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| Dr.Vandana Shiva in rural India |
Dr.Vandana Shiva is
a philosopher, author, ecofeminism activist, and an Alternative Nobel Peace
prize recipient. Much of her work is centered in law, politics and research,
and fight for biological and biodiverse intellectual property. Through this medium of activism and
awareness, Dr.Vandana Shiva has contributed to the feminist movement through an
intersectionality of ecology. Dr.Vandana Shiva has contributed immensely to the
ecofeminist movement through her activism for biological political change. Her
belief in the ecofeminist movement is based on her philosophy that to be a human and a feminist, one must know
that the earth is living, that it is special, and it keeps us alive. She also
basis her philosophy on the principle that nature has been replaced by the
patriarchy, and that women ,since they are part of nature, find themselves
subordinate to man.
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| The Chipko Movement in India |
An example of just
some, of her many accomplishments is her organization and execution of the
Green Social Movement in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Ireland, and Austria
against genetic engineering in science and agriculture. Regarding intellectual
property and biodiversity, Dr. Shiva along with her team at Research Foundation
for Science, Technology and Ecology have
successfully fought against the
biopiracy of Neem, Basmati, and Wheat.
Through this Dr.Shiva has continued her success into the realms of feminism
where she helped redefine the perception of third world women through the
publishing of her book titled "Staying Alive."As well as her direction and creation of The Chipko Movement which resisted industrial forestry and logging in rural India. It consisted of local women physically putting their bodies between the machinery and the forest that provided their livelihood. The largest success of the Chipko movement was convincing Indira Gandhi, India’s prime minister in 1981, to declare a fifteen-year moratorium on logging in the Himalayan forests in Uttar Pradesh. Dr.Shiva has also
written reports for the Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations
titled "The Majority of Farmers in India are Women." She has also
helped create The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, and
is a founding member of the Women's Environment & Development Organization. Last but not least, Dr.Vindana Shiva has been
recognized by Times Magazine as an Environmental hero in 2003, and Asia
week has recognized her as one of five most powerful communicators in Asia.
Dr.Vindana Shiva is
a very influential woman who is fighting for noble causes. I have had the
privilege of discovering the work of Dr.Shiva in my sophomore year of high
school through one of my amazing English teachers. We analyzed her influence in
the field of biodiversity and Eco activism, along with her work in feminist
theory. I was blown away to learn her success fighting battles against
Monsanto, an agricultural genetic engineering company. I also really do
appreciate her more spiritually conscious take on activism and feminism, it’s
like a fresh new lens.
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| Dr.Vindana Shiva receiving the 2010 SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE |
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