Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 4

© 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue IV Version I 21 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A 63 An Ecocritical Reading of Syed Manzoorul Islam’s Shakuner Dana environment are undergirded by the same logic of domination over the “other” in a binary configuration. As human beings seek to exert their control over nature and natural spaces in a display of power safe in the knowledge of anthropocentrism, so do patriarchal men over women motivated by their assumed superiority. Women being traditionally and temperamentally considered closer to nature and the environment, seem more poised to preserve and conserve them and put up resistance against environmental degradation. Against this backdrop, this paper will seek to analyze, from an ecofeminist point of view, how patriarchal ideology and capitalism combine to dominate women and the environment and how women exert their female power to challenge both types of hegemony. i. Patriarchal and capitalist hegemony unearthed Rumi does not mince his words; he has launched a direct attack. This girl is at the root of all evils, he says. There is no sense of decency in his implication. The gap between decency and indecency has been bridged by Dr. Saurabh. Orin is typically prone to cuddling and caressing, Saurabh says. Hadi nods in approval but cannot recall when she (Orin) cuddled and caressed and whom (Islam 30). As if this was not enough to assassinate the character of an absent female teammate, Rumi goes on to say that Orin has already been enjoying a “post-coital sleep” in the village, and then he cackles to the top of his voice. This type of brutalization of women is conceptually and ideologically bound up with the devastation of nature and the environment. Both actions are governed and motivated by the twisted logic of domination over the binary “other”. Capitalism, which is driven by a sense of profit-making, views natural space in the light of its financial value. Both the female body and the environment are commodified and exploited under the familiar logic of domination sought by hegemonic ideologies of patriarchy and capitalism. Eco- feministically speaking, the plight of Orin as a female and the potential damage to the environment in the CMB area are intertwined. ii. Environmental Justice Movement As mentioned earlier, women are generally considered to have more affinity to nature than their male counterparts. The protagonist Orin exemplifies the female sensitivities to the environmental degradation of the CMB region. Hence she takes up the challenge to put up an “environmental justice movement” against the potential onslaught on the ecology of the wetland. As per Adamson et al., in The Environmental Justice Reader (2002), environmental justice can be defined as ‘the right of all people to share equally in the benefits bestowed by a healthy environment (4; cited in Clark 88).’ Orin seems to share this spirit of justice and inspires the ordinary people, who in return throw their weight behind her fight against the politico-corporate nexus adamant in profiting off the mindless brutalization of natural sites of their region. Mass mobilization gathers momentum as local people are gearing up to neutralize the conspiracy to destabilize their life and livelihood, which depends upon the environment of their area. A conscientious section of people, the civil society, and environmental groups united and organized via social and mass media are willing to drive their collective power against the diabolical CMB project. Orin has tapped the power of the digital space to harness her environmental movement as her blog posts complemented by relevant pictures draw the attention of netizens at home and abroad to the sensational issue. Her communication with certain print media outlets and TV channels proves incredibly practical as they run an information war against the politico-corporate cabal and champion the cause of the commoners for whom the environmental toll of the proposed undertaking would pose existential threats. A TV reporter named Rupa, inspired by Orin, declares her crusade against the CMB project thus, ‘My reporting career is barely four years, yet I’ve observed how massive plunder takes place in the name of projects. The projects start in the name of the poor but end up fattening the pockets of the rich. I won’t spare the plunderers. I will use whatever little power I have against those who suck the blood out of common people, accumulate money, and settle down abroad (Islam 57).’ It is evident that the resistance movement led by Orin resonates with conscientious people of all walks. She has inspired villagers like Hanif Miah, Azad, Azam, Safia, Shailen, Imam Sahib, and city people like Rupa, Hannan, Simi, and Mahin to become united via the common goal of saving the CMB wetland area from One critical tool of the patriarchal stratagem is to exercise control over the female body. The overriding male gaze constantly monitors and polices female bodies . Sexualizing female bodies is a time-tested patriarchal weapon to subjugate women to the wishes and whims of men. Normalization of surveillance over female bodies and actions in the name of social, moral, and religious codes is deeply ingrained in the patriarchal vision. Making explicit or suggestive sexually insensitive or misogynistic comments and cracking lewd jokes at the expense of women should be seen in the light of the overarching ideology of male supremacy prevailing in society. Precisely in this context, attempted smearing of the character of Orin, the protagonist, makes sense. Her teammates blame Orin for having persuaded Mr. Von Hoffman, the environmental expert, and Dr. Qais, the water and delta expert, against the CMB project the environmental grounds. As they are returning to Dhaka from the project site, visibly frustrated and upset by their failure to prove the project’s feasibility, they seek to discredit and disgrace Orin as a woman of compromised character. They take advantage of Orin’s decision to stay back in the village as an excuse to question her morality. In the words of the narrator: