In the aftermath of a famous environmental tree-hugger movement, widely known as the Chipko movement, of the Indian Hindu region of Garhwal in the Central Himalayas, the relation of Garhwali women to the forest has been described by various international actors. A critique of previous presentations is the starting point of this thesis, which explores the meaning of the forest in women s lives, and various connections made between women and forests in the Garhwali peasant society.
The study may contribute to a richer understanding of the logics behind locally based metaphors connecting women to nature: The forest is women s maternal home, is a locally crafted metaphor used in environmental awareness campaigns. The study suggests that this metaphor does not imply ideas of essential links between women and forests, and in stead looks at the relation broadly in terms of everyday and life-cycle experiences, social arenas and social structures based on kinship practices, social values, religious beliefs and aspects of local cosmology. The exploration reveals that the forest is one of the few arenas in and through which women may find expression for their identities and belongings, and relief for their subordinate social positions. As a consequence parts of the thesis may be read as a discussion of social structures, and the relationships between power, agency and resistance.
Through the presentation, local ideas about women s work, social bonds, landscape and world views are explored. After a theoretical and geographical introduction, chapter two presents the village and its environments through a focus on the organization of the daily life of women in the village. Femininity is thus described in terms of women s actions and agency in the social and natural working environment, and the forest is presented as one of several social arenas. Chapter three explores the meanings of a home for Garhwali peasant women, through a presentation of kinship structures and marriage practices. Chapter four explores the forest and its relationship with the female in relation to a larger cultural framework. In chapter five the spirits and emotions of the forest are brought into the village courtyards, when possession rituals performed to appease forest goddesses are explored. Through them, female experiences and views on society are given strong representations in public village performances.