ECOFEMINISM AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The study addresses ecofeminism in the face of socio-environmental challenges in Brazil, highlighting it as a strand of feminism that integrates the struggle for women’s rights with the defense of nature. The objective is to analyze ecofeminist conceptions, practices, and actions in confrontation with the capitalist-patriarchal system, which is responsible for environmental exploitation and gender oppression. The methodology adopted was qualitative, reflective-interpretative in nature, based on bibliographic review and critical analysis. The results reveal three ecofeminist trends—classical, spiritualist, and constructivist—which, although distinct, converge in defending solidarity, environmental justice, and women’s participation in decision-making processes. The study emphasizes the development of ecofeminism in Brazil, particularly after Eco-92, Rio+20, and the Marcha das Margaridas, while also denouncing the dismantling of socio-environmental policies since 2016, intensified under the far-right government, with an increase in violence against activists, traditional peoples, and women. It is argued that ecofeminism constitutes an essential theoretical and political tool to confront the socio-environmental crisis, proposing the overcoming of capitalist-patriarchal structures in favor of a society grounded in gender equity, sustainability, and respect for sociocultural diversity.