Eco-Consciousness and Eco-Semiotics in Amruta Patil’s Kari: An Exploration of Queer Ecology

The field of ecology in literature distorted the notion of humans being the centre of all living ecosystems, striving for an “environment that is neither solipsistically anthropocentric nor blatantly anti-humanitarian” (Lauer, 2018, p.13). This led to the emergence of ecocriticism, which dealt with environmental issues through literature. “To put it succinctly, eco criticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment… [As it] takes an earth-centred approach to literary studies” (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996, p.18). Meanwhile, disregarding the societal norms constructed on sex, gender, and identity emerged queer theory, suggesting the fluidity of the human body. Despite their inherent differences, environmental criticism and queer theory have the opportunity to combine to produce a new dimension called queer ecology. This analysis aims to establish a connection between eco-criticism and queer theory, shedding light on the concept of queer ecology through the analysis of the literary text Kari. Kari, written by the first female graphic novelist, stands as a pioneering Indian lesbian graphic novel that effectively dismantles prevailing societal norms and challenges perspectives on genderqueer individuals. Further, the analysis narrows itself to an eco-conscious approach from a queer perspective, which claims to be the main argument of the article. In its graphical representation, this analysis also focuses on the meaning nature provides us through symbols defining eco-semiotics. The purpose of the study is to contribute to a greater understanding of environmental exploitation concerning the marginalisation experienced by the queer community. The eco-conscious attitude that is looked upon from a queer perspective serves to prove the mutual interdependence between eco-critical and queer sexual desires that are often negated, ignored, exploited and marginalised amidst the dominant ideological discourses.