title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The battery was manufactured by Deutsche Accumotive GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture between Daimler AG and Evonik Industries AG. The drivetrain has been in development since 2010 as a result of the cooperation between Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains in Brixworth.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG GT3 is a race version of the SLS AMG Coupé, developed in accordance with the GT3 regulations of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile). Notable changes include a sequential six-speed racing transmission with shift paddles mounted on the steering column, an integrated multi-disc locking differential and traction control, adjustment facilities for the springs and shock absorbers; the suspension height, the stabilisers, the track width and camber; a rack-and-pinion steering with a more direct ratio and servo assistance, AMG 18-inch light-alloy wheels, a steel racing braking system with racing ABS, seat shell (individually foam-padded, featuring the HANS (Head And Neck Support) system located in a high-strength carbon-fibre (CFRP) safety cell, a six-point racing harness, an optimised fire extinguisher system and the central display positioned within the driver's field of vision. The Development of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 testing programme began on Lausitz Eurospeedway in June 2010.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Official introduction took place at the 2010 New York International Auto Show followed by Puebla in Mexico, and the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Deliveries began in February 2011, following homologation by the FIA in accordance with the GT3 regulations.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Roadster is a convertible variant of the SLS AMG Coupé, with conventional doors and three-layered fabric soft top (having a magnesium, steel and aluminium construction) which opens and closes in 11 seconds, and can be operated on the move at up to . The roadster's DIN kerb weight is more than the SLS AMG Coupé. Certain reinforcements were made to the roadster in order to compensate for the loss of roof which includes side skirts with greater wall thicknesses and more chambers, a dashboard cross-member is supported against the windscreen frame and centre tunnel by additional struts, a curved strut between the soft top and the tank reinforces the rear axle, a reinforcing cross-member behind the seats to support the fixed roll-over protection system. Other features include 265/35 ZR 19 front and 295/30 ZR 20 rear wheels, optional AMG Sepang brown body colour, optional weight-optimised forged wheels in a 10-spoke design in black with a high-sheen rim flange, optional AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, 175 litres boot capacity, choice of 3 trims (leather, matte-finished solid metal, optional carbon-fibre), black designo leather upholstery, AMG sports seats with heating, a slot-in glass draught-stop, COMAND APS with DVD player, anti-theft alarm system with tow-away protection and interior monitoring, THERMOTRONIC luxury automatic climate control, KEYLESS-GO starting function, optional AIRSCARF ventilation at backrests of the AMG sports seats, leather-lined roll-over bars with integrated mesh in a "Silver Shadow" look with optional designo Exclusive leather, optional electrically folding exterior mirrors, optional Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system, AMG Performance Media with high-speed mobile internet access (via Android operating system), optional Blind Spot Assist, optional AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, 3-stage ESP with acceleration skid control, optional front AMG ceramic brake discs, AMG 7-spoke light-alloy wheels (optional 5-twin-spoke wheels, weight-optimised 10-spoke forged wheels), 265/35 R 19 front and 295/30 R 20 rear tyres, tyre pressure monitoring system.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: the sports car as an emergency vehicle. Unveiled at the 2011 RETTmobil emergency vehicle expo, the concept retained the amenities of the standard car. The car was finished in ALU-BEAM silver metallic exterior colour with decals and emergency lights. It wasn't, however, revealed whether the car was fitted with specialised equipment.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: It is a limited version of the SLS AMG Coupé for the Japanese market, commemorating the first year of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. It included designo magno Night Black body colour with red highlights at 3-pointed star, grill fin, bonnet fin, SLS/AMG rear emblems, fuel lid (from the Blackbird car); matte black exhaust tip, high gloss black interior trim, leather upholstery in classic red/black, AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension, AMG red brake calliper, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear AMG 10-spoke alloy wheels in matte black, AMG performance steering wheel in leather/Alcantara.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Roadster Matte Black Edition is a limited (5 units) version of the left-drive SLS AMG Roadster for the Japanese market. Main highlights include designo magno Night Black body colour, classic red/black interior, black soft top, high gloss black interior trim, red paint metal parts (3-pointed star, grill fin, bonnet fin, fender fin, AMG rear/6.3 emblems, fuel lid), matte black exhaust tip, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear AMG 10-spoke alloy wheels in matte black with red rim, 2-tone leather upholstery, AMG performance steering wheel in leather/Alcantara, Performance Studio floor mat and the AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Coupé Matte White Edition and SLS AMG Roadster Matte White Edition are limited (10 Coupé, 5 Roadster) versions of the left-drive SLS AMG Coupé and SLS AMG Roadster respectively, for the Japanese market. It included designo magno Cashmere White body colour, porcelain/black interior, black soft top (Roadster only), high gloss black interior trim, matte black paint metal parts (3-pointed star, grill fin, bonnet fin, fender fin, AMG rear/6.3 emblems, fuel lid, door mirror cover), matte black exhaust tip, 19-inch front and 20-inch rear AMG 10-spoke alloy wheels in matte black in matte black, 2-tone leather upholstery, AMG performance steering wheel in leather/Alcantara, Performance Studio floor mat, AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The models went on sale in May 2012, while deliveries of SLS AMG Roadster Matte Black Edition, SLS AMG Coupé Matte White Edition, SLS AMG Roadster Matte White Edition began in September 2012, October 2012 and October 2012 respectively.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Available in Coupé and Roadster body styles, the SLS AMG GT has the same torque ( at 4,750 rpm) and the same top speed as the regular SLS AMG but includes increased engine power output to at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 4,750 rpm, resulting in an ever so slight 1/10 of a second decrease in acceleration time (3.5 seconds to 3.4 seconds) over the prior year model, a reduced transmission reaction time in the manual "M" transmission mode, AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension, selection of suspension modes via AMG DRIVE UNIT, 3 additional AMG light-alloy wheels options, Alcantara black interior upholstery, red seat belts, contrasting stitching on the AMG sports seats and the centre console and the door panel lining in red, floor mats in red edging, high-gloss black AMG trim on the centre console and door panel, high-gloss black edging on the adjustable cross-shaped air vents and the high-gloss real metal insert on the AMG Performance steering wheel with Alcantara grip, AMG instrument cluster with black faceplate, AMG designo Exclusive Style leather option (a diamond design with contrasting stitching, designo leather finish for the entire dashboard, the beltlines and door armrests, the handrest on the centre console, AMG floor mats in black with porcelain leather edging, roof lining in Alcantara porcelain, and the parcel shelf (Coupé) or roll-over bar (Roadster)) in 3 colour combinations (mocha brown/porcelain, titanium grey pearl/porcelain, mystic red/porcelain). Other options include AMG carbon-fibre exterior mirrors, AMG carbon-fibre engine compartment cover, AMG Interior Carbon-Fibre package (carbon-fibre trim, trim on seat backrest and side, door sill panels), AMG ceramic high-performance composite braking system, AMG Performance Media, AMG 10-spoke forged wheels in various colours, AMG carbon-fibre exterior package, AIRSCARF (Roadster) and Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: US models went on sale in mid- November 2012 as 2013 model year vehicles, replacing previous SLS AMG versions.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Unveiled at the 2012 São Paulo International Motor Show, the SLS AMG GT3 "45th ANNIVERSARY" is a limited (5 units) version of the SLS AMG GT3 commemorating the 45th anniversary of the AMG brand. Main highlights included designo magno graphite matte body colour, a seat shell in a high-strength carbon-fibre safety cell on the co-driver's side, carbon fibre reinforced plastic doors, bonnet, mudguards, boot lid, rear wings, front and rear apron, front splitter and rear diffuser.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Unveiled at the 2012 LA Auto Show, with a market launch that began in June 2013. the SLS AMG Black Series is a high-performance variant of the SLS AMG Coupé inspired by the SLS AMG GT3. Notable changes over the SLS AMG include increased engine power to at 7,400 rpm and decreased torque to at 5,500 rpm along with increased engine redline of 8,000 rpm, fully revised high-speed valvetrain with modified camshafts, adapted cam geometry and optimised bucket tappets having a special coating which is otherwise exclusive to racing cars, modification of the intake air ducts (derestriction and adaptation to the new maximum engine speed), adaptation of the engine application and increase in peak pressure. This results in an acceleration time from 0– in 3.2 seconds ("Car and Driver" test) (2/10 of a second faster than the SLS AMG GT), and a top speed of . The Black Series engine was, at the time, the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 engine fitted into production cars, until the debut of the Chevrolet Corvette C8 Z06.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The Black Series is lighter than the standard model. This is accomplished by increased use of carbon fibre in body panels, mechanical components, and the space frame. Further, a switch from steel to titanium for the exhaust system reduces weight by . The use of lithium-ion battery reduces weight by .


