The Sociology of Harry Potter: 22 Enchanting Essays on the Wizarding World

by Unknown

  Chapter 18 by Anna Chilewska reminds us that humans are not the only players in social life or the only ones situated within the social hierarchy. Chilewska critiques the unproblematized use (and abuse) of animals by humans in the wizarding world. She also presents three case studies of human-animal relationships, showing that the bonds that can form when one does not have a utility orientation to an animal can sometimes be even stronger and more beneficial than some bonds with other humans.

  Sociological analyses of stratification have traditionally centered on the “big three” of race, class, and gender. However, sexuality has increasingly been added to this scholarly trinity. While the Harry Potter novels do not delve into the characters’ sexuality directly, it is clear that the wizarding world is as hegemonically heteronormative as its Muggle counterpart. In Chapter 19, Gráinne O’Brien examines the life and sexuality of Tom Riddle, Jr., expounding upon her thesis that Tom’s repression of both his same sex desires and (in the orphanage) his magical abilities, coupled with lack of mentoring from arguably the one person in wizarding Britain who could have offered him guidance, lead him to “grow sideways” into the infamous Lord Voldemort.

  The final section of the book, Beyond the Veil, consists of three chapters that bring the analysis full circle by shifting the lens of the sociological imagination from the world within the books to the relationship between that world and our own “real” world. In Chapter 20, Justyna Deszcz-Tryhubczak bridges Harry’s world and ours through analysis of Harry Potter fan fiction. These playfully written stories by young fans of the series show not only creativity but demonstrate young people’s ability to use their sociological imaginations to critically analyze social institutions, inequality and, perhaps more importantly, propose ways to implement concrete social reforms. Deszcz-Tryhubczak then speculates about how this ability might be applied in the future as these young fans enter the real civic arena.

  According to Granger (2008), the “obvious” and edifying Euro-Christian content and symbolism in the Harry Potter novels explains its unprecedented success. What, then, explains the tens of thousands of fans in Asia who do not share this cultural connection? Chapter 21 presents the findings of Ravindra Pratap Singh’s research investigating the roots of Pottermania in India. Surveying over 500 Indian children, Singh finds support for his thesis that it is both identifiable surface content of Indian origin and deeper, just-below-the-surface, Indian meanings and symbolism which endear the British wizarding world to readers in the East.

  Finally, Leo Ruickbie explains in Chapter 22 that responses to witchcraft can be seen as a gauge of social strain; and in the case of the Harry Potter novels, this even applies to “fictional” witchcraft. Looking at mutli-faith, multi-denominational reactions to the Harry Potter series, from claims that it paves the way to hell to churches explicitly embracing its “good triumphs over evil” message, Ruickbie closes the book by showing that both views are guilty of distorting the series as a whole and the wizarding world within it that the previous chapters examined.

  As per the standard of the American Sociological Association, all citations are parenthetical in text containing the scholar’s name, year of publication, and (if a direct quotation) page number. All book citations of the Harry Potter novels are written as SS, COS, POA, GOF, OOTP, HBP, DH, TBB (Tales of Beedle the Bard), and FB (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them); and the page numbers refer to the American (Scholastic) hard-cover standard editions. Citation of movies are written as HP1, HP2, HP3, HP4, HP5, HP6, HP7 part I and HP7 part II, and refer to the English language versions.

  Finally, with regard to analysis of “Harry Potter,” it is worth emphasizing that there is a difference between analysis of the Harry Potter books and movies as works of fiction in our “real” world and analysis of the wizarding world within the Harry Potter books and movies. Unlike other academic analyses of Harry Potter, the focus of the chapters in this book does not oscillate between these two different, though equally interesting, analytical starting points. Excepting this introduction and the three chapters of the conclusion for the pragmatic reasons indicated above, we adhere firmly to the latter approach. The chapters herein discuss the wizarding world as a real social system sui generis. We purposely blur the distinction between life and art with the hope that, after viewing the latter sociologically, readers might begin viewing the former in the same manner.

  And now for a sociological look at the wizarding world!

  References

  Schefer (ed.) Beachman Publishing, 2000

  Whited (ed.) University of Missouri Press, 2002

  Baggett and Klein (eds.) Open Court, 2004

  Mulholland (ed.) BenBella Books, 2006

  Heilman (ed.) Routledge, 2008

  Mills, C. Wright. 1959. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  Granger, John. 2008. The Deathly Hallows Lectures: The Hogwarts Professor Explains Harry’s Final Adventure. Allentown, PA: Zossima Press.

  An Introduction to Sociology

  Rachel LaBozetta

  “No need to ask who you are. My father’s told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford… You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort” (SS 108).

  The above quotation, from Draco Malfoy, is quite telling. On the surface it speaks of how highly Draco thinks of himself and his kin compared to Ron Weasley and his family. On a deeper level, Draco is also speaking of the importance of class, status, and power. His words not only address the institution of family and hint at the concept of Social Darwinism[vii], but summarize his understanding of how wizarding society is run. These are all aspects of sociology.

