An Ecofeminist Reading of Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997)

Abstract

In postcolonial India, those in power claimed that development projects were meant to bring progress and prosperity to the Indian people; however, these projects caused ecological damage and consolidated the oppression of women, children, and lower-caste groups. The main purpose of this article is to read Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things (1997) through a postcolonial ecofeminist lens, examining the way environmental degradation and social and economic injustice are deeply interconnected. This study explains the ways hierarchical dualisms and capitalist patriarchy legitimize the exploitation of nature by humans, of women by men, and of the oppressed by the powerful. This article suggests that people in the Global South context have a profound relationship with the natural environment, thanks to their sustainable way of life. Therefore, countries like India need a distinct perspective of ecofeminism that can liberate nature, women, children, and other powerless groups from an oppression nurtured by dualism, patriarchy, and capitalism. Postcolonial ecofeminism is relevant to the Indian context because it seeks to subvert oppressive social and economic systems through environmental activism and other forms of resistance.