Introducing Ecofeminism as a Literary Lens for Writing Center Tutors

In the humanities, we often encourage students to view texts through a critical lens—Marxist, feminist, psychoanalytic, postcolonial. These frameworks help writers make meaning, trace patterns of power, and pose questions that go beyond plot summary. But one lens that’s still relatively underutilized in writing pedagogy—and ripe for exploration—is ecofeminism.

Ecofeminism, at its core, asks us to see connections between systems: the oppression of women and the degradation of the environment, the logic of domination that structures hierarchies of race, gender, species, and land. It’s a framework that not only analyzes literature but also pushes us to reconsider our own relationships to nature and power. For tutors in particular, ecofeminism can serve as both an interpretive strategy and a pedagogical opportunity—one that broadens how students understand literature, theory, and the world.

What is Ecofeminism?

Karen J. Warren, one of the foremost scholars in ecofeminist theory, defines ecofeminism as a theory “aimed at showing important connections among the dominations of women, other subordinated human groups, and nonhuman nature” (Ecofeminist Philosophy, 2000, p. 21). In other words, ecofeminism isn’t just about including “nature” in feminist conversations or “women” in ecological ones—it’s about recognizing that both systems of oppression are rooted in the same conceptual framework.

Warren names this structure the logic of domination—a mode of thinking that assumes difference implies hierarchy, and hierarchy justifies subordination. Whether it’s the domination of women by men, animals by humans, or land by corporations, this logic persists by framing the subordinate group as inherently less rational, less valuable, or less deserving of agency.

What makes ecofeminism distinctive is not just its attention to multiple systems of power, but its insistence that these systems are mutually reinforcing. You cannot fully address gender justice without ecological justice, and vice versa.

Ecofeminism as a Literary Lens

So, how does this translate to literary analysis? For tutors working with students on literature assignments, ecofeminism offers a fresh way to interpret texts that are often read only through more traditional lenses.

Encouraging students to ask ecofeminist questions can deepen their interpretations:

• How are female bodies and natural landscapes described in the text? Are they idealized, feared, or commodified?
  
• Does the narrative associate femininity with nature or emotion? How is that framed?
  
• What happens to the environment alongside moments of social or political violence?
  
• Are land and women’s bodies portrayed as resources to be controlled, used, or conquered?

These questions can help students notice connections between character, setting, and ideology that they may not have considered before. Even if the term ecofeminism doesn’t appear in the assignment prompt, the ideas it contains can still open up new analytical territory.

Practical Ways Tutors Can Introduce Ecofeminism

Writing center sessions aren’t lecture halls—we work through conversation, curiosity, and collaborative meaning-making. That means we don’t have to “teach” ecofeminism in a formal sense to make use of it. Instead, we can gently invite writers to consider these connections when they arise naturally in the text.

Here are some ways to do that:

• “I noticed there’s a strong connection between the female character and the landscape—have you thought about what that might suggest symbolically?”
  
• “The way nature is described here feels pretty gendered. Would you be interested in exploring that?”
  
• “Some readers might use an ecofeminist lens to analyze the relationships between gender, power, and nature in this story—does that sound like something you’d want to try?”

These soft introductions allow writers to explore theory without feeling overwhelmed. If they’re interested, you can offer a short explanation or even suggest relevant terms they can research further (like logic of domination, embodiment, or dualisms). If they’re not, that’s okay too—planting the seed may still open a door later.

Example Texts that Lend Themselves to Ecofeminism

Some texts almost beg for ecofeminist readings, though students may not recognize that without a prompt. Here are just a few commonly taught works that align well with this lens:

• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: How does the pursuit of scientific mastery mirror patriarchal control over life, nature, and reproduction?
  
• Kate Chopin’s The Awakening: In what ways does the sea function as a feminine, liberatory force—and how is Edna’s desire tied to both nature and transgression?
  
• Toni Morrison’s Beloved: How does the natural world serve as both refuge and witness to historical trauma, particularly the trauma of enslaved women?
  
• Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower: How do environmental collapse, corporate greed, and patriarchal violence intersect?
  
• Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony: How is healing tied to reconnection with land, culture, and nonhuman life?

Bringing ecofeminism into the writing center doesn’t mean shifting a student’s argument to fit this lens—it means offering another interpretive possibility, one that might help them see their own questions more clearly.

Why it Matters

Ecofeminism matters not just because it offers a theoretical framework, but because it invites us to consider the ethical stakes of reading and writing. Ecofeminism is about the kinds of connections one makes between the domination of women and the domination of nature, and how those connections are understood and addressed in theory and practice. The phrase “in theory and practice” is key. Literature is not separate from the world—it reflects, distorts, and challenges it.

By equipping writers with a lens that attends to systems of harm and interconnection, we’re not just supporting academic success. We’re also encouraging a form of analysis rooted in empathy, justice, and ecological awareness.

For tutors, ecofeminism offers more than content knowledge. It gives us a model of inquiry that’s curious, intersectional, and ethically engaged—everything we aim for in the writing center.

Final Thoughts

As tutors, we don’t have to be ecofeminist experts to make space for ecofeminist questions. We just have to be attentive—to the metaphors in a text, to the silences between lines, to the patterns that writers are already beginning to notice. By offering ecofeminism as one lens among many, we can help writers think more expansively about both literature and the world it reflects.

After all, learning to read the Earth and the body together isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s a necessary one.

References

Warren, Karen J. Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000.