Negotiating ecofeminism: Religious women and environmental protection in contemporary Taiwan (China)

This dissertation seeks to highlight the contributions of Taiwanese religious women toward the rise and growth of the environmental protection activities in Taiwan. It includes concrete case studies of women from Buddhist, Christian and other mixed groups who have in countless ways helped generate awareness of the need to actively involve in environmental protection, resource conservation and the protection of animals. Some of the groups studied, consisting mostly of women, are exclusively religious in their orientation, while others have no obvious religious leanings. However all the women included in this study profess some form of religious belief. By way of studying specific cases of such women's groups as the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, Life Conservationist Association, Taiwanese Christian Ecological Center, Kaohsiung Mothers Service Team, and the Homemakers' Union and Foundation, I try to provide a window to their ideals as well as their manifestations in daily life. All of these groups were founded and are led by women thus it is also an attempt to show the contributions of women in leadership roles involving both religious as well as social aspects.; Here I also attempt to locate some theoretical frameworks that provide greater understanding of the work being done. The areas involving the study are religion, feminism and ecology or to be more precise environmental protection. If religion provides a primary motivation for the women's voluntary activism, feminism informs some of their methodologies, whether consciously or unconsciously. Although these women do not see themselves as feminists or ecofeminists, from a certain perspective their social movements are pursuing similar goals as ecofeminist movement in the West. Some of their achievements, such as increase in self-esteem (and overall self-transformation) by way of their activism, can even be considered a feminist-desired outcome. Moreover, as a result of their activism, general public consciousness of the importance of ecological and environmental protection has increased manifold. Furthermore, by viewing contemporary issues in Taiwan from the perspectives of social anthropology, geography, interreligious cooperation and global ethics, this work highlights the real characteristics of Taiwanese women's environmental action.; Finally a comparative analysis of Asian and Western ecofeminism is made in light of the overall contributions of women in earth ethics, environmentalism, ecology and other women's issues. The comparisons include similarities and differences in methods, histories, resolutions, goals and achievements. In a larger discussion of the contributions of women from Western and Asian countries, I locate the role of Taiwanese women's environmental activism and its importance for contemporary Taiwan as well as for women's environmental activism worldwide.