Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood

This paper examines the intersection of environmental injustice and reproductive violence, extending its scope to include nonhuman animals, through the literary analysis of Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats (1998) and Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood (2005). Both works are well-researched novels of...

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Main Author: Denisa Krásná
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association for American Studies 2025-06-01
Series:European Journal of American Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/23927
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author Denisa Krásná
author_facet Denisa Krásná
author_sort Denisa Krásná
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines the intersection of environmental injustice and reproductive violence, extending its scope to include nonhuman animals, through the literary analysis of Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats (1998) and Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood (2005). Both works are well-researched novels of fact and reveal the biopolitical commodification of minoritized human and nonhuman bodies under neoliberalism. By highlighting the hidden realities of reproductive and environmental violence, these narratives expose systemic intersections of racism, sexism, and speciesism. The analysis demonstrates how reproductive violence serves as both a consequence and a strategy of neoliberalism and biopolitics, perpetuating power structures and brutal violence. By integrating nonhuman animals into the discourse on environmental and reproductive justice, this paper advocates for a more inclusive and holistic approach to understanding and addressing intersecting systems of oppression.
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spelling doaj-art-d498fe2d443a42c3a1cd4ecbf406f04d2025-08-20T02:56:45ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362025-06-0120210.4000/14eidReproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert BloodDenisa KrásnáThis paper examines the intersection of environmental injustice and reproductive violence, extending its scope to include nonhuman animals, through the literary analysis of Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats (1998) and Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood (2005). Both works are well-researched novels of fact and reveal the biopolitical commodification of minoritized human and nonhuman bodies under neoliberalism. By highlighting the hidden realities of reproductive and environmental violence, these narratives expose systemic intersections of racism, sexism, and speciesism. The analysis demonstrates how reproductive violence serves as both a consequence and a strategy of neoliberalism and biopolitics, perpetuating power structures and brutal violence. By integrating nonhuman animals into the discourse on environmental and reproductive justice, this paper advocates for a more inclusive and holistic approach to understanding and addressing intersecting systems of oppression.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/23927commodificationbiopoliticsneoliberalismreproductive violencefemicidesenvironmental injustice
spellingShingle Denisa Krásná
Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
European Journal of American Studies
commodification
biopolitics
neoliberalism
reproductive violence
femicides
environmental injustice
title Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
title_full Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
title_fullStr Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
title_full_unstemmed Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
title_short Reproductive Violence in Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats and Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood
title_sort reproductive violence in ruth ozeki s my year of meats and gaspar de alba s desert blood
topic commodification
biopolitics
neoliberalism
reproductive violence
femicides
environmental injustice
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/23927
work_keys_str_mv AT denisakrasna reproductiveviolenceinruthozekismyyearofmeatsandgaspardealbasdesertblood