AN ECOFEMINIST ANALYSIS OF THINNER THAN SKIN THROUGH THE LENS OF VANDANA SHIVA: GENDER, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTHERN PAKISTAN

Abstract

This paper provides an ecofeminist critique of Thinner Than Skin (2012) by Uzma Aslam Khan based on the theory of Vandana Shiva. The paper discusses the way in which the novel describes the complex exploitation of women and nature in the delicate glacial environments of Northern Pakistan. With qualitative textual analysis, it uses the major concepts of Shiva, including subsistence, ecological sustainability, and feminization of labor, to make sense of the narrative structure and the subject matter.

The results indicate that the novel establishes a comparison between the bodies of women and receding glaciers, which both exhibit vulnerability against patriarchal and capitalist structures. It also shows that the work of nomadic women is central to the ecological survival, and it remains marginal and underestimated. Moreover, women are at a disproportionately disadvantageous to the environmental crisis, which further supports Shivas note that women are victims of ecological degradation as well as agents of environmental protection.

The paper finds that Thinner Than Skin (2012) embodies the ecofeminist perspective of Shiva since it promotes ecological justice, gender equality, and ecological sustainable living, which confront predatory forms of development. This analysis added to the interdisciplinary research on South Asian literature, climate change and gender-based ecological vulnerability.