  Sociology is a very broad subject with a wide range of areas of research. This chapter contains useful definitions that will help readers who are new to sociology to better understand the subsequent chapters of the book. The goal of the book is to introduce the reader to a sociological way of thinking via a popular icon, in this case, the Harry Potter series. A sociological way of thinking allows one to step outside of themselves and their narrow circumstance and look at things a little more objectively, thus giving one the ability to see not only “outside the box” but to attempt to look at the “box” itself.

  What is Sociology?

  At its most basic definition, sociology is the study of society, in all of its parts, focusing particularly on human groups and social life as well as on the society as a whole. Sociologists look at a combination of large scale and small scale influences, i.e., macro and micro level influences, which shape the way society works. For example, we examine large institutions such as church, school, family, government, etc. and see what occurs in these institutions that make us, as people, who we are and act the way we do. We also study how, at the individual level, humans modify these institutions over time to better suit our changing needs. Sociology, as well as anthropology, political science, and several other areas of study, are considered social sciences due to the fact that we use rigorous investigation, evaluations, and analysis in our research, not unlike the scientific methods used for studying biology, physics, or chemistry.

  One area of study that is intricately related to sociology is history. History and sociology go hand in hand. Examining the past helps sociologists develop theories as well as aid us in better understanding how societies have evolved over time and, thus, gives us greater insight as to what the future may hold. For example, let’s try to answer the following question sociologically: “Why are life conditions in the United Kingdom today so different from life 50 years ago?” First, we would reel our brains back fifty years, which, from the current year of 2012, takes us to 1962. In that 50 years, we could look at the changes that ensued from the Women’s Liberation Movement, the American Civil Rights Movement, advances in computer technology, human and material losses from wars, just to name a few. These historical events influence the way soc
iety thinks and feels today. Sociologists use history and historical events, such as the above examples, as a framework to see how society influences our lives and to theorize about what changes may occur down the road.

  Sociological Perspectives

  Sociology began as a response to great changes in society during the 1800s. These changes were the secularization, urbanization, and industrialization of the modern world. Early sociologists began to see the world change rapidly and wondered what chain of reactions resulted in these new outcomes. Some interesting theoretical perspectives came out of these ponderings, but three of the most famous are functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.

  Functionalism, pioneered by the sociologists Emile Durkheim and Auguste Comte, focuses on how the parts of a society are structured to maintain the society’s stability and continuity. Take a computer, for example. Computers are made of many parts such as keys, a modem, RAM, and numerous other gadgets and gizmos. Each of these parts is essential to the proper functioning of the computer. When even one does not work properly, the computer as a whole cannot work. Functionalists would argue that societies work in a similar manner. When the parts of a society do not work in harmony together the society becomes dysfunctional, which aggravates social problems such as poverty or crime. In the wizarding world, for example, the reason for the existence of the Ministry of Magic, as with all governments, is to run wizarding society with a standard set of rules and regulations to ensure the society’s stability. After the infiltration of the Ministry by Voldemort’s regime, wizarding society no longer functions as it was meant to, resulting in a higher rate of crime, an influx of illegal shops cropping up in wizarding villages, and a general sense of fear, loss, and confusion by wizarding society as a whole. In other words, wizarding society had become dysfunctional.

  Conflict theory, on the other hand, views society as being in a continual struggle, violent or nonviolent. Founded by Karl Marx, Frederic Ingles, and Max Weber, conflict theory posits that the tension between competing groups is reflected in the social behavior and organization of a society. Conflicts stratify, or separate, a society and are often, but not always, associated with class, status, and power. They are also associated with issues such as rich versus poor or majority verses minority, where the minority can be, and is often, exploited. In other words, conflict theory focuses on the inequality within a society. In the wizarding world, for example, purebloods are considered the cream of the crop and anyone who is not a pureblood is considered a lower class. This separates the society in regards to class, thus giving purebloods greater access to better jobs and opportunities than non-purebloods, reinforcing the stratification of wizarding society.

  Symbolic interactionism looks toward the formation of symbols and their meanings, interpretations, and responses that people ascribe to things. This is done by looking at the interactions of individuals through the use of language. Symbolic interactionism was established and expanded upon by George H. Mead, Charles Cooley, and Herbert Blumer. In contrast to functionalism and conflict theory, symbolic interactionism uses a micro level approach of study by looking toward individual interactions instead of focusing on a society. Through day-to-day interactions and socialization, people unconsciously assign symbols and meanings to their surroundings. People respond to things differently than one another based on the significance of the object to them. One object may seem important to one person but unimportant to another. This causes disagreements and miscommunication between individuals or groups which influences social interaction and one’s own identity. For example, if someone said, “It is perfectly acceptable to enslave house-elves,” the meaning would be clear because we have assigned meanings, or symbols, to every word in the statement. But the interpretation and significance by another individual is another matter. Words, essentially, in symbolic interactionism, are symbols and when people speak to one another they are exchanging symbols. If someone says the word “chair,” we know, without seeing or touching one that it means an object used for sitting. If another individual says “witch,” the word conjures the image of a female who can use magic. The Hogwarts Houses, for example, are very symbolic. We know that intelligent students may find themselves in Ravenclaw or those who are brave and courageous would be sorted into Gryffindor.

