Harry_and_the_Other_Answering_the_Race_Question_in_J._K._Rowling's_Harry_Potter_Jackie_C_Horne

Overview

  • Title: Harry and the Other: Answering the Race Question in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter

  • Author: Jackie C. Horne

  • Published in: The Lion and the Unicorn, Volume 34, Number 1 (January 2010)

  • Main Focus: The paper explores how J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series addresses issues of race and ethnic otherness.

Introduction

  • The challenge of critiquing an unfinished work (Rowling's series until 2007).

  • Literary critics are drawn to analyze the Potter series, focusing on its stance on race.

  • The series teaches how to confront and eradicate racism, notably through Voldemort's campaign against "Mudbloods".

Antiracism Educational Traditions

Multicultural Antiracism

  • Focuses on valuing diversity to combat racial oppression.

  • Classroom goals include enabling empathy and fostering cross-cultural understanding.

  • Examples include teaching Black History Month and celebrating positive racial images.

Social Justice Antiracism

  • A less common approach in K-12 education.

  • Emphasizes critical thinking to confront racism beyond individual attitudes, examining institutional structures.

  • Focuses on oppression and challenges students to question and dismantle systemic racism.

Critical Responses to Harry Potter's Racial Themes

  • Critics' views range from seeing the series as a critique of ideological differences to those depicting it as hierarchical and prejudicial.

  • Different interpretations stem from varying definitions of racism and remedies suggested for overcoming it.

Definitions of Antiracism

  • Antiracism as a recent term emerging in the 1960s; disagreement on definitions and approaches.

  • Universalism: Emphasizes equality and shared rights across races.

  • Relativism: Values cultural differences and recognizes that different doesn't equate to unequal.

  • The tension between these two perspectives influences educational practices and antiracist actions.

Rowling's Methods of Teaching Antiracism

Multicultural Approach through House-elves

  • House-elves depicted as willing servants, but their portrayal contains troubling stereotypes that connect to historical views of enslaved African Americans.

  • Dobby: Challenges stereotypes but highlights the humor in servitude rather than agency.

  • Critics debate whether Rowling aims to educate readers on stereotypes or inadvertently perpetuates them.

Social Justice through Goblins

  • Goblins show complexity in their relationship with wizards—seen as equals but also discriminated against.

  • Griphook presents an opportunity to discuss institutional racism unlike house-elves.

  • Contrasting depictions between house-elves and goblins signal different pedagogical approaches.

Institutional Racism in the Wizarding World

  • The goblins' history of rebellion and claims for rights contrast with the passive acceptance of house-elves.

  • Goblins are depicted as intelligent and capable, resisting wizards rather than accepting servitude.

Final Analysis of Multicultural and Social Justice Approaches

  • Rowling’s series showcases challenges of maintaining a solely multicultural approach that promises personal change but may neglect systemic oppression.

  • Hermione vs. Harry: Hermione’s activism with S.P.E.W. highlights institutional racism while Harry’s actions suggest personal change.

Conclusion

  • Rowling's approach raises critical questions about defining and addressing racism.

  • The series concludes without fully resolving the oppression of races like house-elves and goblins, even as it battles overt racism.

  • Reflection on whether Rowling should develop narratives that explore deeper issues of social justice.

References

  • Horne, Jackie C. "Harry and the Other: Answering the Race Question in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter." The Lion and the Unicorn, vol. 34, no. 1, 2010, pp. 76-104.