User:Hasmit06/sandbox

Some Articles I am interested in working on are:

-Riane Eisler

-Ecofeminism

-Vegetarian Ecofeminism

-Speciesism

Major Contribution First Draft

Buddhism and feminism both gained momentum in America around the same time, the 1960’s. Some of the parallels of these movements include experiential epistomology, intersection of the constrained mind, intersectionality and connection, using emotional energy as a coping mechanism, relational ethics, and a communal mindset and lifestyle. These commonly held beliefs helped connect these two movements and caused an overlapping in their bases.

Judaism has roots in community, kindness, and nature. These values are also prominent in the ecofeminist movement. The emphasis in Judaism on leaving the earth as it was found or better can be promoted through ecofeminist theories and movements. Social justice is an important part of Judaism, some seek this social justice through environmental and feminist movements. Social justice is particularly prominent in reform Judaism, around 38% of American Jews practice reform Judaism.

In Hinduism, the Ganges river is personified by the Goddess Ganga. She is seen in a convoluted nature as she is supposed to be independent yet guarded, she is to be respected, recognized, and accepted for who she is. Yet, the passages still have an underlying tone of a patriarchal esque society. The pollution or purity of the Ganges river is a reflection on her, forming the relationship between spirituality and nature.

Many religions have views that also align with the views of ecofeminism. For this reason, spiritual ecofeminism is not limited to just one religion. In fact, elements can be found throughout many different religions and systems of beliefs that are often not thought of relating to a feminist view.

Major Contribution Second Draft

Buddhism

Buddhism and feminism both gained momentum in America around the same time, the 1960’s. Some of the parallels of these movements include experiential epistemology, the intersection of the constrained mind, intersectionality and connection, using emotional energy as a coping mechanism, relational ethics, and a communal mindset and lifestyle.

Judaism

These values are prominent in the ecofeminist movement. The emphasis in Judaism on leaving the earth as it was found or better can be promoted through ecofeminist theories and movements. Social justice is an important part of Judaism, some seek this social justice through environmental and feminist movements. Social justice is particularly prominent in reform Judaism, around 38% of American Jews practice reform Judaism.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, the Ganges river is personified by the Goddess Ganga.She is seen in a convoluted nature as she is supposed to be independent yet guarded, she is to be respected, recognized, and accepted for who she is. Yet, the passages still have an underlying tone of a patriarchal esque society. The pollution or purity of the Ganges river is a reflection on her, forming the relationship between spirituality and nature.

Many religions have views that also align with the views of ecofeminism. For this reason, spiritual ecofeminism is not limited to just one religion. In fact, elements can be found throughout many different religions and systems of beliefs that are often not thought of relating to a feminist view.

Major Contribution Third Draft

Buddhism

Buddhism and feminism simultaneously gained momentum in America during the 1960’s. Some of the parallels between these movements include their experiential epistemology, the intersection of the constrained mind, intersectionality and connection, using emotional energy as a coping mechanism, relational ethics, and a communal mindset and lifestyle.^[1]  Both Buddhist and ecofeminist practitioners viewed nature as a pathway to enlightenment and as a source of many jumping off points for introspection and deeper thought about the relationship of nature and humans.

Judaism

Jewish ideology emphasizes leaving the earth as it was found (or in better condition than it was found in). This concept is also promoted through ecofeminist theories and movements. Both Judaism and ecofeminism do not always present as social justice movements, but they often contribute ideals and motivations for social change. Social justice is an important part of Judaism, and many practitioners see social justice as a form of spirituality, and some feel this form of spirituality through environmental and feminist movements.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, the Ganges River is personified by the Goddess Ganga. She is a paradoxical deity, as she is supposed to be independent yet guarded, pure yet polluted. Ganga is referred to as a deity to be both subjugated and protected. The underlying tone of the passages is patriarchal despite being reverent. The pollution or purity of the Ganges river is a reflection on Ganga, which represents the relationship between spirituality and nature. Hinduism emphasizes that all lives are connected and indistinguishable. In this context, every life, be it human or animal, is important.

Annotated Bibliography

Buddhism, Nature and the Environment

Bloom, Alfred. “Buddhism, Nature and the Environment.” The Eastern Buddhist, vol. 5, no. 1, 1972, pp. 115–129. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44361321.

Alfred Bloom worked for the Institute for Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California, and the University of Hawaii. This source is an assessment of the importance of Buddhism to the current environmental issues being faced. In this source explains how Buddhism is a pathway to helping alleviate some of the ecological stressors on the environment. It states that some of the practices in buddhism are being used to lessen the destruction of the environment, which it is common for Buddhist principles to help the environment. This source helped provide me with specific examples of how Buddhism is directly impacting the environment and how these impacts can become more common.

Ganga: Purity, Pollution, and Hinduism

Gupta, Lina. “Ganga: Purity, Pollution, and Hinduism” Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol Adams, Continuum, 1993, Pg 99-116.

