Author: Sarah Hadi Razzaq

Abstract: This research aimed to examines the novella The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin of 1972 using the dualistic approach of Val Plumwood on the ecofeminist logic of domination and Freya Mathews on autopoietic ecological theory. It assumes that the story anticipates ecological psychosis as the symptomatic future of colonial exploitation and gives a model of arboreal kinship based on mutual ecological awareness. The hierarchy between the two dualisms as criticized by Plumwood explains an anthropocentric, colonial stance of Captain Davidson, the Terran logging agenda, and the autopoietic model by Mathews offers a strict ontology concerning the relationship between Athsheans and their forest settings. Through a contrast between these views, the article shows how Le Guin dramatizes the dialectic between extractive domination and ecological reciprocity. This article will serve as a contribution to the current academic discussions on ecocriticism and speculative fiction in relation to environmental ethics, cultural survival, and the future of eco-relational futures.

Keywords: Autopoietic Ecology, Ecological Psychosis, Environmental ethics, Eco-feminist, Exploitation.

Article Info: Received: 30 May 2026; Received in revised form: 28 Jun 2026; Accepted: 02 Jul 2026; Available online: 06 Jul 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.114.1