An Ecofeminist Perspective of the Alternate-History Novel Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Abstract

Orson Scott Card’s Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus is an interesting work of fiction that belongs to the genre of Alternate History, which is a subgenre of speculative fiction. The novel poses the question of: “what would have happened to the world if the Indigenous American tribes had been stronger and had made coalitions with each other, instead of being conquered and defeated by European forces?” This paper reads the selected novel from the Ecofeminist point of view, exploring various issues that are relevant to the theory of Ecofeminism. The analysis conducted in this paper tackles the roles women perform when trying to save their world; the connections between women and nature, and how patriarchal cultures treat both of them; the role technology plays in the times of natural disasters and how it can make the world a better place for women; whether or not technology is a tool in the hands of the White savior; and the empowerment of the Indigenous Americans or lack thereof.