CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Jirickova, Marie |
|---|---|
| Title | A Mosaic of Czech Ecofeminists in 1989-2000 |
| Summary | In this thesis, I explore Czech ecofeminist groups in the decade following the Velvet Revolution (1989-2000) within their relations with domestic and foreign activists and thinkers. This research draws upon oral history interviews with members of activist groups and archival research (documents, books, pamphlets, newspapers, zines, etc.). Its significance lies in filling a gap in the scholarly literature on Czech ecofeminism in the 1990s, the contribution to understanding broader influences and sources that Czech ecofeminists used beyond national borders. I analyze the interactions and differences between institutionalized (non-profit organizations) and alternative (anarcha-feminist) platforms for ecofeminism, illuminating Czech ecofeminists’ interests, topics, and development trajectories. The early 1990s were significant for ecofeminist groups as they established contacts with international activists, tried to find their voice in the public sphere, and engaged in politics. Despite significant connections with foreign activists and sources of inspiration, Czech ecofeminists drew from local sources and strived to distinguish themselves from “Western feminists.” I identify the influences of spiritual and social ecofeminism, which were most prominent among formal and informal ecofeminist groups. In the second half of the 1990s, ecofeminism manifested in the anarcha-feminist groups focused heavily on women’s spirituality (witchcraft and permaculture).Despite the increased use of the term ecofeminism in the late 1990s, collaboration with international ecofeminist organizations, and heightened mobilization around anti/alter-globalization protests, nominal inclinations towards ecofeminism gradually faded. This decline occurred both within non-profit organizations, which after 2000 began to focus more narrowly on either environmental or feminist issues as part of their professionalization and within the anarcha-feminist groups, where emerging groups shifted their focus from women’s spirituality and ecofeminism to LGBTQ+ and animal rights. |
| Supervisor | Loney, Hannah; Zimmermann, Susan |
| Department | History MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/jirickova_marie.pdf |
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