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The AMG SpeedShift DCT 7-speed sports transmission is installed lower in order to achieve a lower centre of gravity for the car and is braced against the body by gas-filled struts in order to avoid stress cycles. The transmission's "Sport plus" and "Manual" modes have faster shifting speed than the standard model. The downshifting throttle blips are more audible. The new temporary "M" mode enables the driver to activate manual mode without having to remove a hand from the steering wheel, by pressing the "up" or "down" shift paddle once.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Other notable highlights include electronically controlled AMG rear-axle differential lock with a shorter rear-axle ratio, new AMG RIDE CONTROL performance suspension (tauter basic tuning and electronically controlled two-stage damping, coil-over spring retainers to enable adjustment of wheel loads, elastokinematics 50 / 42% more rigid (front/rear axle), track width increased by (front/rear axle)), new wheel carriers on front axle and new front stabiliser tuning, matte black with high-sheen AMG 10-spoke light-alloy wheels in particularly light forged design with optimised strength ( front, rear), Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 sports tyres (275/35 R 19 front, 325/30 R 20 rear), AMG speed-sensitive steering with newly calibrated power steering characteristics, AMG ceramic brake discs (measuring at the front and at the rear) with increased hardness, wide flared wings with an added width of (front) and (rear) on each side, darkened headlamps and black surrounds for the rear lights, front apron and rear apron with diffuser along with side sill panels in Black Series-specific design (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic front splitter, carbon inserts in the side sills and the rear apron made of carbon fibre, enlarged air intakes with carbon-fibre flics), carbon-fibre bonnet with central air outlet, Alcantara black or Alcantara black/red interior AMG Performance steering wheel with Alcantara upholstery, metal bezel features a high-gloss black paint finish to match the high-gloss black surrounds of the air vents, Alcantara strip in anthracite across the entire width of dashboard leather with red contrasting stitching in the leather, designo leather and Alcantara upholstery (including bottom section of the dashboard, door centre panels and on the AMG sports bucket seats in Alcantara), deleted COMAND APS multimedia system replaced by a carbon-fibre trim element (COMAND APS is optionally available), AMG DRIVE UNIT, red seat belts and red contrasting stitching on the AMG sports bucket seats, the upper and lower section of the dashboard and the door panelling; floor mats with red edging and optional Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Optional AMG Aerodynamics package includes a fixed adjustable carbon-fibre rear aerofoil as installed on the SLS AMG GT3, rear aerofoil braced by aluminium elements on a special insert on the boot lid, additional carbon-fibre flics on the front apron. New body colour choices include AMG solar beam yellow (total 7, including matte paint designo magno alanite grey).


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Other options include AMG carbon-fibre wing mirrors, AMG carbon-fibre engine cover, AMG Interior Carbon-Fibre package, AMG infotainment system (incl. COMAND APS, AMG Performance Media and backup camera), Media Interface.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Electric Drive was a limited edition electric variant of the SLS AMG introduced in June 2013. The production version was unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, with market launch initially scheduled for June 2013. Pricing in Germany began at (~ ). The production number has been officially confirmed: only nine SLS AMG Electric Drive were sold to the customers worldwide.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Following the introduction of the SLS AMG E-CELL prototype, the production of SLS AMG E-CELL was originally announced at the 2011 North American International Auto Show.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Electric Drive was powered by four electric motors with combined ratings of and . Each motor can spin up to 13,000 rpm and weighs . In addition, the transmission allows each motor to selectively drive all 4 wheels. This enables the car to accelerate from a stand still to in 3.9 seconds.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG Electric Drive included a liquid-cooled 400 V lithium-ion battery rated to 60 kWh that had a range of under the combined New European Driving Cycle. The battery pack is made up of 12 modules, each comprising 72 lithium-ion cells. The system was designed as a collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Ltd.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Available in both Coupé and Roadster body styles, the SLS AMG GT final edition is the final limited production iteration (350 units total, 25 in Japan) of the SLS AMG GT. Features includes an exposed carbon fibre hood with central air outlet, carbon fibre front splitter on the front apron, fixed carbon fiber rear spoiler from the SLS AMG Coupé Black Series, the choice of 2 exclusive AMG forged light-alloy wheels (inlaid in matte black with the spokes and rim flange in a high-sheen finish, completely painted matte black highlighted by a pencil thin high-sheen rim flange), designo magno graphite matte body colour (from the SLS AMG GT3 "45th ANNIVERSARY"), struts of the rear apron in high-gloss black, red-painted brake callipers, 265/35 R 19 (front) and 295/30 R 20 (rear) Dunlop Sport Maxx Race Cup tires as a no-cost option, designo Exclusive leather upholstery in a diamond-stitch pattern at centre panels of both the seats and the doors, contrasting topstitching in silver with black leather upholstery, silver seat belts, black floor mats edged in silver leather, high gloss carbon fiber trim, "AMG FINAL EDITION – 1 of 350" badge on the carbon fibre centre console, 3D seam (a fine strip of Alcantara) set into the leather-covered upper dashboard, contrasting topstitching in silver at 3D seam, AMG Performance steering wheel in Alcantara with a silver 12 o'clock marking and black metal inserts, high-gloss black surrounds of the air vents, sports seats with an embossed AMG crest in the head restraints.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The "Final Edition" changes do not result in any quantifiable performance difference over the prior year model. Horsepower, torque, acceleration times and top speed are all identical.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Other options include Carbon Fibre wing mirrors, Extended Interior Carbon Fibre package (additional carbon-fiber trim on seat backrest and side, as well as door sill panels), AMG Carbon-Ceramic High-Performance braking system, AMG Performance Media and Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The car was unveiled first at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show and the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, followed by the 2013 Osaka Motor Show.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The Japan model was set to be delivered in June 2014, which included 20 Coupés, 5 Roadsters, the choice of 6 body colours (Fire Opal solid, Obsidian Black metallic, Elysium Silver metallic, AMG Imola Grey (premium), designo Magno Graphite (matte) (premium), designo Mystic White 2 (premium)), black designo Nappa full leather interior upholstery with silver diamond pattern stitching at door centre panel, seat centre; anthracite roof liner, choice of 3 soft top colours for Roadster (black, beige, red), carbon fibre wing mirrors, Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG sound system and optional AMG Carbon-Ceramic brake discs.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG was used as the official Safety Car in Formula One in the , seasons and part through the season when it was replaced by the SLS AMG GT variant, which remained on duty up to the season coinciding with the end of production of the SLS.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG E-CELL competed in the Paul Pietsch Classic 2011 under the 'Classic meets Future' category.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG E-CELL competed in the 2011 Silvretta electric car race that took place in the Montafon region of Austria.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: SLS AMG GT3 first competed in the 2010 VLN Nürburgring Endurance Championship. At VLN Nürburgring, the SLS AMG GT3 was admitted into the SP9 class with "Balance of Performance" set to and , and won its first race in October.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Since its launch in 2010, the SLS AMG GT3 has been competing in GT competitions around the world, such as the FIA GT3 European Championship, Blancpain Endurance Series, Blancpain Sprint Series, VLN, 24 Hours of Nürburgring, British GT Championship, Super GT, Australian GT Championship, Bathurst 12 Hour, Dubai 24 Hour, Macau GT Cup and Pirelli World Challenge. Also, the SLS AMG GT3 is used in the AMG Driving Academy programme.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Erebus Racing has raced it in the Australian GT Championship, driven by Peter Hackett who is also the Chief Instructor at the Australian Mercedes Benz Driving Academy.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Black Swan Racing and DragonSpeed currently uses the SLS AMG GT3 in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: An SLS took part in the 2012 Super GT season, with drivers Haruki Kurosawa and Hironori Takeuchi coming joint 5th in the GT300 drivers' championship. Five cars competed in the 2013 season.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: An SLS set the fastest lap, and won the 2013 24 Hours of Spa, taking the first Mercedes win in the race since 1964.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG branded shoes were produced and sold in collaboration with Italian designer Santoni.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: As part of the SLS AMG's market launch, a print ad (started in February 2010) featured a red Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG striking a powerful pose on grey asphalt against a black backdrop. The visual motif is supported by a brief, meaningful message, such as "Oh Lord …" or "A cockpit. An engine. Two wings. Is it still a car?", for example. The print ad appeared in daily newspapers and magazines. A TV advert with Michael Schumacher telling the story of an experiment with the SLS AMG demonstrating its technical highlights from preparation and test phases to the realisation was produced. The TV ad was premiered on 30 January 2010 on all major television channels with a 60-second roadblock, followed by a 45-second version in reruns until the end of March. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG website was extended with the addition of an interactive guided tour of the AMG development plant. In addition, three editions of an online magazine provided extensive information on the performance ("Milliseconds"), the lightweight construction ("Milligrams") and the design ("Millimetres") of the SLS AMG. A reporter blog www.sls-amg-reporter.de was launched featuring fictional enthusiast Matthew K. posting reports, pictures and video clips of his travels as an SLS AMG reporter as he follows the global launch of the new gullwing. Starting at February 2010, a new iPhone application called "SLS AMG" was launched, featuring a preview of the car via 360° gameplay using the iPhone's accelerometer. SLS AMG also appeared in Gran Turismo 5, scheduled for release in 2010.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The Cigarette 46' Rider, a boat inspired by the SLS AMG and built by Cigarette Racing, was unveiled in 2010 at the Miami International Boat Show.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: In 2011, the SLS was featured on the 16th series of "Top Gear". The 2013 SLS Roadster was then reviewed two years later.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: As part of the SLS AMG Roadster launch in the UK, a video featuring David Coulthard catching a speeding golf ball hit by professional golfer Jake Shepherd with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster was produced, and was independently verified by a Guinness World Record adjudicator as title of farthest golf shot caught in a moving car.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Minichamps produced a limited (197 units) edition of SLS AMG GT3 1:18 scale model car for the IAA 2013. The vehicle includes 88 parts, painted in matt black and features poison green details.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: As part of its US marketing, the SLS AMG was also used at the 2009 AMG Driving Academy season for its Stage 1.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: Production of the SLS AMG began at Sindelfingen in January 2010. Sales commenced in mid-2010 in Europe and in mid-2011 in the United States. Production ended with the SLS AMG GT Final Edition in early 2014. A total of 2,734 SLS AMGs were sold in the U.S., including both Gullwings and roadsters. According to a post on mbworld.org by a Mercedes-Benz executive, total U.S. sales of SLS AMGs several months earlier were as follows: 1,837 coupés and 884 roadsters.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG was followed in 2014 by the substantially less expensive, and less powerful, Mercedes-AMG GT. Designed to compete against the Porsche 911, it relies on forced induction for its power and is available as a GT and GT S. AMG/Mercedes does not plan to replace the SLS any time soon, with AMG head Tobias Moers being quoted as follows in 2015: "Moers was adamant in reiterating that a true replacement for the modern Gullwing is not yet on the radar. 'Honestly, there's no [Mk II SLS] program running. Our homework for the next years is so much, so we took the decision to not replace directly the SLS because SLS has to stand by its own and the Gullwing is an iconic car.[...] If it takes 50 to 60 years to have a Gullwing replacement coming out of the 1950s then we can wait a few more years' [to replace the SLS Gullwing]." Moers was also quoted as follows: "Speaking to Autocar at the (2015) Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers confirmed that the company has no plans to create a new supercar to replace the SLS. According to Moers, Mercedes is 'not in that league' at this moment in time."


