The beginnings of a feminist consciousness: A review essay

Abstract

“Leaf abscission” is a term used by American military men to designate their chemical war in Viet Nam. The term like its sister word “defoliation,” is meant to suggest that the dumping of herbicides and other chemicals over a tiny piece of land that has also been the victim of the most intense bombing in world history has helped to thin out a few troublesome trees and shrubs while causing no significant damage to anything else at all. On the contrary, the use of herbicides and other chemicals sprayed by the American military in Viet Nam has already caused untold misery to thousands of innocent civilians.