Ecofeminism is traditionally interested in the relationship between patriarchal domination of women and nature. Ann Pancake’s novel Strange As this Weather Has Been critiques the way the coal mining industry has affected the Appalachian people and land. The novel reflects natural ecofeminism, which views the connection between women and nature in essentialist terms. This outdated mode of ecofeminism leads to a reinforcement of gender stereotypes and a misrepresentation of the relationship between gender, nature, and culture. This study of Pancake’s novel employs a material ecofeminist approach to both critique and develop the novel’s gender politics. Material ecofeminism, even as it integrates some forms of early ecofeminism, precludes a reinforcement of stereotypes and more adequately addresses both men’s and women’s connections to ecology and culture. This paper shows how the author’s ignoring the material and cultural conditions that create and maintain the relationship between men and industry results in a double exploitation of the men in Appalachia: once by the capitalist system, and a second time by a natural ecofeminist representation of them that places them in opposition to the environment.
","abstract_html":"<p>Ecofeminism is traditionally interested in the relationship between patriarchal domination of women and nature. Ann Pancake’s novel <em>Strange As this Weather Has Been </em>critiques the way the coal mining industry has affected the Appalachian people and land. The novel reflects natural ecofeminism, which views the connection between women and nature in essentialist terms. This outdated mode of ecofeminism leads to a reinforcement of gender stereotypes and a misrepresentation of the relationship between gender, nature, and culture. This study of Pancake’s novel employs a material ecofeminist approach to both critique and develop the novel’s gender politics. Material ecofeminism, even as it integrates some forms of early ecofeminism, precludes a reinforcement of stereotypes and more adequately addresses both men’s and women’s connections to ecology and culture. This paper shows how the author’s ignoring the material and cultural conditions that create and maintain the relationship between men and industry results in a double exploitation of the men in Appalachia: once by the capitalist system, and a second time by a natural ecofeminist representation of them that places them in opposition to the environment.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Baker, Britani W."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Katherine Cochran","Charles Sumner","Martina Sciolino"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z","subjects":["Ecofeminism","Human labor","Capitalist exploitation","Patriarchy","Appalachia","Contemporary Southern Literature","Coal mining","Mountaintop removal","Ann Pancake","Material Ecofeminism","Appalachian Studies","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, North America"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/298","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Katherine Cochran","Charles Sumner","Martina Sciolino"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Baker, Britani W."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-06-19T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Ecofeminism","Human labor","Capitalist exploitation","Patriarchy","Appalachia","Contemporary Southern Literature","Coal mining","Mountaintop removal","Ann Pancake","Material Ecofeminism","Appalachian Studies","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, North America"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/298"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Ecofeminism is traditionally interested in the relationship between patriarchal domination of women and nature. Ann Pancake’s novel Strange As this Weather Has Been critiques the way the coal mining industry has affected the Appalachian people and land. The novel reflects natural ecofeminism, which views the connection between women and nature in essentialist terms. This outdated mode of ecofeminism leads to a reinforcement of gender stereotypes and a misrepresentation of the relationship between gender, nature, and culture. This study of Pancake’s novel employs a material ecofeminist approach to both critique and develop the novel’s gender politics. Material ecofeminism, even as it integrates some forms of early ecofeminism, precludes a reinforcement of stereotypes and more adequately addresses both men’s and women’s connections to ecology and culture. This paper shows how the author’s ignoring the material and cultural conditions that create and maintain the relationship between men and industry results in a double exploitation of the men in Appalachia: once by the capitalist system, and a second time by a natural ecofeminist representation of them that places them in opposition to the environment.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Exploitation of Land and Labor in Appalachia: The Manipulation of Men in Ann Pancake's Strange as this Weather Has Been"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Katherine Cochran","Charles Sumner","Martina Sciolino"],"dc:creator":["Baker, Britani W."],"dc:date.available":["2017-06-19T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Ecofeminism is traditionally interested in the relationship between patriarchal domination of women and nature. Ann Pancake’s novel Strange As this Weather Has Been critiques the way the coal mining industry has affected the Appalachian people and land. The novel reflects natural ecofeminism, which views the connection between women and nature in essentialist terms. This outdated mode of ecofeminism leads to a reinforcement of gender stereotypes and a misrepresentation of the relationship between gender, nature, and culture. This study of Pancake’s novel employs a material ecofeminist approach to both critique and develop the novel’s gender politics. Material ecofeminism, even as it integrates some forms of early ecofeminism, precludes a reinforcement of stereotypes and more adequately addresses both men’s and women’s connections to ecology and culture. This paper shows how the author’s ignoring the material and cultural conditions that create and maintain the relationship between men and industry results in a double exploitation of the men in Appalachia: once by the capitalist system, and a second time by a natural ecofeminist representation of them that places them in opposition to the environment.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/298"],"dc:subject":["Ecofeminism","Human labor","Capitalist exploitation","Patriarchy","Appalachia","Contemporary Southern Literature","Coal mining","Mountaintop removal","Ann Pancake","Material Ecofeminism","Appalachian Studies","Arts and Humanities","English Language and Literature","Literature in English, North America"],"dc:title":["Exploitation of Land and Labor in Appalachia: The Manipulation of Men in Ann Pancake's Strange as this Weather Has Been"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:41Z"}