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This brief but ambitious book explores
our relationship with nature through the imagery we use when we
talk about Mother Nature. Employing the critical tools of religious
studies, psychology, and gender studies, Catherine M. Roach examines
the various manifestations of nature as "mother" and what
that idea implies for the way we approach the natural world. Part
One, "Nature as Good Mother," discusses the notion that
nature is, or is like, a beneficent and nurturing mother who provides
and maintains life. In studying the "green" slogan "Love
Your Mother," Roach questions the effects—for women and
for the environment—of imputing female gender to nature. She
asks us to look at the associations that "motherhood"
and "mothering" carry within a culture still shaped by
patriarchy. She notes the danger of such an apparently pro-environmental
slogan if "mother" evokes the bountiful, self-sacrificing
provider who herself requires no care.
Part Two, "Nature as Bad Mother," looks at the contrary
notion of nature as a violent, threatening, and wrathful mother.
This image arises most often when humans and technology are depicted
as masters of unruly nature. Here Roach draws on theological reflection
to analyze this ambivalence toward nature manifested in a fantasy
that casts humans as gods. She explores the contributions of eco-theology
and eco-psychology to a "heart of darkness" perspective.
Finally, Part Three, "Nature as Hurt Mother," looks at
possibilities and pitfalls of environmental healing inherent in
the image of nature as a mother we have wounded and now seek to
heal.
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