Harry Potter and the Complicated Identity Politics | The American Prospect - The Diigo Meta page

• 19 Jul 09
  

  latriviata

  But Rowling's ideology cannot simply be described as anti-racist, for as strongly as she condemns racially-motivated violence, Harry Potter remains a classic work of fantasy. And fantasy is a literary genre intent, above almost all else, on the reassuring

  race harry.potter meta sf_f gender from.delicious

• 03 Nov 08
  

  Nele Noppe

  harry_potter race characters fantasy literature phd phd_unfinished

  • But Rowling's ideology cannot simply be described as anti-racist, for as strongly as she condemns racially-motivated violence, Harry Potter remains a classic work of fantasy. And fantasy is a literary genre intent, above almost all else, on the reassuring order of classification and categorization, of blood lines and inheritances.
  • The books do strike some blows against gender stereotypes,
  • But on the whole, Rowling's wizarding society conforms to boringly conventional gender roles.
  • The best window into how Rowling subtly critiques, yet ultimately hews to, a fantasy script dependent on stereotypes culled from real-life racism is the acrimony between humans and goblins, an important plot device in book seven.
  • But even as Rowling attempts to neutralize race by presenting a diverse cast of young wizards, she creates a world in which some beings are born into stereotypes they cannot overcome and that render them inherently inferior. This is, unfortunately, par for the course in the fantasy genre, in which pretend humanoid species have too often been used as a cover for our reactionary assumptions about different types of real people.

  3 more annotations...

• 11 Aug 07
  

  Matthew Elliot

  "The best window into how Rowling subtly critiques, yet ultimately hews to, a fantasy script dependent on stereotypes culled from real-life racism is the acrimony between humans and goblins, an important plot device in book seven."

  books criticism feminism literature politics psychology SF race gender

• 01 Aug 07
  

  electrasteph

  J.K. Rowling subtly critiques, yet ultimately hews to, a fantasy script dependent on stereotypes culled from real-life racism.

  literature politics psychology feminism

• 30 Jul 07
  

  Alex Whitlock

  I actually agree with Goldstein's thesis that Potter is a fundamentally conservative piece, but making the case for racism using a Goblin's dishonesty (particularly when Harry & co were being dishonest with him) and confusing Dobby's behavior for Kreacher

  • But on the whole, Rowling's wizarding society conforms to boringly conventional gender roles. Dads, like the loveable Mr. Weasley (father of red-headed sidekick Ron), go off to work while steadfast moms stay home cooking, cleaning, and rearing large families. Magical education doesn't begin until the age of 11, so witches are also tasked with full-time parenting and educational responsibilities over young children, Rowling clarified for a curious reader at her website.
• 

  taygete 05

  J.K. Rowling subtly critiques, yet ultimately hews to, a fantasy script dependent on stereotypes culled from real-life racism.

  books reviews

• 29 Jul 07
  

  Dean Hacker

  feminism books

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