Ecofemiotics and Feminist Environmental Humanities: A Critical Engagement with P. Mary Vidya Porselvi’s Folktale Framework

Abstract

1. Mary Vidya Porselvi’s Environmental Humanities in Folktales: Theory and Practice presents a compelling framework called ecofemiotics, which blends ecofeminism, semiotics, and the Tamil concept of Akam to analyse folktales as ecologically conscious “Gaia Care Narratives.” Rooted in Tamil literary traditions such as tinai and Akam–Puram poetry, Porselvi positions storytelling as a culturally grounded, ethical act central to environmental education. Bridging theory and practice, her classroom experiments offer an ecopedagogical model that integrates ecological thought with lived learning. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives—including Indigenous relational ontology, Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy, and Erin James’s econarratology—the book challenges Western-dominated environmental humanities and highlights the transformative power of traditional narratives. Though dense in theory, its decolonial and culturally specific approach makes a valuable contribution to global ecocriticism. Porselvi’s work ultimately argues that folktales are not just stories of the past, but tools for cultivating ecological awareness and sustainable futures in the Anthropocene.