Queering Ecology: Heteronormativity, Environmental Stewardship, and the Construction of Nature and Wilderness
Overview
This paper analyzes the concept of 'queering' ecology by examining how queer theory challenges heteronormative assumptions about nature and environmental stewardship. It explores how heteronormativity endangers environmental protection and discusses historical and theoretical perspectives on wilderness construction in the United States, particularly examining gender and feminist approaches to understanding human relationships with nature.
What this coursework covers
- Response to Question 1: Examination of queer ecology concept and heteronormativity's impact on environmental understanding
- Response to Question 2: Historical and theoretical analysis of nature, landscape, and wilderness construction in the United States using perspectives from multiple authors
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Response to Question 1
The ‘queering’ ecology concept is relatively simple from the position of the two authors, although it still appears complicated by the perception of ‘queer.” For instance, Gray (2017) explains that the queer concept fails to dismantle and subvert the priori heteronormativity assumptions such as the natural claim that is often taken for granted. Queer theory emerged from social construction of nature, which indicates that nature enhances the existence of ecology. Queer bodies live sustainably with the rest of humanity on the planet, and provide a rational comprehension of the environmental stewardship. For example, individuals who belong to the LGTBTQIA society are not the only people that suffer from discrimination and violence because of being heterosexuals. As such, oppression and discrimination is based on sexuality, gender, class, and race. The queer theory holds that heterosexuality is not monolithic, stable, fixed, universal, natural, or transhistorical. However, the enthusiastic adherents of heterosexuality claim otherwise, which contradicts the queer theory. An example is hegemonic heterosexuality, which assumes that sex is primarily for procreation. Therefore, the perception that queer sex cannot inseminate causes queer bodies to be discriminated. As a result, heteronormativity is both indeterminate and decisive about sex nature, which acknowledges and marginalizes its association to pleasure. Environmentalists struggle with the concept that nature always serves the normative.
It is difficult to adopt the notion of queer ecology because although queer theory and ecology theory are intimate, ecological thinking is not enhanced by queer theory.