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: As summed up by Moers, the "SLS AMG has won numerous awards of international significance. Not least on the basis of its breathtaking design and acknowledged superb driving dynamics, the super sports car from Mercedes-AMG is today already determined to be a classic of the future," and particularly the "spectacular gullwing model," with these cars made more special by virtue of their also being "the first vehicle to be completely built by Mercedes-AMG."


title: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

text: The SLS AMG was developed with the assistance of David Coulthard. In his review for "Top Gear", Jeremy Clarkson praised the SLS AMG highly, saying it is "the greatest car in the world," noting that "it's more powerful than a Ferrari 458, louder than a Lamborghini, and it's way more fun than the 911RS GT Turbo 3S or whatever this week's ultimate Beetle (i.e., Porsche) is called. This is the thinking man's supercar."


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: Otto Porter Jr. (born June 3, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas and was selected with the third overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He then signed with the Warriors in 2021, where he won a championship with them in 2022, starting in three of the six games and helping them win over the Boston Celtics.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: Porter attended Scott County Central High School, which includes the small towns of Morley, Vanduser, Haywood City, and parts of rural Sikeston. He earned all-state honors as a junior and senior, leading the Braves to three straight Class 1 state championships and giving Scott Central its state-record 15th title overall. During his senior year, he helped lead the Braves to 29–2 record, averaging 30 points and 14 rebounds a game.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Porter was listed as the No. 8 power forward and the No. 37 player in the nation in 2011.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: He signed a letter of intent with the Georgetown Hoyas and played his first game with them on November 12, 2011, against Savannah State, recording 9 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks. Rounding out his freshman year, Porter averaged 9.7 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, he nearly doubled his points production, averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: At the conclusion of the 2012–13 season, Porter led his team to a 25–7 record and a number 2 seed in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. For his efforts, he was named the Big East Player of the Year and was a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. Porter recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds in a first round upset loss to the 15th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On April 15, 2013, Porter announced his decision to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: Porter was selected with the third overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. However, he missed training camp and the first 18 games of the 2013–14 season with a hip injury. He made his NBA debut on December 6, going scoreless in 14 minutes in a 109–105 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He twice scored a season-high nine points in April 2014. On November 1, 2014, he scored 19 of his career-high 21 points in the second half of the Wizards' 108–97 win over the Bucks. On November 7, 2015, he set a new career high with 23 points in a 114–99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. On December 12, 2015, he scored a career-high 28 points in a 114–111 win over the Dallas Mavericks.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On November 9, 2016, Porter scored a career-high 34 points in a 118–93 win over the Boston Celtics. On December 26, he had 32 points, made a career-high five three-pointers and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 107–102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On January 18, he set a new career high with six three-pointers to finish with 25 points in a 104–101 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. He made six three-pointers for the second straight night on January 19, finishing with 23 points in a 113–110 win over the New York Knicks. He started 80 games and set career highs in scoring (13.4 points per game), rebounds (6.4) and steals (1.5) while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from three-point range in 2016–17. According to ESPN's Real Plus-Minus, a player's estimated on-court impact on team performance, Porter was the most efficient scorer in the NBA among 115 players with at least 800 possessions, penetrating defenses in transition and as a spot-up shooter. His three-point shooting percentage was fourth best in the NBA.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On July 4, 2017, the Brooklyn Nets offered Porter a four-year, $106.5 million contract, the maximum they could give him. Two days later, the Wizards received the offer sheet, with the goal being to match the offer. On July 13, the Wizards announced that the team had retained its right of first refusal and matched the offer sheet extended to Porter by the Nets. On October 27, he scored 29 points against the Golden State Warriors. On December 29, he matched a career high with seven 3-pointers and had a game-high 26 points in a 121–103 win over the Houston Rockets. On February 28, also against the Warriors, Porter matched his season high with 29 points.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On November 24, 2018, Porter scored a season-high 29 points in a 124–114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 2, he returned to the lineup against the Atlanta Hawks after missing 10 games with a bruised right knee. He came off the bench in 13 straight games upon returning, before starting on January 30 against the Indiana Pacers and injuring his left big toe.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On February 6, 2019, Porter was traded to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and a protected 2023 second-round draft pick. On February 13, he scored a career-high 37 points on 16-for-20 shooting in a 122–110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On March 25, 2021, Porter and Wendell Carter Jr. were traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Nikola Vučević and Al-Farouq Aminu. Orlando also received two future first-round draft picks.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: On August 6, 2021, Porter signed with the Golden State Warriors on a $2.4 million veteran minimum contract. Porter won an NBA championship when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in 6 games of the 2022 NBA Finals. He would play a sizable role in the finals, starting in Game Six, and helping them take home the title.


title: Otto Porter Jr.

text: Porter comes from a family with many accomplishments in basketball. His mother, Elnora Porter (née Timmons), helped the same school win the 1984 state championship. His uncles Marcus Timmons and Donnie McClinton won a combined six state championships. Additionally, his uncles Melvin Porter and Jerry Porter, and his younger brother Jeffery Porter, have also won state titles. First cousin Calvin Porter Jr. was one of three Porters to start for the high school's championship team in 2011. His cousin Mark Mosely was the starting point guard for the Braves in 1990 and 1991 when they won state championships. His cousins Corey and Reece Porter helped Sikeston High School win its first state title in its first undefeated season. His cousin Michael Porter, the son of Drury University basketball player Melvin Porter, was a former four-time all-state basketball player for Sikeston High School who later played for Southeast Missouri State University. His cousins Dominique Porter and Jaylen Porter played basketball for the Culver-Stockton Wildcats. His cousin and former teammate Bobby Hatchett played for Midland College, which played for the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship. The Porter family had a member on the Braves' first 11 state championship teams. His distant cousin, Emily Porter, plays for the Ernestown Eagles.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Orientalism is a 1978 book by Edward W. Said, in which the author establishes the term "Orientalism" as a critical concept to describe the West's commonly contemptuous depiction and portrayal of The East, i.e. the Orient. Societies and peoples of the Orient are those who inhabit the places of Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. Said argues that Orientalism, in the sense of the Western scholarship about the Eastern World, is inextricably tied to the imperialist societies who produced it, which makes much Orientalist work inherently political and servile to power.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: According to Said, in the Middle East, the social, economic, and cultural practices of the ruling Arab elites indicate they are imperial satraps who have internalized a romanticized version of Arab Culture created by French, British and later, American, Orientalists. Examples used in the book include critical analyses of the colonial literature of Joseph Conrad, which conflates a people, a time, and a place into one narrative of an incident and adventure in an exotic land.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Through the critical application of post-structuralism in its scholarship, "Orientalism" influenced the development of literary theory, cultural criticism, and the field of Middle Eastern studies, especially with regard to how academics practice their intellectual inquiries when examining, describing, and explaining the Middle East. Moreover, the scope of Said's scholarship established "Orientalism" as a foundational text in the field of postcolonial studies, by denoting and examining the connotations of Orientalism, and the history of a given country's post-colonial period.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: As a public intellectual, Edward Said debated historians and scholars of area studies, notably, historian Bernard Lewis, who described the thesis of "Orientalism" as "anti-Western." For subsequent editions of "Orientalism", Said wrote an Afterword (1995) and a Preface (2003) addressing discussions of the book as cultural criticism.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: The term "orientalism" denotes the exaggeration of difference, the presumption of Western superiority, and the application of clichéd analytical models for perceiving the "Oriental world". This intellectual tradition is the background for Said's presentation of Orientalism as a European "viewpoint" reflecting a contrived Manichean duality.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: As such, Orientalism is the pivotal source of the inaccurate cultural representations that form the foundations of Western thought and perception of the Eastern world, specifically in relation to the Middle East region.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In other words, Said had in mind the "Occidental" (or Western) views of eastern cultures that mirrored the prejudices and ideologies that the colonial experience of Western individuals was shaded by. Said's work drew attention to the obsession of Western writers with women and their role in the preservation (or destruction) of so-called cultural mores, viewing them as either "pristine" (redeemed) or "contaminated" (fallen).


