Vandana Shiva: Ecofeminist and Pioneer of Ethical Posthumanism

Abstract

Vandana Shiva is among the most well-known ecofeminists in and out of academia. This article will examine the proposals of some of her works—Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development (1988), Ecofeminism (with Maria Mies, 1993), Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace (2005), and Terra Viva: My Life in a Biodiversity of Movements (2022)—together with the principles of ethical posthumanism. As for the latter, I will rely on the writings of Stacy Alaimo, Karen Barad, Jane Bennet, Rosi Braidotti, and Donna Haraway. I will show how Shiva’s ideas both anticipate and dialogue with those of the mentioned authors. Thus, I will assess several issues such as: the criticism of the human/nonhuman hierarchy, especially between privileged and non-privileged women; the ecological wisdom of tribal women; the so-called natural world as an example of ethical relations; the importance of co-operation, care, and love in sustaining life; the agency and subjectivity of the nonhuman; and the interconnectedness between the human and the nonhuman. In all, the paper expects to demonstrate that Shiva’s oeuvre foresees ethical posthumanism.