Ecowomanism: African American Women and Earth-Honoring Faiths

by Melanie L. Harris

Intermingling academic reflections with personal stories and anecdotes, the author shows that African American women make unique contributions to the environmental justice movement in the ways that they theologize, theorize, practice spiritual activism, and come to religious understandings about their relationship with the earth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Feminism, Theology, Environment, Social Justice, History

184 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2017

Reviews

[Brooke Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

One pet peeve I have is the mainstream environmental movement that erases communities & women of color. I also despise religion that ignores the environment. This is a great start/corrective to that.

[Cana McGhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

kind of a life changing read for me, packed with really useful language and methods for intervening in the overwhelming whiteness of mainstream environmental activism.

[Emily O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflection for class:

An article I read recently, which explained that the fear of death guides many of our actions and leads us to cling to security, has led me to consider the role of fear in racial and environmental injustice. Colonialism is, at least in part, predicated upon an insatiable craving for more--more land, more material wealth, and thus more supposed "security." This has resulted in the expulsion of peoples from their homes, the exploitation of humans and myriad other species, and the continual gutting of this planet. In "Only Justice Can Stop a Curse," Alice Walker notes that: "Earth is my home--though for centuries white people have tried to convince me I have no right to exist, except in the dirtiest, darkest corners of the globe." The world that greed and fear have created is a world of walls, genocide, and environmental pillage. Throughout US history, white people have taken the land and resources that they want, resulting the killing and expulsion of Native Americans, the commodification and parcelling off of land, and racist city planning schemes. These injustices persist today, in ways that are deeply embedded in the economic structure of the US and which affects the globe. Though I have spent most of my life in the US and by no means claim to understand what life is like in other countries, I have spent multiple years in the Global South, where people are often the most affected by climate change and environmental degradation. It is hard to explain to people, back in the cozy suburbs of Utah, that climate change is real and that their consumption does impact people's lives in a visceral way. The dyes for our clothing make water toxic for others; the changing weather patterns caused by our emissions results in flooding and droughts. But most people in my area choose to ignore these injustices, and thus the desire for comfortable lifestyles allows these injustices to persist. What would it take for people to care? What would it take to help people loosen their grips on the ropes of security, to look outwardly and take into consideration the well-being of the whole? How can the type of love and bravery necessary for people to reshape their lives be fostered?

The essays on Ecowomanism helped me understand that thee answers to these question are complex, requiring an interdisciplinary combination of theory and practice. They have also asserted the role of the spiritual in fueling these types of changes, encouraging me to explore how the spiritual can be integrated into various societal spaces.

[Brian Hutzell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The academic community ought to establish a limit to the number of ists and isms an author may use in a single work. Also, there should be a maximum number of times words like “praxis," “epistemology,” and “hermeneutics” may be used. Ecowomanism is over the limit on all of these and more. Another problem with the book is that rather than a sustained argument or narrative, it is largely a collection of previously written articles stitched together, preventing a smooth flow of ideas. I hope Dr. Harris might consider using this book as the first draft of a more polished and accessible volume. Another pass or two through the editing channels would smooth out the rough seams, fix some of the clunky writing, and lose much of the academic-speak. Her message is an important one—one that needs to be heard by a broader public. She would be doing us all a great service by bringing it outside the university walls.

[Kristina Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a very difficult time getting through this book, which was an assigned text for Dr. Norman Wirzba's Caring for Creation (PARISH 806) class at Duke Divinity School. The book read more like disjointed sections from a PhD dissertation or a series of academic essays bound together, which made it sometime seem extremely repetitive and academically abstract. 3 stars because I believe womanist thought is absolutely critical to an environmental justice movement that doesn't replicate racist patterns and integrates the voices of African/indigenous cosmology, but am not sure this book helped me understand how to turnkey this thought in any meaningful or practical way. I also have a difficult time accepting any over-glorification of Alice Walker (who is a central model for this book) due to her extremely overt antisemitism and transphobia.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really helpful overview of this topic with pointers for further thought and reading. I was familiar with some of the context, but it's interesting to see how Alice Walker is being lifted up as a classic writer and mainstay of this movement, and to be introduced to a range of new work in this field. A lot of it would be useful to anyone interested in the connections between environmental work and racial justice, especially if they were also interested in religion and/or spirituality. I found chapter six, "Taking Action for Earth Justice: Teaching Ecowomanism" especially helpful.

[Anna Whitaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I should have read this book more quickly than I did: despite its length, at only 155 pages of text, it is full of theoretical insights and practical experiences of African American women. It is a wonderful conversation partner with other earth-rooted spiritualities, beckoning the reader to consider the way in which environmental advocacy is deeply entangled with the pursuit of justice.

[Neeko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing read - hard to interpret at times, but that I believe it had more to do with me being new to the subject rather than her vocabulary not being necessary. Challenging and important, Harris brings to light the interconnections of social justice and environmental justice, and how it can not be seen as separate. I will now forever question our usage of the word "mother" when used in reference to an Earth we continue to pillage and dominate.

[Ryan and Sara Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and Insightful Reading

In Melanie Harris's book, she discourses about Ecowomanism and it's connection and interconnectedness to social, racial, and earth justice. Throughout the book, she draws heavily upon black liberation theology as a framework for Ecowomanism. From my perspective, this is one of the best books I've read regarding Eco-liberationist theology!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this was an assigned book for my class on Religion, Race, and Climate Change, I still deeply enjoyed it and found myself completely changed by her writing. Harris invites her audience to engage with the intersectionality of race, gender, and climate change, and offers ways we can put women of color and their lived experiences/histories at the forefront of the climate change discussion.

[Diana Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting presentation of the connections of womanist theology and ecological/environmental theology from a womanist perspective