title: Orientalism (book)

text: According to an article published by "The New Criterion", the principal characteristic of Orientalism is a "subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arab-Islamic peoples and their culture," which derives from Western images of what is Oriental (i.e., cultural representations) that reduce the Orient to the fictional essences of "Oriental peoples" and "the places of the Orient;" such representations dominate the discourse of Western peoples with and about non-Western peoples.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: These cultural representations usually depict the ‘Orient’ as primitive, irrational, violent, despotic, fanatic, and essentially inferior to the westerner or native informant, and hence, ‘enlightenment’ can only occur when “traditional” and “reactionary” values are replaced by “contemporary” and “progressive” ideas that are either western or western-influenced.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In practice, the imperial and colonial enterprises of the West are facilitated by collaborating régimes of Europeanized Arab élites who have internalized the fictional, and romanticized representations of Arabic culture. The idea of the "Orient" was conceptualized by French and English Orientalists during the 18th century, and was eventually adopted in the 20th century by American Orientalists. As such, Orientalist stereotypes of the cultures of the Eastern world have served, and continue to serve, as implicit justifications for the colonial ambitions and the imperial endeavors of the U.S. and the European powers. In that vein, about contemporary Orientalist stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims, Said states:


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Moving from the assertion that ‘pure knowledge’ is simply not possible (as all forms of knowledge are inevitably influenced by ideological standpoints), Said sought to explain the connection between ideology and literature. He argued that “Orientalism is not a mere political subject or field that is reflected passively by culture, scholarship, or institutions,” but rather “a distribution of geopolitical awareness into aesthetic, scholarly, economic, sociological, historical, and philological texts.” European literature for Said carried, actualised, and propelled Orientalist notions forward and constantly reinforced them. Put differently, literature produced by Europeans made possible the domination of the people of the ‘East’ because of the Orientalist discourse embedded within these texts. Literature here is understood as a kind of carrier and distributor of ideology.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: He underscored again and again the importance of understanding the intimate relationship between knowledge and power, declaring: "If the knowledge of Orientalism has any meaning, it is in being a reminder of the seductive degradation of knowledge, of any knowledge, anywhere, at any time.”


title: Orientalism (book)

text: "Orientalism" (1978) proposes that much of the Western study of Islamic civilization was an exercise in political intellectualism; a psychological exercise in the self-affirmation of "European identity"; not an objective exercise of intellectual enquiry and the academic study of Eastern cultures. Therefore, Orientalism was a method of practical and cultural discrimination that was applied to non-European societies and peoples in order to establish European imperial domination. In justification of empire, the Orientalist claims to know more—essential and definitive knowledge—about the Orient than do the Orientals.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: One of the main themes of Said's critique is that the representations of the Orient as "different" from the West are based entirely on accounts taken from textual sources, many of them produced by Westerners. Modern on-the-ground reality is heavily discounted such that the Orient is implicitly disregarded as incapable or not credible to describe itself.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Western writings about the Orient, the perceptions of the East presented in Orientalism, cannot be taken at face value, because they are cultural representations based upon fictional, Western images of the Orient. The history of European colonial rule and political domination of Eastern civilizations, distorts the intellectual objectivity of even the most knowledgeable, well-meaning, and culturally sympathetic Western Orientalist; thus did the term "Orientalism" become a pejorative word regarding non–Western peoples and cultures:


title: Orientalism (book)

text: The notion of cultural representations as a means for domination and control would remain a central feature of Said's critical approach proposed in "Orientalism". Towards the end of his life for instance, Said argued that while representations are essential for the function of human life and societies—as essential as language itself—what must cease are representations that are authoritatively repressive, because they do not provide any real possibilities for those being represented to intervene in this process.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: The alternative to an exclusionary representational system for Said would be one that is “participatory and collaborative, non-coercive, rather than imposed,” yet he recognised the extreme difficulty involved in bringing about such an alternative. Difficult because advances in the “electronic transfer of images” is increasing media concentration in the hands of powerful, transnational conglomerates. This concentration is of such great magnitude that ‘dependent societies’ situated outside of the “central metropolitan zones” are greatly reliant upon these systems of representation for information about themselves - otherwise known as self-knowledge. For Said, this process of gaining self-knowledge by peripheral societies is insidious, because the system upon which they rely is presented as natural and real, such that it becomes practically unassailable.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Said said that the Western world sought to dominate the Eastern world for more than 2,000 years, since Classical antiquity (8th c. BC – AD 6th c.), the time of the play "The Persians" (472 BC), by Aeschylus, which celebrates a Greek victory (Battle of Salamis, 480 BC) against the Persians in the course of the Persian Wars (499–449 BC)—imperial conflict between the Greek West and the Persian East. Europe's long, military domination of Asia (empire and hegemony) made unreliable most Western texts about the Eastern world, because of the implicit cultural bias that permeates most Orientalism, which was not recognized by most Western scholars.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the course of empire, after the physical-and-political conquest, there followed the intellectual conquest of a people, whereby Western scholars appropriated for themselves (as European intellectual property) the interpretation and translation of Oriental languages, and the critical study of the cultures and histories of the Oriental world. In that way, by using Orientalism as the intellectual norm for cultural judgement, Europeans wrote the history of Asia, and invented the "exotic East" and the "inscrutable Orient", which are cultural representations of peoples and things considered inferior to the peoples and things of the West.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: The contemporary, historical impact of "Orientalism" was in explaining the "how?" and the "why?" of imperial impotence; in the 1970s, to journalists, academics, and Orientalists, the Yom Kippur war (6–25 October 1973) and the OPEC petroleum embargo (October 1973 – March 1974) were recent modern history. The Western world had been surprised, by the pro-active and decisive actions of non-Western peoples, whom the ideology of Orientalism had defined as essentially weak societies and impotent countries. The geopolitical reality of their actions, of military and economic warfare, voided the fictional nature of Orientalist representations, attitudes, and opinions about the non-Western Other self.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: The greatest intellectual impact of "Orientalism" (1978) was upon the fields of literary theory, cultural studies, and human geography, by way of which originated the field of Post-colonial studies. Edward Said's method of post-structuralist analysis derived from the analytic techniques of Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault; and the perspectives to Orientalism presented by Abdul Latif Tibawi, Anouar Abdel-Malek, Maxime Rodinson, and Richard William Southern.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: As a work of cultural criticism, "Orientalism" (1978) is a foundational document in the field of postcolonialism, providing a framework and method of analysis to answer the "how?" and the "why?" of the cultural representations of "Orientals," "The Orient," and "The Eastern world," as presented in the mass-media of the Western world.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Postcolonial theory studies the power and continued dominance of Western ways of intellectual enquiry, as well as the production of knowledge in the academic, intellectual, and cultural spheres of decolonised countries. Said's survey concentrated upon the British and the French varieties of Orientalism that supported the British Empire and the French Empire as commercial enterprises constructed from colonialism, and gave perfunctory coverage, discussion, and analyses of German Orientalist scholarship.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Such disproportional investigation provoked criticism from opponents and embarrassment for supporters of Said, who, in "Orientalism Reconsidered" (1985), said that no single opponent provided a rationale, by which limited coverage of German Orientalism limits either the scholarly value or the practical application of "Orientalism" as a cultural study. In the Afterword to the 1995 edition of "Orientalism", Said presented follow-up refutations of the criticisms that the Orientalist and historian Bernard Lewis made against the book's first edition (1978).


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the fields of literary criticism and of cultural studies, the notable Indian scholars of postcolonialism were Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak ("In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics", 1987), whose essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?" (1988) also became a foundational text of postcolonial culture studies; Homi K. Bhabha ("Nation and Narration", 1990); Ronald Inden ("Imagining India", 1990); Gyan Prakash ("Writing Post–Orientalist Histories of the Third World: Perspectives from Indian Historiography", 1990); Nicholas Dirks ("Castes of Mind", 2001); and Hamid Dabashi ("", 2007).


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In "White Mythologies: Writing History and the West" (1990), Robert J. C. Young reports post-colonial explanations of the "How?" and the "Why?" of the nature of the post-colonial world, the peoples, and their discontents; which verify the efficacy of the critical method applied in "Orientalism" (1978), especially in the field of Middle Eastern studies.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the late 1970s, the survey range of "Orientalism" (1978) did not include the genre of Orientalist painting or any other visual arts, despite the book-cover featuring a detail-image of "The Snake Charmer" (1880), a popular, 19th-century Orientalist painting—to which the writer Linda Nochlin applied Said's method of critical analysis "with uneven results." In the field of epistemological studies, "Orientalism" is an extended application of methods of critical analysis developed by the philosopher Michel Foucault. Anthropologist Talal Asad said that the book "Orientalism" is:


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Historian Gyan Prakash said that "Orientalism" describes how "the hallowed image of the Orientalist, as an austere figure, unconcerned with the world and immersed in the mystery of foreign scripts and languages, has acquired a dark hue as the murky business of ruling other peoples, now forms the essential and enabling background of his or her scholarship" about the Orient; without colonial imperialism, there would be no Orientalism.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In Eastern Europe, Milica Bakić-Hayden developed the concept of Nesting Orientalisms (1992), based upon and derived from the work of the historian Larry Wolff ("Inventing Eastern Europe: The Map of Civilization on the Mind of the Enlightenment", 1994), and the ideas Said presents in "Orientalism" (1978).


