Classification systems are, therefore, partial and subjective, as are all classification schemes. Although we recognize our subjectivity, we hope that our broad categories make common sense and are an aid, not a hindrance to the reader. The Earth refers to information dealing with women and nature, women and resources, everything that we do with respect to our earth and our relationships with nature. Biodiversity is, therefore, included in this section, as is a lot of ecofeminist literature, much of which examines gender and nature. Community refers to all aspects of community, its structuring, form and process, and includes the built and non-built communities.
Power refers to issues such as governance, dominance and patriarchy, as well as women and violence.
At one time, we were considering calling this section Relationships, since most human activities are fundamentally about relationships, or the lack of relationship, even in politics. But after further discussion, we felt that the real issue was power, how gender as a construct is used to reinforce and justify existing power relationships. Sustainable Livelihoods is defined in its broadest sense to include global economic issues of trade and debt and development. Although Spirituality could be put into Community or The Earth, we believed it was a sufficiently broad category to stand alone. Each of these sections includes sub-sections where necessary to help the reader identify references more easily.