  Social Institutions and Other Important Topics in Sociology

  One of the most important elements of sociology is the social institution. A social institution is an organization that engages the majority of the member’s of a given society. Institutions consist of religion, government, the economy, education, family, the criminal justice system, the health care field, etc. These institutions provide norms and values to members of society by which they are expected to abide or be sanctioned. This means certain laws and behaviors must be followed or one faces being considered deviant or participating in behaviors deemed taboo. Everyone is a member of multiple institutions and every society’s institutions may be different.

  Socialization is another important topic in sociology. Socialization focuses on the learned aspect of human behavior, which begins at birth, and helps us acquire the necessary skills for living social life. There are many contributors to the socialization of a human baby. Primary socialization begins with one’s relationship to one’s family; eventually, as one grows, secondary socialization occurs through school, peers, church, the media, and technology. Socialization is a learning and cultural experience, and other issues come into play that shape the individual such as one’s gender, geographic location, or race to name a few. The list for how one can be socialized is virtually endless. Do you think that Draco was born a pureblood extremist or did he learn this from his parents Narcissa and Lucius? On the other hand, Sirius Black did not accept his family’s ideology of pureblood fanaticism. Is it up to the individuals to decide what they absorb and what they do not from their surroundings? Nature verses nurture will always be a debate among sociologists.

  Status, class, and power are as prevalent in our world as they are in the wizarding world, and they are all ways in which society can be divided. Sociologically, the term “status” refers to the socially defined positions in a society and generally focuses on prestige or rank. Status can be either achieved (gained through one’s own skill and efforts) or ascribed (inherited at birth). “Class” refers to a group whose members all share the same economic and social status. An example would be the upper, middle, and working classes in the United Kingdom or India’s caste system. “Power” refers to authority or political influence and is often intertwined with inequality.

  Inequality is another major area in sociology and consists of research on gender, racial, or class inequalities. Inequality is the unequal treatment of groups, and it often results in discrimination or prejudice against certain groups and automatic advantages for others. For clarity, because they are easy to confuse, prejudice is the negative thoughts or attitudes toward an individual or group and discrimination is the unfair treatment of an individual or group. For example, Cornelius Fudge expressed prejudice toward Madame Maxime due to her giantess blood while anti-werewolf legislation is discriminatory against werewolves. Discrimination is often based on prejudices.

  Privileges are advantages, special benefits, or rights that are enjoyed by a selected few but are not available to most individuals or groups. Purebloods are a prime example of a group that is privileged. Purebloods dominate in the wizarding world with high status, class, and power over all other wizarding groups. Privileges contribute to the stratification of society, whether conscious or unconsciously. For example, Arthur Weasley, albeit a pureblood wizard, lacks “proper wizard feeling” and is considered a blood traitor due to his association with lower class citizens (i.e., Muggle-borns and Muggles) which resulted in his inability to move ahead in the workplace for years and, thus, his lack of privilege in the wizarding world (COS 223).

  Sociological Research

  The sciences use the scientific method as a means for objectively
and systematically investigating a theory, to find the causes and effects of a problem, and come up with solutions. As a brain refresher from school days past, the scientific method consists of developing a theory, question or hypothesis that is to be proved or disproved, the research and collection of data, experiment and testing, analysis, evaluation, and the final result or conclusion of the endeavor. As mentioned previously, sociology is a social science; and social sciences, like the physical and biological sciences, also use the scientific method, although their techniques do differ. Social scientists, generally, have no need to use a laboratory to perform chemical experiments and do not require the aid of microscopes. The subjects of the social sciences are people and societies not molecules or cells. Due to this, it is hard, but not impossible, to have a “control” or “controlled environment” in the social sciences because people are unpredictable and varied. This is not to say that sociologists do not run experiments nor is it to say that sociological research methods do not have merit. Sociological researchers often use quantitative or qualitative methods of research which often complement one another.

  Quantitative research is the collection of empirical, theoretical data by using the scientific method. This type of research uses statistics and math to help form models and test hypotheses. Quantitative research may include the use of surveys, polls, content analysis, or experiments for the collection of data. For example, if there were magical sociologists in the wizarding world, they may ask the following quantitative research question, “What is the relationship between income levels and racism in wizarding society?” To collect data, they may make surveys, which include questions regarding how much income an individual makes per year as well as questions regarding, on a scale, how they feel about Muggle-borns, Muggles, half-breeds, etc. They would then form a statistical analysis and produce percentages, where they would analyze the data and see if there are any correlations in the findings. Gallup polls are another example of quantitative research.