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Bulgarian historian Maria Todorova ("Imagining the Balkans", 1997) presented her ethnologic concept of Nesting Balkanisms ("Ethnologia Balkanica",1997), which is thematically extended and theoretically derived from Bakić-Hayden's Nesting Orientalisms.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Moreover, in "A Stereotype, Wrapped in a Cliché, Inside a Caricature: Russian Foreign Policy and Orientalism" (2010), James D. J. Brown says that Western stereotypes of Russia, Russianness, and things Russian are cultural representations derived from the literature of "Russian studies," which is a field of enquiry little afflicted with the misconceptions of Russia-as-the-Other, but does display the characteristics of Orientalism—the exaggeration of difference, the presumption of Western cultural superiority, and the application of cliché in analytical models. That overcoming such intellectual malaise requires that area scholars choose to break their "mind-forg'd manacles" and deeply reflect upon the basic cultural assumptions of their area-studies scholarship.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Despite the book's wide-ranging influence, some have taken issue with the arguments and assumptions of "Orientalism". Critics include Albert Hourani ("A History of the Arab Peoples", 1991), Robert Graham Irwin ("For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and their Enemies", 2006), Nikki Keddie ("An Islamic Response to Imperialism, 1968)", and Bernard Lewis ("The Question of Orientalism", "Islam and the West", 1993).


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In a review of a book by Ibn Warraq, American classicist Bruce Thornton dismissed "Orientalism" as an "incoherent amalgam of dubious postmodern theory, sentimental Third Worldism, glaring historical errors, and Western guilt". Likewise, in the preface paragraphs of a book-review article "Enough Said" (2007), about "Dangerous Knowledge" (2007), which is the American title for British-published "For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies" by Robert Irwin, Martin Kramer criticized what he said was the way Said turned the term "Orientalism" into a pejorative, saying "In a semantic sleight of hand, Said appropriated the term "Orientalism", as a label for the ideological prejudice he described, thereby, neatly implicating the scholars who called themselves Orientalists."


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Nonetheless, the literary critic Paul De Man said that, as a literary critic, "Said took a step further than any other modern scholar of his time, something I dare not do. I remain in the safety of rhetorical analysis, where criticism is the second-best thing I do."


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Ernest Gellner, in his book review titled "The Mightier Pen? Edward Said and the Double Standards of Inside-out Colonialism: a review of "Culture and Imperialism", by Edward Said" (1993), says that Said's contention of Western domination of the Eastern world for more than 2,000 years was unsupportable, because, until the late 17th century, the Ottoman Empire (1299–1923) was a realistic military, cultural, and religious threat to (Western) Europe.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In "Disraeli as an Orientalist: The Polemical Errors of Edward Said" (2005), Mark Proudman noted incorrect 19th-century history in "Orientalism", that the geographic extent of the British Empire was not from Egypt to India in the 1880s, because the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire in that time intervened between those poles of empire. Moreover, at the zenith of the imperial era, European colonial power in the Eastern world never was absolute, it was relative and much dependent upon local collaborators—princes, rajahs, and warlords—who nonetheless often subverted the imperial and hegemonic aims of the colonialist power.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In "For Lust of Knowing: The Orientalists and Their Enemies" (2006), Robert Irwin says that Said's concentrating the scope of "Orientalism" to the Middle East, especially Palestine and Egypt, was a mistake, because the Mandate of Palestine (1920–1948) and British Egypt (1882–1956) were only under direct European control for a short time, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; thus they are poor examples for Said's theory of Western cultural imperialism. That "Orientalism" should have concentrated upon noteworthy examples of imperialism and cultural hegemony, such as the British colony of India (1858–1947) and Russian colonies in Asia (1721–1917), but he did not, because, as a public intellectual, Edward Said was more interested in making political points about the politics of the Middle East, in general, and of Palestine, in particular. Moreover, that by unduly concentrating on British and French Orientalism, Said ignored the domination of 19th century Oriental studies by German and Hungarian academics and intellectuals, whose countries did not possess colonies in the East. He frankly states that the “book seems to me to be a work of malignant charlatanry in which it is hard to distinguish honest mistakes from wilful misrepresentations.”


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Irwin's book was later reviewed by Amir Taheri, writing in "Asharq Al-Awsat". He listed certain factual and editing errors, and noted a number of prominent Orientalists were left unmentioned, but says that he believes it to be "the most complete account of Orientalism from the emergence of its modern version in the 19th century to the present day." He also describes it as "a highly enjoyable read both for the specialist and the broadly interested reader."


title: Orientalism (book)

text: American scholar of religion Jason Ānanda Josephson has argued that data from Japan complicates Said's thesis about Orientalism as a field linked to imperial power. Not only did Europeans study Japan without any hope of colonizing it, but Japanese academics played a prominent role as informants and interlocutors in this academic discipline, providing information both on their own practices and history and on the history of China. Moreover, Josephson has documented that European conferences on East Asia predate European conferences on the Middle East described by Said, necessitating an alternative chronology of Western academic interest in the Orient.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the article "Said's Splash" (2001), Martin Kramer says that, fifteen years after the publication of "Orientalism" (1978), UCLA historian Nikki Keddie (whom Said praised in "Covering Islam", 1981) who originally had praised "Orientalism" as an "important, and, in many ways, positive" book, had changed her mind. In "Approaches to the History of the Middle East" (1994), Keddie criticises Said's work on Orientalism, for the unfortunate consequences upon her profession as an historian:


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the article, "Edward Said's Shadowy Legacy" (2008), Robert Irwin says that Said ineffectively distinguished among writers of different centuries and genres of Orientalist literature. That the disparate examples, such as the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) who never travelled to the Orient; the French novelist Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) who briefly toured Egypt; the French Orientalist Ernest Renan (1823–1892), whose anti-Semitism voided his work; and the British Arabist Edward William Lane (1801–1876), who compiled the "Arabic–English Lexicon" (1863–93)—did not constitute a comprehensive scope of investigation or critical comparison. In that vein, in "Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism" (2007), Ibn Warraq earlier had said that in "Orientalism" (1978) Said had constructed a binary-opposite representation, a fictional European stereotype that would counter-weigh the Oriental stereotype. Being European is the only common trait among such a temporally and stylistically disparate group of literary Orientalists.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In "The Asiatic Society of Bengal and the Discovery of India's Past" (1988), O. P. Kejariwal says that with the creation of a monolithic Occidentalism to oppose the Orientalism of Western discourse with the Eastern world, Said had failed to distinguish between the paradigms of Romanticism and the Enlightenment, and ignored the differences among Orientalists; and that he failed to acknowledge the positive contributions of Orientalists who sought kinship, between the worlds of the East and the West, rather than to create an artificial "difference" of cultural inferiority and superiority; such a man was William Jones (1746–1794), the British philologist–lexicographer who proposed that Indo–European languages are interrelated.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the essay "The Debate About 'Orientalism'", Harry Oldmeadow says that "Said’s treatment of Orientalism, particularly the assertion of the necessary nexus with imperialism, is over-stated and unbalanced." He objected to Said's view that Western Orientalists were projecting upon the "artificial screen" called 'the East' or 'the Orient', but that such projection was only a small part of the relationship. That Said failed to adequately distinguish between the genuine experiences of the Orient and the cultural projections of Westerners. He further criticized Said for using reductionist models of religion and spirituality, that are based on "Marxist/Foucauldian/psychoanalytic thought."


title: Orientalism (book)

text: George Landlow argued that Said assumed that such projection and its harmful consequences are a purely Western phenomenon, when in reality all societies do this to each other. This was a particular issue given Said treated Western colonialism as unique, which Landlow regarded as unsatisfactory for a work of serious scholarship.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Several scholars have critiqued "Orientalism" and Said's embrace of the cultural turn as a means of explaining colonialism. Vivek Chibber has highlighted how "Orientalism" argues that orientalist discourse was both a cause and an effect of colonialism - that on the one hand, orientalist scholarship (described by Said as "manifest orientalism") developed from the eighteenth century as a means of justifying the process of imperialist expansion, whilst on the other, a deeply ingrained tradition of broader orientalist depictions of the East stretching back to the classical era (which Said labelled "latent orientalism") played a role in creating the conditions for the launching of colonial projects. Whilst the first claim had previously been made by anti-colonial thinkers, the latter was novel.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the years after "Orientalism" was published, Said's arguments were critiqued by Sadiq Jalal al-Azm and Aijaz Ahmad. In 1981 Al-Azm suggested that conceiving of orientalism as "the natural product of an ancient and almost irresistible European bent of mind to misrepresent the realities of other cultures, peoples, and their languages, in favour of Occidental self-affirmation" served to reinforce the essentialism that was at the heart of orientalism, rather than challenging it, i.e. that the West is inherently incapable of understanding the East. Just over ten years later Ahmad raised two criticisms of Said's assertions: firstly, that according to Said orientalist views were so pervasive that he did not differentiate critics of colonialism such as Karl Marx from supporters of imperialism, despite the role of Marxists in anti-colonial struggles across the world, and secondly that Said's suggestion of cultural causes for imperialism displaced older Marxist, nationalist and liberal analyses based on the interests of economic classes, nations and individuals in favour of a "Clash of Civilizations" thesis.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: More recently, Chibber has pointed out that essentialist and ethnocentric portrayals of foreign cultures can be found in pre-colonial Eastern civilisations as well: whilst Said acknowledged that "all cultures impose corrections upon raw reality", Chibber has argued that this fact weakens the contention that such essentialism was itself a cause of colonialism, since the latter was practiced by a relatively small number of mostly Western European countries. Regarding a weaker interpretation of Said's thesis - that latent orientalism was a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for colonialism - Chibber contends that economic and political factors are universally accepted as contributory causes of colonialism, that these in themselves would generate pressure for arguments to legitimise imperial projects, and therefore a case cannot be made that pre-existing latent orientalism was indispensable for the rise of colonialism.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the sociological article, "Review: Who is Afraid of Edward Said?" (1999) Biswamoy Pati said that in making ethnicity and cultural background the tests of moral authority and intellectual objectivity in studying the Oriental world, Said drew attention to his personal identity as a Palestinian and as a subaltern of the British Empire, in the Near East. Therefore, from the perspective of the Orientalist academic, Said's personal background might, arguably, exclude him from writing about the Oriental world, hindered by an upper-class birth, an Anglophone upbringing, a British-school education in Cairo, residency in the U.S., a university-professor job; and categorical statements, such as: "any and all representations...are embedded, first, in the language, and then, in the culture, institutions, and political ambience of the representer...[the cultural representations are] interwoven with a great many other things, besides 'the Truth', which is, itself, a representation."


