Kombucha: The Story of a Symbiosis#
Ecofeminism: Advocacy for Biodiversity#
The separation between humans and nature is purely a social construct, as human identity is in fact nature in embodied form. From this perspective we can be critical from an ideological point about social dichotomies formed between humans and nature, humans and non-human animals, man and woman, black and white.
Some ecofeminists focus specifically on the linked oppressions of nonhuman animals and women, noting that the same logic of domination is responsible for both the oppression of women and the oppression of nonhuman animals. The central claim of ecofeminists is that we cannot liberate nature (or specifically, nonhuman animals), without taking the oppression of women seriously and, furthermore, we cannot liberate women, without taking the oppression of nature (or specifically, nonhuman animals) seriously.
Since ecofeminists maintain that masculine traits, such as domination, violence, exploitation, aggression, and disdain for nature are at the root of both the exploitation of women and nonhuman animals, ecofeminists call for a radically new animal ethic framework. This approach to animal ethics privileges the emotions, relationships, sympathetic responses, and instinct of care, while rejecting the use of impartial, rational moral reasoning to determine what morality demands of us.
Ecofeminist politics acts as dialectic of human and nature relations, and advocates for the shift in relations of production between capital and labour to relations of reproduction between labour and nature. Ecofeminist thinking challenges us to think about socially constructed doctrines which lead to a mentality of domination and oppression of women which is directly related to the mentality that leads to the abuse of non-human animals and the environment.
This capitalist driven oppression of women and non-human animals as well as the environment is disturbingly apparent in fashion practices, where upwards of a million animals are killed each year for the international fur trades which support the production of fur goods in the fashion industry. To preserve the quality of the fur animals are strangled, gassed, suffocated, anally electrocuted, their necks broken and even skinned alive, and there are no governing laws to protect them. Due to globalization, traceability of fur goods is impossible, labeling of the production or manufacturing company in a garment does not necessarily imply where the animal was raised and slaughtered, which is most times in an unregulated country.
The environmental costs of the fur trade industry are just as deplorable. Fur garments use up approximately 20 times more energy to produce than a faux fur garment, and are equally as non-biodegradable due to the chemical treatments undergone to keep the pelts from decomposing.
It is important as humans to realize the self imposed dichotomies of our society which prevent us from understanding the great interconnections which link all living organisms on this planet. If we could dismantle the doctrines which linger in our collective consciousness about human superiority, we could be better advocates for our non-human animal family. Through this recognition of coexistence, ecofeminists play a large role in movements for animal rights and animal treatment activism.
Mood Board#
Reflections:#
Research:#
Materials#
| Qty | Description | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mother Scoby | 4 euro | https://www.amazon.es/starting-INSTRUCTIONS-Brindle-Southern-Farms/dp/B00TXE67A6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548690814&sr=8-2&keywords=kombucha+scoby |
| 2000 ml | Distilled H2O | 2 euro | local shop |
| 100 ml | Organic cane sugar | 1 euro | local shop |
| 100 ml | Vinegar | 1 euro | local shop |
| 2 bags | Material eight | 22.00 $ | http://amazon.com/test |
Tests#
Kombucha Leather Prep from Catherine Euale on Vimeo.
