Abstract:
This research investigates the profound interconnection between ecofeminism, theology, and the search for socio-environmental justice. The study is set in the context of the contemporary civilizational crisis, characterized by an unprecedented ecological crisis and the persistence of profound social inequalities. In this scenario, ecofeminism emerges as a robust theoretical and political perspective, capable of articulating criticism of the domination of nature with criticism of the patriarchal structures that subjugate women, proposing a new paradigm based on care, relationality, and the sustainability of life. The guiding question is: to what extent can action research with a formative proposal based on ecofeminist theology help women from the Mundo Mais Limpo Work Cooperative, located in São Leopoldo/RS, to identify the violence they suffer and develop strategies to confront it in order to achieve gender justice and promote changes in society? The investigation is based on the assumption that the oppression of women and the exploitation of nature are interconnected manifestations of a patriarchal and anthropocentric system. The theoretical framework of the research is built on the articulation between feminist theology, ecological theology, and ecofeminist theology. Feminism and feminist theology are used to unveil patriarchal structures, gender violence, and female subordination in society and in the religious sphere. Ecological theology criticizes the anthropocentric paradigm and the instrumentalization of nature, proposing a spirituality that restores care and relationality with the Earth. Ecofeminism and ecofeminist theology emerge as the theoretical framework that radically connects these two fronts of struggle. It posits that the domination of women and the exploitation of nature have common ideological and structural roots, advocating a plural and contextual epistemology that values the interdependence of all living beings. This perspective proposes a social reorganization based on the sustainability of community life, where care is restored as a fundamental element for an economy at the service of life. The methodology adopted is action research, consistent with the ecofeminist framework. As part of the process, a training proposal entitled “down-to-earth ecofeminism” was designed and implemented, aiming to root ecofeminist concepts in women's daily practices. The research confirmed the power of ecofeminism as an analytical lens and political tool, demonstrating that the cooperative is a living microorganism of ecofeminist transformation in action. However, the study highlighted contradictions and challenges such as the internalization of guilt, the normalization of self-neglect in health, the difficulty in questioning patriarchal religious interpretations, and the subtle reproduction of hierarchies, even in a horizontal cooperative space. This dissertation demonstrates that ecofeminist theology, far from being an abstract theory, is a vital tool for interpreting and strengthening the struggles of women who, with their feet firmly planted in their reality, are already building, with sweat, soap, and solidarity, the seeds of a more equitable future. Care for the Earth and care for others thus prove to be the thread that leads to integral liberation and the construction of a world where all voices and forms of life are, in fact, respected and volued.