title: Orientalism (book)

text: Hence, in the article "Orients and Occidents: Colonial Discourse Theory and the Historiography of the British Empire", D.A. Washbrook said that Said and his academic cohort indulge in excessive cultural relativism, which intellectual excess traps them in a "web of solipsism," which limits conversation exclusively to "cultural representations" and to denying the existence of objective truth. That Said and his followers fail to distinguish between the types and degrees of Orientalism represented by the news media and popular culture (e.g., the Orientalism of the film "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", 1984), and heavy academic Orientalism about the language and literature, history and culture of the peoples of the Eastern world.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In the article "Orientalism Now" (1995), historian Gyan Prakash says that Edward Said had explored fields of Orientalism already surveyed by his predecessors and contemporaries, such as V. G. Kiernan, Bernard S. Cohn, and Anwar Abdel Malek, who also had studied, reported, and interpreted the social relationship that makes the practice of imperialism intellectually, psychologically, and ethically feasible; that is, the relationship between European imperial rule and European representations of the non-European Other self, the colonised people. That, as an academic investigator, Said already had been preceded in the critical analysis of the production of Orientalist knowledge and about Western methods of Orientalist scholarship, because, in the 18th century, "Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti [1753–1825], the Egyptian chronicler, and a witness to Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798, for example, had no doubt that the expedition was as much an epistemological as military conquest". Nonetheless, George Landow, of Brown University, who criticized Said's scholarship and contested his conclusions, acknowledged that "Orientalism" is a major work of cultural criticism.


title: Orientalism (book)

text: In October 2003, one month after the death of Edward Said, the Lebanese newspaper "Daily Star" recognized the intellectual import of the book, saying "Everyone agrees that Said's work was a work of fiction designed to derail Western civilisation" and that "U.S. Middle Eastern Studies were taken over, by Edward Said's postcolonial studies paradigm."


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Cyntoia Brown Long (née Brown; born January 29, 1988) is an American author and speaker who was convicted of murder and robbery at the age of 16. Brown, who was a victim of child sex trafficking at the time of the incident, claimed that Johnny Allen had paid her $150 to have sex with him, and that she feared for her life during their encounter, leading her to shoot him. Prosecutors argued that Brown killed Allen while he was sleeping in order to rob him. Brown was found guilty of robbing and murdering Allen and was sentenced to life imprisonment.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: She would have been eligible for parole at the age of 67. After renewed interest in her case in 2013, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam commuted her original sentence to 15 years and Brown was released on August 7, 2019. Her story is detailed in the 2011 documentary "" and in her memoir, "Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System". Her fight for freedom from prison is documented in the Netflix special "" (2020).


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Cyntoia Denise Brown was born at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on January 29, 1988. Her father is unknown. Her biological mother, Georgina Mitchell, drank alcohol during her pregnancy. Brown's defense attorneys would later claim that this caused her to develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Following Brown's birth, Mitchell began to use crack cocaine. Unable to care for her infant daughter, Mitchell placed the child up for adoption.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Although raised in a loving home, Brown dropped out of elementary school and eventually began to have encounters with the juvenile court system. She spent time with the state's Department of Children's Services between April 2001 and September 2003 after committing "crimes against a person, and crimes against property," according to spokeswoman Carla Aaron. While in custody of the DCS, Brown spent two years in DCS facilities, including a year at Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville. She fled these facilities several times, eventually ending up as a runaway on the streets of Nashville in August 2004.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: While a runaway, Brown met Garion L. McGlothen (also known by the street name Kut-Throat, often abbreviated to Kut or Cut), who began trafficking Brown. During this time, she lived at an InTown Suites hotel. Brown supported McGlothen and herself via involuntary prostitution as a victim of domestic minor sex trafficking. According to Brown, McGlothen threatened, beat, and raped her on multiple occasions.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: On the night of August 6, 2004, 16-year-old Brown met 43-year-old Johnny Michael Allen in the parking lot of a Sonic Drive-In on Murfreesboro Road in Nashville, Tennessee. Allen was a real estate agent. He also was a youth pastor and a Sunday school teacher and had started a homeless ministry at a local Baptist church.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: According to a detective on the case, Allen asked her if she was hungry and if she was "up for any action." The detective asserted that Brown answered yes to both questions and accepted Allen's offer to take her to his house. Brown and Allen ordered dinner and Allen drove the pair to his home. At a later hearing, Brown testified that she agreed to have sex with Allen for $150, but claimed that they never actually engaged in sexual intercourse. Allen's friends and family denied that he had tried to solicit Brown for sex, instead claiming that he was trying to help her. However, the lead prosecutor in the case, Jeff Burks stipulated that Allen picked Brown up to pay her for sex, stating, “That was a fact from start to finish.”


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: In court documents, another minor who was a waitress at a local restaurant claimed that she and the other young teens at the restaurant felt uncomfortable whenever they had to serve Allen. The waitress said that he would hit on the teens regularly.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: At some point during the encounter, Brown shot Allen in the back of the head using her .40-caliber handgun. She then stole $172 from Allen's wallet and two of his firearms and fled the scene in Allen's truck. Brown left Allen's truck at a Walmart parking lot and flagged down an SUV for a ride home. Police later found Brown and McGlothen at the nearby InTown Suites.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: In a letter asking Governor Haslam to deny clemency, the lead detective in the case of Allen's murder wrote that on August 7, Brown had a neighbor drive her to the Walmart where she had left Allen's truck. The detective says that Brown asked the neighbor to drive her back to Allen's house so that she could steal more items but he refused. The neighbor reportedly told the detective that Brown told him that she “shot somebody in the head for fifty thousand dollars and some guns” and that she "shot somebody in the head last night and blew his brains out." The detective further asserted that Brown told the neighbor that the killing was a "fat lick" (robbery) and that she had been "waiting on a lick like that all week." According to the detective, after the neighbor told his roommate about the incident Brown called him on the phone and threatened him, saying “you better stop running your fucking mouth about my business or I’ll get to you too.”


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown was arrested and charged with homicide, aggravated robbery, handgun possession, and criminal impersonation. Despite being only 16 at the time of the killing, she was tried as an adult. This decision came from Metro Juvenile Court Judge Betty Adams Green on November 14, 2004, who argued that it was too much of a risk to the community to keep the 16-year-old in the Juvenile Court System.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown stated that Allen had intimidated her by repeatedly standing over her and touching her while she lay in his bed, and that she believed Allen was reaching for a firearm as the two lay in bed. This led her to shoot Allen with her own firearm, which she had gotten from her pimp for protection. Prosecutors took the stance that Brown had not been in danger and that she had murdered Allen as he slept naked in bed in order to rob him.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Police noted that no gun was found under or near Allen's bed. Based on the position in which his body was discovered, investigators believe that Allen was asleep when he was shot. Forensics noted that postmortem, Allen was lying with his hands underneath his head and his fingers interlocked.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: On August 14, Brown was taken to the Western Mental Health Institute for an evaluation. According to court documents, Brown allegedly attacked and threatened a nurse at the Mental Health Institute after the nurse did not allow her to call her adoptive mother. The nurse claimed that Brown jumped over her desk, grabbed her hair and face, and hit her, giving her several bruises and abrasions. During the attack, Brown allegedly told the nurse "I shot that man in the back of the head one time, bitch, I’m gonna shoot you in the back of the head three times. I’d love to hear your blood splatter on the wall." The nurse, along with another Western Mental Health Institute employee who witnessed the incident, testified at trial.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Three jail inmates, hoping to receive leniency in their own pending criminal cases, claimed Brown spoke to them about the crime and confessed to killing Allen "just to see how it felt to kill somebody." One inmate later gave police a note Brown had allegedly given her which said: “everything is the truth, I swear it on my life except for ‘I thought he was getting a gun’ and the feeling of nervousness.” At trial, a forensic document examiner testified that, in his opinion, the note was written by Brown. The cellmate whom Brown had given the note to and spoken with also testified at trial.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Further evidence against Brown came from a phone call between her and her adoptive mother. During the call, Brown said, “I killed somebody. … I executed him.”


