GUARDIANS OF THE EARTH: AMAZONIAN WOMEN IN THE ECOFEMINIST STRUGGLE

INTRODUCTION: The domination and hierarchization of women are historical practices expressed both in social relations and in the symbolic organization of communities. This logic of oppression mirrors the way nature has been explored and degraded over the centuries. Ecofeminism emerges as a theoretical and practical way of resistance, articulating women’s struggles with the defense of the environment. It constitutes an ethical and political proposal aimed at fostering the common good, gender equality, and the appreciation of life in its plurality, standing in opposition to patriarchal, colonial, and extractivist logics of domination. AIMS: To examine whether religious/spiritual foundations have been essential to such ecofeminist practices, and to identify the forces that sustain their convictions of sustainability and collective coexistence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The methodology adopted consisted of an interdisciplinary bibliographic research, focusing on books and scientific articles about ecofeminism, feminist theology, and Indigenous knowledge, using descriptors such as “Amazon,” “ecofeminism,” and “ecofeminist theology.” The study drew particularly on authors such as Ivone Gebara, Rosemary Radford Ruether, and Anne Primavesi, as well as texts produced by and about women of the forest. RESULTS: The findings show that ecofeminism in the Amazon is not only expressed as a critical theory but also, and perhaps more importantly, as a concrete lived experience grounded in care, spirituality, and territorial belonging ways of life that embody harmony with nature. From this perspective, ecofeminist theology emerges as a liberating reading of reality, one that recognizes the far-reaching implications of environmental degradation, the transgression of human rights as a whole, and the interdependence of human life within ecosystems. In light of this, it becomes clear that these communities approach and relate to nature in ways that differ from the dominant paradigm, choosing instead to live in communion with the forest. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: It can be concluded that the experiences in the Amazon, particularly those of women, reveal distinct forms of ecological and spiritual resistance. Therefore, greater visibility of these epistemologies is essential in order to formulate viable alternatives to address the current civilizational and environmental crisis in a sustainable way.

KEYWORDS: Ecofeminism; Feminist theology; Amazon; Spirituality; Gender.