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Oankali

2006-05-28T14:47:58Z

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The Oankali are aliens from [[Octavia Butler]]'s Xenogenesis trilogy ([[Dawn]], [[Adulthood Rites]], and [[Imago]]).

==General==
The Oankali are naked grey bipeds who have tentacles instead of sensory organs. They control their evolution through "gene trading" with other species they meet. They have eidetic memory and carry within themselves maps of their complexly branching evolutionary tree. They are strongly attracted to difference and sense biological capacities on a molecular level. Because they communicate through their tentacles, the Oankali have developed vocalization only to communicate more effectively with humans. They avoid causing pain to others in part because of their own biology; causing pain for them means receiving that pain as well. They are extremely repulsive to humans.

==Gender==
The Oankali have three genders: male, female and ooloi. Males and females have no visible sexual organs and the female has no birthing orifice. The ooloi is referred to using the neuter pronoun and is the only one to have external sexual organs, its "sensory hands." The ooloi controls reproduction and is able to heal others (Oankali or of other species). In discussions on the fsf listserv in the late 1990s, many readers mentioned that like the human characters in the Xenogenesis novels, they thought of the ooloi as somehow male.

Dawn (novel)

2006-05-28T14:39:28Z

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The first book of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy.

==Plot==
Lilith Iyapo awakens from a confused state to learn that 200+ years have passed since humans destroyed most life on Earth through nuclear holocaust. She and thousands of other human survivors have been captured/rescued by the [[Oankali]], an alien race that controls its own evolution through deliberate "gene trading." Because they have a powerful grasp of genetics, the Oankali perceive that human biology contains within it a contradiction: intelligence and hierarchy. They know that it is these contradictory impulses that have led to human extinction.

The humans have undergone significant testing at the hands of the Oankali, and Lilith has been chosen to lead her people back to Earth, which is now able to sustain life again. She struggles with a great deal of hatred from her fellow humans, many of whom see her as a traitor to her race because she has agreed to not only work with the Oankali, but also to participate in their plan for the future, which is to cross-breed the two species.

==Themes==
*gender
*xenophobia
*alien sex

[[category:1988 Publications]] [[category:Works of Science Fiction]]

Dawn (novel)

2006-05-28T13:29:43Z

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The first book of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy. This novel explores themes of power, gender and xenophobia.

[[category:1988 Publications]] [[category:Works of Science Fiction]]

Queer theory

2006-05-28T13:21:09Z

Pbedore: added links

Queer theory provides a critical lens with which to examine texts. Feminist science fiction intersects with queer theory in numerous interesting ways.
===Major Theorists===
Judith Butler
*[[Gender Trouble]]: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990)
*[[Bodies That Matter]]: On The Discursive Limits of "Sex" (1993)
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
*[[Between Men]]: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire (1985)
*[[Epistemology of the Closet]] (1990)

Queer theory

2006-05-28T13:17:15Z

Pbedore:

Queer theory provides a critical lens with which to examine texts. Feminist science fiction intersects with queer theory in numerous interesting ways.
===Major Theorists===
Judith Butler
*Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990)
*Bodies That Matter: On The Discursive Limits of "Sex" (1993)
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
*Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire (1985)
*Epistemology of the Closet (1990)

Robert J. Sawyer

2006-05-28T13:03:57Z

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Canadian science fiction writer. Married to Carolyn Klink.

==Novels==
*Golden Fleece
*Mindscan
===Neanderthal Parallax===
*Hominids
*Humans
*Hybrids
===The Quintaglio Ascension===
*Far-Seer
*Fossil Hunter
*Foreigner

==External Links==
http://www.sfwriter.com/
[[category:Writers]][[category:Canadians]]

Élisabeth Vonarburg

2006-05-28T12:56:28Z

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[[category:1947 Births|Vonarburg, Élisabeth]]
[[category:Canadians|Vonarburg, Élisabeth]]

Elisabeth vonarburg

2006-05-28T12:54:16Z

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#REDIRECT [[Elisabeth Vonarburg]]

Robert j sawyer

2006-05-28T12:50:03Z

Pbedore: Robert j sawyer moved to Robert J. Sawyer: capitalization

#REDIRECT [[Robert J. Sawyer]]

Robert J. Sawyer

2006-05-28T12:50:03Z

Pbedore: Robert j sawyer moved to Robert J. Sawyer: capitalization

Canadian science fiction writer. Married to Carolyn Klink. Novels include Golden Fleece, Hominid, the Quintaglio trilogy, etc.
[[category:Writers]][[category:Canadians]]

Robert J. Sawyer

2006-05-28T12:47:56Z

Pbedore:

Canadian science fiction writer. Married to Carolyn Klink. Novels include Golden Fleece, Hominid, the Quintaglio trilogy, etc.
[[category:Writers]][[category:Canadians]]

Robert J. Sawyer

2006-05-28T12:46:37Z

Pbedore:

Canadian science fiction writer. Married to Carolyn Klink. Novels include Golden Fleece, Hominid, the Quintaglio trilogy, etc.