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: At trial, defense attorneys argued that 43 year old Allen had a "dark side" and was intent on sexually assaulting 16 year old Brown when he got in the bed with her, naked. The defense stance was that Brown was defending herself against sexual assault when she killed Allen.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: During the trial, Brown presented several witnesses on her behalf, including one who had previously interacted with Allen. During one alleged incident, Allen had invited that witness into his home and began kissing her. The witness testified that she told Allen she did not want to have sex. She claimed that Allen then proceeded to rape her. There was another witness, a 17-year-old girl who worked at a restaurant, whom the judge did not allow the jury to hear, labeling her testimony "irrelevant." According to this witness, Allen handed her his business card and wrote a personal message on the back saying, “You’re gorgeous. I’d love to take you out sometime, so let me know.” The witness further testified that other teens who worked at the restaurant felt uncomfortable serving Allen because of his flirtatious behavior with them.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown was found guilty of first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life in prison.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown served her sentence at the Tennessee Prison for Women, a maximum security detention facility in Nashville, Tennessee. Under her original sentence, she would have been eligible for parole at age 67. In prison, Brown earned her GED with a score of 656 in March 2005, an associate degree in Liberal Arts with a 4.0 GPA in December 2015 from Lipscomb University, and a Bachelors of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership with a 4.0 GPA in May 2019 from Lipscomb University. She was referenced as a model prisoner in testimony presented at her clemency hearing before the Tennessee Board of Parole.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown's former pimp, Garion L. McGlothen, also known as Gary McGlothen and Kut-Throat, died on March 30, 2005, at the age of 24, having been shot and killed by Quartez Hines. His story was featured in the 2011 documentary, "".


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: The producer of "Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story", Dan Birman, continued to follow Brown's case and other instances of juveniles sentenced to long terms in a seven-part online video series in 2016–2017, "Sentencing Children," done in collaboration with the PBS series Independent Lens and reporter Anita Wadhwani at "The Tennessean" newspaper. Unused footage from these projects was repurposed into a Netflix Original documentary titled, "Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story."


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: While still in prison, Brown married musician and entrepreneur Jaime Long, CEO of JFAM Music, Inc. and co-owner of a Texas healthcare business who performed under the name J. Long and was formerly associated with the R&B group Pretty Ricky. She is now referred to as Cyntoia Brown Long.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: On November 21, 2017, Brown's case went viral following several high-profile celebrity social media posts expressing outrage over her sentence. Celebrities that posted include Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, T.I., Snoop Dogg, and LeBron James. In March 2018, it was announced that the Tennessee Board of Parole would hold a hearing on Brown's clemency petition, a move that only 2% of Tennessee clemency applicants see. The public hearing was held on May 28, 2018 at the Tennessee Prison for Women. At the hearing, several witnesses that knew Brown from prison testified on her behalf, including Lipscomb University faculty, her former prosecutor Preston Shipp, prison employees, local victim rights advocates, and a local nonprofit leader who ran a mentoring group for at risk teens with Brown. Allen's friend testified against clemency. Charles Robinson, a Nashville police detective who served as the lead detective in Allen's murder investigation, also testified against clemency for Brown. He told the board that he did not believe there was any evidence to support the claim that Brown had been trafficked since she was 12 and that Allen's killing was unjustified. The parole board was divided, with two voting to grant Brown clemency with her having already served 15 years, two voting that Brown's sentence should be reduced from 51 to 25 years, and two voting to deny clemency.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: On December 6, 2018, the Tennessee Supreme Court answered a question of law in conjunction with Brown's federal "habeas corpus" appeal, stating that she would be eligible for parole after serving 51 years. In response to the Tennessee Supreme Court's ruling, a wave of support resurged that encouraged Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to grant Brown clemency. Letters and phone calls flooded the Governor's office and social media. Detective Charles Robinson wrote a seven-page letter urging Governor Haslam not to give Brown clemency. He wrote that "Cyntoia Brown did not commit this murder because she was a child sex slave as her advocates would like you to believe. Cyntoia Brown's motive for murdering Johnny Allen in his sleep was robbery." He also wrote "At the beginning of this investigation, I considered the possibility that Cyntoia Brown was justified in killing Johnny Allen. At the conclusion of this investigation, my findings were that she was not justified in killing Mr. Allen and her only motivation for the murder was robbery."


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: On January 7, 2019, Haslam commuted Brown's sentence of life in prison to 15 years plus 10 years of supervised parole. Brown was released from prison on August 7, 2019. Haslam said his decision came "after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case" and further stated that "imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh." Friends and family of Allen did not approve of Governor Haslam's decision, writing on the Friends of Johnny Allen Facebook page, "Our hearts are broken today as the Governor has decided to grant Johnny's murderer clemency. The activist mob with their repetition of Cyntoia's lies and slander managed to prevail against justice."


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Since her release from prison, Cyntoia Brown Long has conducted numerous interviews sharing her insight and critique of the criminal justice system. She has been the featured keynote speaker for different groups across the country, sharing her testimony of surviving domestic minor sex trafficking and her experience with the criminal justice system. She has been commonly referenced as an advocate and activist. The ACLU brought in Brown Long to head their national campaign urging Governors to use their executive power of clemency to combat systemic injustice and racism.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: A memoir of Brown's 15 years in prison titled "Free Cyntoia: My Search for Redemption in the American Prison System" was published by Atria Books on October 15, 2019.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: In addition to her own work speaking about her experiences, Brown's life journey has been of interest to notable media giants. A documentary entitled "" was released on Netflix on April 29, 2020. In August 2020 it was announced that Lala Anthony, burgeoning film producer, actress, and wife of basketball superstar Carmelo Anthony, was working with 50 Cent on a scripted series based on Brown Long.


title: Cyntoia Brown

text: Brown and her husband founded a nonprofit organization together upon her release. The Foundation for Justice, Freedom, and Mercy operates under the name of The JFAM Foundation and is a 501 (c)(3) organization that aims to empower individuals who are at risk of exploitation or criminal justice system involvement.


title: Matriarchy

text: Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property.


title: Matriarchy

text: While those definitions apply in general English, definitions specific to anthropology and feminism differ in some respects.


title: Matriarchy

text: Matriarchies may also be confused with matrilineal, matrilocal, and matrifocal societies. While there are those who may consider any non-patriarchal system to be matriarchal, most academics exclude those systems from matriarchies as strictly defined.


title: Matriarchy

text: According to the "Oxford English Dictionary" ("OED"), matriarchy is a "form of social organization in which the mother or oldest female is the head of the family, and descent and relationship are reckoned through the female line; government or rule by a woman or women." A popular definition, according to James Peoples and Garrick Bailey, is "female dominance". Within the academic discipline of cultural anthropology, according to the "OED", matriarchy is a "culture or community in which such a system prevails" or a "family, society, organization, etc., dominated by a woman or women." In general anthropology, according to William A. Haviland, matriarchy is "rule by women". A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership, moral authority, and control of property, but does not include a society that occasionally is led by a female for nonmatriarchal reasons or an occupation in which females generally predominate without reference to matriarchy, such as prostitution or women's auxiliaries of organizations run by men. According to Lawrence A. Kuzner in 1997, A. R. Radcliffe-Brown argued in 1924 that the definitions of matriarchy and patriarchy had "logical and empirical failings (...) [and] were too vague to be scientifically useful".


title: Matriarchy

text: Most academics exclude egalitarian nonpatriarchal systems from matriarchies more strictly defined. According to Heide Göttner-Abendroth, a reluctance to accept the existence of matriarchies might be based on a specific culturally biased notion of how to define matriarchy: because in a patriarchy men rule over women, a matriarchy has frequently been conceptualized as women ruling over men, while she believed that matriarchies are egalitarian.


title: Matriarchy

text: The word matriarchy, for a society politically led by females, especially mothers, who also control property, is often interpreted to mean the genderal opposite of patriarchy, but it is not an opposite. According to Peoples and Bailey, the view of anthropologist Peggy Reeves Sanday is that matriarchies are not a mirror form of patriarchies but rather that a matriarchy "emphasizes maternal meanings where 'maternal symbols are linked to social practices influencing the lives of both sexes and where women play a central role in these practices. Journalist Margot Adler wrote, "literally, ... [""matriarchy""] means government by mothers, or more broadly, government and power in the hands of women." Barbara Love and Elizabeth Shanklin wrote, "by 'matriarchy,' we mean a non-alienated society: a society in which women, those who produce the next generation, define motherhood, determine the conditions of motherhood, and determine the environment in which the next generation is reared." According to Cynthia Eller, "'matriarchy' can be thought of ... as a shorthand description for any society in which women's power is equal or superior to men's and in which the culture centers around values and life events described as 'feminine.'" Eller wrote that the idea of matriarchy mainly rests on two pillars, romanticism and modern social criticism. The notion of matriarchy was meant to describe something like a utopia placed in the past in order to legitimate contemporary social criticism. With respect to a prehistoric matriarchal Golden Age, according to Barbara Epstein, "matriarchy ... means a social system organized around matriliny and goddess worship in which women have positions of power." According to Adler, in the Marxist tradition, it usually refers to a pre-class society "where women and men share equally in production and power."


title: Matriarchy

text: According to Adler, "a number of feminists note that few definitions of the word [matriarchy], despite its literal meaning, include any concept of power, and they suggest that centuries of oppression have made it impossible for women to conceive of themselves with such power."


title: Matriarchy

text: Matriarchy has often been presented as negative, in contrast to patriarchy as natural and inevitable for society, thus that matriarchy is hopeless. Love and Shanklin wrote:


title: Matriarchy

text: When we hear the word "matriarchy", we are conditioned to a number of responses: that matriarchy refers to the past and that matriarchies have never existed; that matriarchy is a hopeless fantasy of female domination, of mothers dominating children, of women being cruel to men. Conditioning us negatively to matriarchy is, of course, in the interests of patriarchs. We are made to feel that patriarchy is natural; we are less likely to question it, and less likely to direct our energies to ending it.


