Gender, Ecology and Autobiography: Unpacking of C.K. Janu’s Mother Forest

Abstract

The present study employs an eco-feminist perspective to analyze the relationship between environmental exploitation and gender oppression in Indigenous contexts by examining C.K. Janu’s autobiography Mother Forest: The Unfinished Story of C.K. Janu. Janu, a Kerala-based Adivasi activist and leader, offers important insights into the close relationship between tribal women’s identities and their forest ecosystems. Through her depiction of the mutually beneficial interaction between Adivasi women and the environment, Janu’s life story undermines prevailing patriarchal and capitalist narratives, as this study reveals. With a special focus on land rights concerns, traditional ecological knowledge, embodied resistance, and cultural preservation, the analysis shows how environmental deterioration and the marginalization of Indigenous women are similar. Janu’s autobiography documents the simultaneous colonization of women’s bodies and forest areas, becoming a potent counter-narrative that promotes gender equality and environmental justice. This study adds to the growing body of research on Indigenous eco-feminism by elevating underrepresented perspectives and emphasizing the value of forest sovereignty for Indian tribal people’s cultural survival and female empowerment.