Contribution short abstract:

This study explores the feminist perspective in reshaping South Asian environmental history, highlighting women's roles, gender dynamics, and the influence on policies.

Contribution long abstract:

With a special emphasis on the connection between women and ecology, the crucial role that feminist viewpoints have played in reworking South Asian environmental history. It illuminates the nuanced ways in which power dynamics, social inequality, and gender dynamics have impacted environmental narratives.

The introduction of the paper acknowledges and celebrates the previously undervalued contributions of women to resource management and environmental protection in South Asia. It emphasizes women as the principal guardians of important natural resources, like forests and water, revealing their critical role in preserving ecological balance.

The paper also looks at how environmental changes affect women differently than men, focusing on how rural women suffer disproportionately during environmental crises. They are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and environmental degradation because of their traditional roles as suppliers of water, food, and care for their families.

The study also examines how colonialism and apartheid still influence environmental policies. It highlights the ongoing fights for environmental justice, land rights, and sustainable development spearheaded by women in South Asia and sheds light on the significant gendered imbalances ingrained within these historical injustices.

Utilizing intersectionality, the study investigates how gender interacts with race, class, and ethnicity to affect environmental experiences in South Asia. It also emphasizes the vital role feminist viewpoints had in developing inclusive, gender-responsive environmental policies.

This paper’s conclusion emphasizes how feminist interpretations of South Asia environmental history advance knowledge of women's agency while promoting just and sustainable environmental policies.