title: Matriarchy

text: The Matriarchal Studies school led by Göttner-Abendroth calls for an even more inclusive redefinition of the term: Göttner-Abendroth defines "Modern Matriarchal Studies" as the "investigation and presentation of non-patriarchal societies", effectively defining matriarchy as non-patriarchy. She has also defined matriarchy as characterized by the sharing of power equally between the two genders. According to Diane LeBow, "matriarchal societies are often described as ... egalitarian ...", although anthropologist Ruby Rohrlich has written of "the centrality of women in an egalitarian society."


title: Matriarchy

text: Matriarchy is also the public formation in which the woman occupies the ruling position in a family. Some, including Daniel Moynihan, claimed that there is a matriarchy among Black families in the United States, because a quarter of them were headed by single women; thus, families composing a substantial minority of a substantial minority could be enough for the latter to constitute a matriarchy within a larger non-matriarchal society.


title: Matriarchy

text: Etymologically, it is from Latin "māter" (genitive "mātris"), "mother" and Greek ἄρχειν "arkhein", "to rule". The notion of matriarchy was defined by Joseph-François Lafitau (1681–1746), who first named it "ginécocratie". According to the "OED", the earliest known attestation of the word matriarchy is in 1885. By contrast, gynæcocracy, meaning 'rule of women', has been in use since the 17th century, building on the Greek word found in Aristotle and Plutarch.


title: Matriarchy

text: Terms with similar etymology are also used in various social sciences and humanities to describe matriarchal or "matriological" aspects of social, cultural and political processes. Adjective "matriological" is derived from the noun "matriology" that comes from Latin word "māter" (mother) and Greek word λογος ("logos", teaching about). The term matriology was used in theology and history of religion as a designation for the study of particular motherly aspects of various female deities. The term was subsequently borrowed by other social sciences and humanities and its meaning was widened in order to describe and define particular female-dominated and female-centered aspects of cultural and social life. The male alternative for matriology is patriology, with patriarchy being the male alternative to matriarchy.


title: Matriarchy

text: In their works, Johann Jakob Bachofen and Lewis Morgan used such terms and expressions as "mother-right", "female rule", "gyneocracy", and "female authority". All these terms meant the same: the rule by females (mother or wife). Although Bachofen and Lewis Morgan confined the "mother-right" inside households, it was the basis of female influence upon the whole society. The authors of the classics did not think that "gyneocracy" meant 'female government' in politics. They were aware of the fact that the sexual structure of government had no relation to domestic rule and to roles of both sexes.


title: Matriarchy

text: A matriarchy is also sometimes called a "gynarchy", a "gynocracy", a "gynecocracy", or a "gynocentric" society, although these terms do not definitionally emphasize motherhood. Cultural anthropologist Jules de Leeuwe argued that some societies were "mainly "gynecocratic"" (others being "mainly "androcratic"").


title: Matriarchy

text: Gynecocracy, gynaecocracy, gynocracy, gyneocracy, and gynarchy generally mean 'government by women over women and men'. All of these words are synonyms in their most important definitions. While these words all share that principal meaning, they differ a little in their additional meanings, so that "gynecocracy" also means 'women's social supremacy', "gynaecocracy" also means 'government by one woman', 'female dominance', and, derogatorily, 'petticoat government', and "gynocracy" also means 'women as the ruling class'. "Gyneocracy" is rarely used in modern times. None of these definitions are limited to mothers.


title: Matriarchy

text: Some question whether a queen ruling without a king is sufficient to constitute female government, given the amount of participation of other men in most such governments. One view is that it is sufficient. "By the end of [Queen] Elizabeth's reign, gynecocracy was a "fait accompli"", according to historian Paula Louise Scalingi. Gynecocracy is defined by Scalingi as "government by women", similar to dictionary definitions (one dictionary adding 'women's social supremacy' to the governing role). Scalingi reported arguments for and against the validity of gynocracy and said, "the humanists treated the question of female rule as part of the larger controversy over sexual equality." Possibly, queenship, because of the power wielded by men in leadership and assisting a queen, leads to queen bee syndrome, contributing to the difficulty of other women in becoming heads of the government.


title: Matriarchy

text: Some matriarchies have been described by historian Helen Diner as "a strong gynocracy" and "women monopolizing government" and she described matriarchal Amazons as "an extreme, feminist wing" of humanity and that North African women "ruled the country politically," and, according to Adler, Diner "envision[ed] a dominance matriarchy".


title: Matriarchy

text: Gynocentrism is the 'dominant or exclusive focus on women', is opposed to androcentrism, and "invert[s] ... the privilege of the ... [male/female] binary ...[,] [some feminists] arguing for 'the superiority of values embodied in traditionally female experience'".


title: Matriarchy

text: Some people who sought evidence for the existence of a matriarchy often mixed matriarchy with anthropological terms and concepts describing specific arrangements in the field of family relationships and the organization of family life, such as matrilineality and matrilocality. These terms refer to intergenerational relationships (as matriarchy may), but do not distinguish between males and females insofar as they apply to specific arrangements for sons as well as daughters from the perspective of their relatives on their mother's side. Accordingly, these concepts do not represent matriarchy as 'power of women over men'.


title: Matriarchy

text: Anthropologists have begun to use the term matrifocality. There is some debate concerning the terminological delineation between "matrifocality" and "matriarchy". Matrifocal societies are those in which women, especially mothers, occupy a central position. Anthropologist R. T. Smith refers to "matrifocality" as the kinship structure of a social system whereby the mothers assume structural prominence. The term does not necessarily imply domination by women or mothers. In addition, some authors depart from the premise of a mother-child dyad as the core of a human group where the grandmother was the central ancestor with her children and grandchildren clustered around her in an extended family.


title: Matriarchy

text: Matristic: Feminist scholars and archeologists such as Marija Gimbutas, Gerda Lerner, and Riane Eisler label their notion of a "woman-centered" society surrounding Mother Goddess worship during prehistory (in Paleolithic and Neolithic Europe) and in ancient civilizations by using the term "matristic" rather than "matriarchal." Marija Gimbutas states that she uses "the term matristic simply to avoid the term matriarchy with the understanding that it incorporates matriliny."


title: Matriarchy

text: Matrilineality, in which descent is traced through the female line, is sometimes conflated with historical matriarchy. Sanday favors redefining and reintroducing the word "matriarchy", especially in reference to contemporary matrilineal societies such as the Minangkabau. The 19th-century belief that matriarchal societies existed was due to the transmission of "economic and social power ... through kinship lines" so that "in a matrilineal society all power would be channeled through women. Women may not have retained all power and authority in such societies ..., but they would have been in a position to control and dispense power."


title: Matriarchy

text: A matrilocal society defines a society in which a couple resides close to the bride's family rather than the bridegroom's family.


title: Matriarchy

text: Most anthropologists hold that there are no known societies that are unambiguously matriarchal. According to J. M. Adovasio, Olga Soffer, and Jake Page, no true matriarchy is known actually to have existed. Anthropologist Joan Bamberger argued that the historical record contains no primary sources on any society in which women dominated. Anthropologist Donald Brown's list of human cultural universals ("viz.", features shared by nearly all current human societies) includes men being the "dominant element" in public political affairs, which he asserts is the contemporary opinion of mainstream anthropology. There are some disagreements and possible exceptions. A belief that women's rule preceded men's rule was, according to Haviland, "held by many nineteenth-century intellectuals". The hypothesis survived into the 20th century and was notably advanced in the context of feminism and especially second-wave feminism, but the hypothesis is mostly discredited today, most experts saying that it was never true.


title: Matriarchy

text: Matriarchs, according to Peoples and Bailey, do exist; there are "individual matriarchs of families and kin groups."


title: Matriarchy

text: "The Cambridge Ancient History" (1975) stated that "the predominance of a supreme goddess is probably a reflection from the practice of matriarchy which at all times characterized Elamite civilization to a greater or lesser degree".


title: Matriarchy

text: Tacitus claimed in his book "Germania" that in "the nations of the Sitones a woman is the ruling sex."


title: Matriarchy

text: Cucuteni–Trypillia culture has been frequently discussed as a matriarchal society, including its goddess art, connecting the moon, menstrual cycles, agricultural seasons, and life and death.


title: Matriarchy

text: Anne Helene Gjelstad describes the women on the Estonian islands Kihnu and Manija as "the last matriarchal society in Europe" because "the older women here take care of almost everything on land as their husbands travel the seas"


title: Matriarchy

text: Possible matriarchies in Burma are, according to Jorgen Bisch, the Padaungs and, according to Andrew Marshall, the Kayaw.


title: Matriarchy

text: The Mosuo culture, which is in China near Tibet, is frequently described as matriarchal. The Mosuo themselves often use this description and they believe it increases interest in their culture and thus attracts tourism. The term matrilineal is sometimes used, and, while more accurate, still doesn't reflect the full complexity of their social organization. In fact, it is not easy to categorize Mosuo culture within traditional Western definitions. They have aspects of a matriarchal culture: women are often the head of the house, inheritance is through the female line, and women make business decisions. However, unlike in a true matriarchy, political power tends to be in the hands of males.


title: Matriarchy

text: In India, of communities recognized in the national Constitution as Scheduled Tribes, "some ... [are] matriarchal and matrilineal" "and thus have been known to be more egalitarian". According to interviewer Anuj Kumar, Manipur, India, "has a matriarchal society", but this may not be scholarly. In Kerala, Nairs, Thiyyas, Brahmins of Payyannoor village and Muslims of North Malabar and in Karnataka, Bunts and Billavas used to be matrilineal but are now patriarchal.