The Womb as Battleground: Ecofeminism, Silence, and Survival in the Daughters of Madurai

Abstract

This study explores the application of ecofeminist theory to Rajasree Variyar’s The Daughters of Madurai (2022), a novel that exposes the horrors of female infanticide in Tamil Nadu and its long-lasting effects on women’s lives. Drawing on ecofeminist theorists such as Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, and Karen Warren, this analysis argues that the oppression of women in Variyar’s novel parallels nature’s exploitation under patriarchal and capitalist structures. In addition, the study highlights how women’s bodies and reproductive capacities are treated as resources to be controlled, reflecting the same utilitarian logic that governs environmental degradation. Through its dual timelines of the 1990s Madurai and 2019 Sydney, the novel dramatizes the intergenerational transmission of trauma and suggests pathways toward healing and resistance. The ecofeminist reading reveals how cultural traditions that normalize violence against women mirror ecological destruction, thereby urging a rethinking of both gender relations and human-nature interactions. Ultimately, Variyar’s work aligns with ecofeminist ethics by envisioning solidarity, care, and ecological balance as alternatives to the patriarchal domination.