Ecofeminist Literary Criticism in Mainland China

Abstract

Ecofeminism emerged in the mid-1970s in the West as a result of the dual challenges faced by women active in both the feminist movement and the environmental movement. It was introduced to China in the late 1980s in the midst of Chinese efforts to reconnect with the international academic world and was quickly embraced by Chinese scholars in the field of literary criticism. Since the 1990s, ecofeminist literary criticism has become an emerging academic field reflecting Chinese intellectuals’ concern about environment and gender equality as a result of the country’s fast economic development. This study examines the emergence of ecofeminist literary criticism in China and analyzes its characteristics and challenges. More importantly, this study seeks to show that as a discourse, ecofeminist literary criticism is a powerful intellectual force in China that serves as a window into China’s academic globalization.