Lina Gupta is a professor at Loyola Marymount University. This source could be considered a review of religious texts and an analysis of the relationship between Hinduism and ecofeminism. This source relates nature and how nature is related directly to the Goddess Ganga. This source uses Hindi texts to explain how the pollution of physical holy places translate directly to spiritual pollution. Hinduism also promotes a harmonious and healthy relationship with the environment around them. This is also a prevalent ecofeminist belief, this is just one of the many parallels between Hinduism and ecofeminism that are highlighted in this source. This source helped me find connections between not only ecofeminism and Hinduism but also Hinduism and Judaism. I used this source to explain how Hinduism holds values and beliefs that are shared by ecofeminists.

Acting with Compassion: Buddhism, Feminism, and the Environmental Crisis

Kaza, Stephanie. “Acting with Compassion: Buddhism, Feminism, and the Environmental Crisis” Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol Adams, Continuum, 1993, Pg 50-69.

Stephanie Kaza is Professor at the University of Vermont, she teaches in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. This source could be categorized as a cultural analysis of how Buddhism, feminism, and the environment all interact and how their interconnectedness serves a purpose in each. The author was mainly describing how Buddhism and ecofeminism are symbiotic to one another and why this relationship is important. This source helped me gain a better grasp on how Buddhism viewed the environment and how this was connected to a feminist perspective. This source outlined in detail many parallels between the ecofeminist and Buddhist movement.

Feminist Judaism and Repair of the World

Plaskow, Judith. “Feminist Judaism and Repair of the World” Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol Adams, Continuum, 1993, Pg 70-83.

Plaskow works at Manhattan College as a professor of Religious Studies, with a particular interest in feminist theology. This source could considered a cultural analysis of Judaism and how it is inherently connected to root ecofeminist values. This source highlights how traditional Jewish values can also be found in ecofeminists theories. This was shown through analyzing Jewish texts and ecofeminist writings to highlight similarities and how they overlap. This source mainly spoke about how Jewish values align with those of ecofeminism, an example of this is Tu Bishvat which is a holiday celebrating the new year of trees. This source allowed me to understand how principles in Judaism correspond to firmly held ecofeminist beliefs and how these two ways of thinking are related.

Ecofeminism: Symbolic and Social Connections of the Oppression of Women and the Domination of Nature

Ruether, Rosemary Radford. “Ecofeminism: Symbolic and Social Connections of the Oppression of Women and the Domination of Nature” Ecofeminism and the Sacred, edited by Carol Adams, Continuum, 1993, Pg 13-23.

Ruether is a prominent Catholic feminist theologian and was once nominated for the National Book Award for Philosophy and Religion, she is also an author of several other books and articles. This source is best described as a history and analysis of a political movement because it gives a general description of ecofeminism past and present. This source states that feminism is the primary expression of deep ecology. It also explores the fact that humans see themselves as superior to nature when humans can’t survive without nature but nature thrives without human interaction. This source primarily provided me with a general description and introduction to ecofeminism that I used to understand the bases of this movement and how it keeps evolving.

Ecofeminism: The Challenge to Theology

Ruether, Rosemary Radford. "Ecofeminism: The Challenge to Theology." Christianity and ecology: Seeking the well-being of Earth and humans (2000): 97-112.

Ruether is a prominent Catholic feminist theologian and was once nominated for the National Book Award for Philosophy and Religion, she is also an author of several other books and articles. This source is a comparative historical analysis of the implementation of christianity over time. This source points out that the christianity recognizes the relationship between men and women and how it parllels the relationship of all humans and the earth. This source helped me develop my general understanding of ecofeminism. The parallels between men and women and all humans and the environment was one that I had not thought of before and it will help me connect these ideas more clearly. I used this source to bridge the gaps between the different religions and the bigger idea of ecofeminism.

Judaism and Nature: Theological and Moral Issues to Consider While Renegotiating a Jewish Relationship to the Natural World

Schwartz, Eilon. “Judaism and Nature: Theological and Moral Issues to Consider While Renegotiating a Jewish..” Judaism, vol. 44, no. 4, Fall 1995, p. 437. EBSCOhost, echo.louisville.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9601090437&site=ehost-live.

Eilon Schwartz is the director of the Abraham Joshua Heschel Center for Nature Studies and works at The Melton Center for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This source is a review of previous Jewish writings and a plan for improving the way Jewish writings portray the relationship between the sacred and the environment. This source allowed me to understand that there are differing perspectives in Judaism on whether or not the spirit is directly related to the earth or if it transcend the earths bounds. This is a way to see that they believe the earth is important to the spirit but some believe that the spirit is more physically connected to the earth than others. From this source I took that Hinduism is not the only religion in which some believe that the earth is a direct or close reflection of the spirit.

