Ecofeminism and Gender Perspectives on Sustainability in Kamala Markandaya’s Novel “Necter In A Sieve”

Abstract

Kamala Markandaya's novel "Nectar in a Sieve" is a powerful narrative that marries ecofeminism with gender issues of sustainability. This research paper looks at the interconnectedness of women with nature in the novel, with more emphasis on the novel's protagonist, Rukmani, as she leads her life in rural India. The novel realistically unfolds the sorry state of affairs women experience in the course of their lives steeped in a deep affinity with the soil they till, against ecological damage and patriarchal subjugation.

Markandaya thereby tells the important role of women in environmental stewardship and sustainable practices through the experiences of Rukmani. This novel epitomizes how the exploitation of natural resources and marginalization of women are parts of interconnected problems and thus have to be confronted together. The paper tries using the socio-economic and cultural issues faced by Rukmani and the other female characters to advocate for a gender-sensitive approach toward sustainability, whereby women's contributions to environmental conservation are valued as well as recognized accordingly.

This research also captures the wider implications for ecofeminism with regard to postcolonial literature and how this author develops her work based on colonial and patriarchal systems that foster environmental and gender injustices. In situating "Nectar in a Sieve" within an eco-feminist framework, it is the purpose of this paper to foster greater understanding of the interconnectedness of the issues of gender and environment vis-à-vis concerns for sustainability and to foster advocacy for more inclusive and participatory solutions to environmental problems.