Feminism, ecology, and art as social practice

Along with being the first Ecofeminist movement in India, the Chipko movement can be recognized as the first Community and Participatory act of Engagement initiated by women of the Himalayas to protect its forests from exploitation. This paper discusses Ecofeminism in the context of the practice of community/social engagement with an interdisciplinary lens. It further deliberates on the term ‘Social Practice/Socially engaged art’ in relation to the environment and ecological sustainability. This art medium emphasizes engagement through the human interface and social discourse intending to generate social and/or political change through collaboration with individuals, communities, and institutions. Grounded on a case study of Assam, the paper addresses various socio-environmental issues of the area adjacent to Guwahati and reflects on how the women-power of the district, through community engagement and participation proved to be a boon for harmonizing the ecology of the region. With an interdisciplinary perspective, the paper enables us to understand the alarming need for the preservation of environment and biodiversity with the utmost need of inclusion of Women to sustain life on the changing landscape of our planet Earth.