Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development

Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development was published in 1988 by the Indian physicist and ecofeminist theorist Vandana Shiva. It is the author's first book and one of her most influential works.

In the book, Shiva argues that patriarchal domination is a legacy of Western colonialism and of a dualistic, Cartesian way of seeing the world. According to her analysis, paired concepts such as man and woman are not presented as complementary but as separate realities in which one is subordinated to the other. Shiva also examines the relationship between rural women and nature, which is threatened by the drive for development.

She analyses other dichotomies as well, such as nature and culture, and the way both are associated with femininity and masculinity. Shiva shows how colonial dynamics have stripped nature of every meaning except a commercial one, and how this economic relationship harms the rights and needs of local populations and traditional knowledge.

The book played an important role in opening debate on the biases of development discourse, modern science and gender discrimination, and on their consequences. It also helped to universalize the experience of rural and tribal women.