, Richard Foltz's Worldviews, Religion, and the Environment is a much more thorough representation of the reflection currently be done in this area, as are Grim and Tucker's Worldviews and Ecology and J. Baird Callicott's Earth's Insights: A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics (both are shorter and perhaps a bit more readable than the Foltz). As for the relationship between globalization and ecofeminism, the majority of what Ruether says is pulled from the work of Vandana Shiva. True, on both topics Ruether is able to condense information incredibly well to provide a good, if not well-argued, overview. But the link that I was really hoping to see here is that of the relationship between the world religions, especially as they are gaining a stronger environmental consciousness, with the process of globalization. The basic jump is there and can be made by the reader: if one's religious beliefs lead you to care for the environment or for human rights, you should be concerned about the activity of corporations. However, no historical link between the religions as institutions with other corporations is made, nor is there any offering of how the church, the first truly global institution, might integrate philosophically or theologically an anti-globalization stance. In her conclusion, she does provide examples of religious orders that have developed along the lines of other anti-globalization movements, in terms of returning to local, organic food production. She also points out the the theological problems with the support of U.S. militaristic imperialism by many U.S. Christians. (Basically, belief in the U.S. as a chosen nation by God, that evil is socially located in others, and that the U.S. should remove this evil by force, contradicts the Christian beliefs that all people are fallen from grace, and that God yet loves all people and works through all people, and that Christians are to work lovingly and peacefully, not through force.) Unfortunately, though, the larger picture of religion-corporate relations are not addressed.
It is true that Ruether's book may work well for anyone wanting a quick intro to all these themes and the ways in which they are most basically connected. For readers looking for a clearly articulated defense of any of the positions Ruether takes, however, as well as for readers with background in these topics truly looking to integrate them, there are probably better books to turn to.
February 28, 2021
So so so good, one of my favourite books so far. Would really recommend!! I especially liked the chapters 'The Greening of World Religions' and 'Ecofeminist Thea/ologies and Ethics'. I got this book as a secret santa present organised on twitter, so very happy to have finally read it :)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews