Sustainable Economics and Environmental Design in Western Art and Literature: an Ecofeminist Critique

Adopting an ecofeminist analytical framework, this study interrogates the discursive and material intersections among ecological economics, environmental design, and cultural production in canonical Western artistic and literary traditions.By analyzing Romantic poetry, feminist earth art, and post-utopian literature, the study critiques the patriarchal and anthropocentric foundations of capitalist exploitation while exploring alternative models rooted in care ethics. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, including Vandana Shiva’s ecogender theory[1] and Timothy Morton’s dark ecology[2], the paper argues that artistic and literary practices not only reflect ecological crises but also actively reconstruct narratives of sustainable coexistence. Through critical engagement with spatial politics, gendered power structures, and economic norms, this research underscores the role of cultural production in envisioning transformative ecological futures.