Ecospirituality in Indian Tradition: Messages for Global Order

Singh, Rana PB. "Ecospirituality in Indian Tradition: Messages for Global Order."

Rana Singh is a professor of Cultural Geography and Heritage Studies at Banaras Hindu University in India. This source is an examination of theological values in the Hindu religion and the earth and the importance that the environment holds to those who practice Hinduism. The source says that Hinduism emphasizes that in basic terms all life is one and every life, be it human or animal is important. This helps identify which parts of hinduism are similar to ecofeminism and how they interact. From this source I gained a different perspective on how not only do these things relate to one another but how ecofeminism is a common base practice in some religions. I gained the information necessary to understand how basic environmental justice is common in Indian tradition and is still prevalent today.

Xie Jianshun

Xie Jianshun (January 24, 1918 -- ?) was a Taiwanese intersex man who gained considerable fame in 1953 when his condition was discovered by doctors of the Republic of China Armed Forces. He was considered by many to be the first Chinese "transsexual" when he underwent sex reassignment surgery and was frequently dubbed as the "Chinese Christine" due to both of them having been soldiers.^[1] This caused major cultural impact on the Taiwanese people as many felt it put the nation on the same level of development as the United States. Despite this Xie did not want to transition to a woman but was encouraged to do so by medical professionals.^[2]

Biography

Early Life

Xie was born in Chaozhou, Guandong, China on January 24, 1918. He joined the army when he was 16 and lost both of his parents by age 19. He moved to Taiwan in 1949.

Military Service and Diagnosis

Xie's hermaphroditic condition was discovered in 1953 due to him seeking medical attention after experiencing cramps, which turned out to be appendicitis. Xie had a penis and a very slim vaginal opening as well as internal gonads which contained both testicular and ovarian tissue, doctors determined that they could still produce eggs and that Xie's testicular tissue was deteriorating. Once Xie had been made aware of his condition, he was adamant about remaining male. He experienced slight physical dysphoria but had no social gender dysphoria about being male. Xie is even quoted to say,"If my biology does not allow me to remain a man but forces me to become a woman, what else can I do?" Due to this quote, many began to sympathize with Xie, viewing him as a, "normal, however unfortunate, heterosexual man."

Surgeries and Media Attention

Xie went on to become the first person in Taiwan to have sex reassignment surgery.^[4] The intense media coverage of the case lead to the hospital staff and Xie's associates to have to try to keep the journalist away for the sake of Xie's privacy. At the beginning of this process, Xie's medical information was released to the media and reported on every time there was an operation. The media would use article titles like,"The Yin-Yang Person's Interior Parts Revealed Yesterday After Surgery: The Presence of Uterus and Ovaries Confirmed" to keep the public informed of the ongoing medical exploration of Xie. The doctors told the media what had been discovered during surgery before Xie had even woken up from surgery. The doctors decided that since Xie had fully functioning female reproductive organs and less developed male reproductive organs, that the removal of the male organs was the best plan. The doctors believed that biology was more important than psychology in determining Xie's sex.

The First Operation

Xie's first surgery was an exploratory laparotomy. The United Daily News published a piece detailing the surgery for the public. The piece states,"The operation scheduled for today involves an exploratory laparotomy, followed by a careful examination of his lower cavity to detect the presence of uterus and ovary. If Xie's reproductive anatomy resembles that of a typical female, a second operation will follow suit as soon as Xie recovers from this one. In the second operation, the presently sealed vaginal opening will be cut open, and the vaginal interior will be examined for symptoms of abnormality. If the results of both operations confirm the Xie has a female reproductive system, the final step involves the removal of the symbolic male genital organ on the labia minora, converting him into a pure female. Otherwise, Xie will be turned into a pure male."

The Second Operation

Xie was forced to relocate to Taipei for the second operation. Xie initially refused to go and even wrote a letter to bureaucrats to express her desire to stay and be operated on in Tainan. Xie disclosed that her last menstrual cycle was very painful since there was only a slight vaginal opening. With another period on the horizon, Xie finally agreed to relocate in order to have the surgery before having to menstruate again. The second operation was also an exploratory laparotomy but this time they removed the internal male reproductive organs and taking samples from her female reproductive organs.

The Following Operations

Xie's third operation replaced the penis with an artificial vaginal opening. The fourth operation was a vaginoplasty. Xie claims to have had nine operations, however the rest were not as publicized.

Later Life

During the late 1950's Xie changed her name to Xie Shun and began working at the Ta Tung Relief Institute for Women and Children. The Ministry of National Defense gave Xie 1000 New Taiwanese dollars to help her afford feminine clothing to help her feel more comfortable in her new identity. Xie was often compared to Christine Jorgensen in what was perceived by many to be a competition between American and Taiwanese science. The claims were that Xie, after surgery, was a 100% biological woman whereas Christine was seen to be an "altered male".