Women, Subalterns, and Ecologies in South and Southeast Asian Women's Fiction

East Asia has gained prominence and overshadowed other Asian regions, leading to a neglect of the global ecological crisis. Chitra Sankaran's study combines South Asian and Southeast Asian philosophical views with mainstream ecocritical and ecofeminist theories to generate a localized critical idiom that examines how global threats impact subdominant groups, including women. The study introduces a corpus of ecofictions by women writers from twelve countries, showcasing how women and subalterns engage with critical ecologies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2022
Publisher: University of Georgia Press

In recent decades, East Asia has emerged as a prominent region, often considered synonymous with Asia as a whole. However, this generalization has led to the neglect of significant aspects of the global ecological crisis that impact both East Asia and other Asian regions, such as South and Southeast Asia. To address this issue, Chitra Sankaran takes a fresh global perspective and focuses on these rapidly developing regions of Asia. By blending South Asian and Southeast Asian philosophical views and folk perspectives with mainstream ecocritical and ecofeminist theories, Sankaran creates a localized critical idiom that challenges and subverts some established theoretical assumptions.

This groundbreaking study, which includes a comprehensive corpus of more than thirty ecofictions written by women authors from twelve countries in South and Southeast Asia, delves into the impact of recent global threats to ecosystems on subdominant groups, particularly women. Through this new corpus, Sankaran uncovers how women and subalterns engage with various aspects of critical ecologies. Drawing upon ecofeminist theory, augmented by postcolonial and risk theories, Sankaran argues that these women writers offer unique perspectives that explore Asian women's relationships with both human and nonhuman worlds.

By reframing the global lens to encompass these two rapidly developing regions of Asia, Sankaran's work contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the ecological crisis and its effects on diverse communities. It highlights the need for a localized critical approach that recognizes the specific experiences and perspectives of women and subalterns, and seeks to empower them in addressing ecological challenges. This study not only expands our knowledge of ecofictions but also sheds light on the important role of women writers in shaping our understanding of the environment and its relationship to social justice.

Weight: 294g
Dimension: 152 x 230 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780820360881