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

by Unknown

  Among Muggles, Occlumency can be performed by the mass media.1 To the extent that the mass media is largely responsible for disseminating past images of violence and report on future possibilities and patterns, they can block out certain depictions of violence made available to the public at large. The mass media[xvii] censors gruesome images and selectively circulates others, thereby initiating an “official denial” (Cohen 2001). So, for instance in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States, the mass media has been instrumental in racial profiling by circulating biased and narrow images of Arab and Muslim-Americans. These images are a practice in harmful Occlumency and Islamophobia, reducing a broad and diverse religious group and falsely labeling all Muslims as “others” synonymous with terrorism and fanaticism. Another example from a different context is in the Indian nation-state where there are several atrocities against religious-ethnic minorities like the Muslims and Sikhs that are depicted in narrow, sanitized ways by the mass media to create a political discourse of a healthy, secular democracy. So, while Occlumency is practiced at the individual level in the wizarding world and advocated as a technique to negate dangerous mnemonic connections, such as between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, in the Muggle world, Occlumency is performed in tacit ways. Occlumency in the Muggle world, such as that practiced by the mass media, becomes a way to create a collective identity that takes into cognizance certain events and images while ignoring or denying others.

  Conclusion

  The peculiar devices, creatures and techniques in the magical world that this chapter discussed allow Muggles to find a language to convey ideas of collective memory and cultural trauma. In this chapter, I have analyzed four signifiers within a sociological theoretical framework and drawn parallels between the wizarding and Muggle world. The experiences of cultural trauma, collective memory, and haunting are similar between the magical and non-magical world, but the former has access to greater, more exaggerated devices and techniques that allow them to revisit the past and reconcile with the present and future in ways that can only be imagined in the Muggle world.

  References

  Alexander, Jeffrey C. 2004. “Toward a Theory of Cultural Trauma.” Pp.1-30 in Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity. Edited by J. Alexander et al. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

  Caruth, Cathy, ed. 1995. Trauma Exploration in Memory. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

  Cohen, Stanley. 2001. States of Denial: Knowing About Atrocities and Suffering. Cambridge: Polity Press.

  Connerton, Paul. 1995. How Societies Remember. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  Eyerman, Ron. 2004 “Cultural Trauma: Slavery and the Formation of African American Identity.” Pp.60-111 in Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity. Edited by J. Alexander et al. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

  Foucault, Michel. 1979. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

  Gordon, Avery. 2008. Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

  Halbwachs, Maurice. 1992. On Collective Memory. Translated by Lewis A. Coser. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press.

  Hirsch, Marianne. 1997. Family Frames: Photography, Narrative and Post-memory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  Lindo-Fuentes, Hector, Erik Ching and Rafael A. Lara-Martinez, eds. 2007. Remembering a Massacre in El-Salvador: The Insurrection of 1932, Roque Dalton, and the Politics of Historical Memory. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

  Ricoeur, Paul. 2004. Memory, History, Forgetting. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

  PART IV - STRATIFICATION

  “Or She”

  Gender (In )Equality

  in Wizarding Social Institutions

  Meredith Railton

  “Everything about you is horrifying: your voice, body, hair, inability to be witty and panicky desires for approval and companionship.”

  Humans are born into a sex category, either biologically a male or female (most of the time). But out gender is a social category ascribed (while based on sex) by society; and society makes it tough for those lacking a Y-chromosome to achieve social equality. The opening quotation sums up Curtis Sittenfeld’s (2001:3) personal experience and general social commentary of what it’s like for a girl growing up in Muggle society. We struggle with pressure forced upon us – to be pretty, thin, popular, etc. – and growing up we may see those problems as insurmountable.

  Starting at an early age and continuing throughout our lives, Muggle society teaches girls and women to be feminine, submissive to men, weak, agreeable, and dependent. From infancy parents attach pink bows on their baby girls’ bald heads to make sure everyone knows what gender they are. As toddlers, some of girls’ first toys are baby dolls that we’re told to nurture. We learn our genders from every possible source: television, books, news programming, schools, music, families, peers, and social institutions.

  In the wizarding world, witches receive gendered and gendering messages from their society as well. However, I would argue that the social construction of gender is not as rigid as it is in our Muggle world. To illustrate this point, this chapter will examine four social institutions in the wizarding world: Education, Government, Sports, and Hate Groups.

  As explained in chapter two, social institutions are social organizations in which the majority of members of a given society participate. Social institutions in Muggle society often bear the marks of gender inequality. For example, women’s soccer in England is only semi-professional. At this level, women’s soccer teams are usually affiliates of men’s professional soccer teams, have smaller stadiums than men’s professional soccer teams, and make significantly less money than men’s professional soccer teams. The United States also has no professional women’s soccer league. The progress that has been made – such as the institution of the Women’s World Cup – is recent and can be compared to the state of men’s professional soccer in the 19th century. In other words, women’s professional soccer is about a century behind men’s professional soccer in terms of development (“History of Women’s Soccer”).

  Gender rigidity in social institutions and society in general is harmful to men as well as women. A popular trend has been for men to claim that they are being victimized by the growth of feminism and women’s progress in society because it is a threat to their masculinity. As Hugo Schwyzer (2011) explains, however, it is the “straitjacket” of traditional stereotypes of masculinity that men are expected to live up to that harms them. Says Schwyzer (2011: 1):

  Men are suffering because their emotional, psychological, intellectual, and sexual potential is stunted by their own efforts to live up to an impossible masculine ideal… Being a man, in other words, is defined by divesting oneself of anything remotely associated with femininity (like kindness, sensitivity, intuition, empathy).

  In the Muggle world, these constraints on masculinity make it difficult for non-hyper masculine men to be accepted as “real” men. Gender rigidity in the wizarding world, in contrast, appears to be much less prevalent in social institutions. In this chapter, I will show how witches and non-hyper masculine wizards have equal representation and participation in social institutions in the wizarding world. More importantly, I will demonstrate that the quality of involvement is a standard to which the Muggle world should aspire.

  Education

  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was founded “a thousand years or more ago” (GOF 176) and serves as the educational institution for most of wizarding Britain. If one studies the faculty members, administrators, and curriculum of the school, it becomes apparent that Hogwarts represents a social institution that is more gender equal than in the Muggle world.

  In addition, what appears to be a staff with a good balance of male and female teachers, there is an equal number of men and women Heads of House. Also, women instructors aren’t relegated to “soft”
subjects. In the Muggle world, male teachers dominate the “tough” subjects such as math and science while female teachers usually dominate the “soft” subjects such as English and art. While we have Severus Snape, a male, teaching the scientific subject of Potions, we also have Minerva McGonagall, a female, teaching the difficult subject of Transfiguration. In McGonagall’s own words, “Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts” (SS 134). Arithmancy, a subject akin to theory of mathematics, is taught by Septima Vector while Astronomy is taught by Aurora Sinistra – both females. The subjects that could be deemed “soft” also seem to be balanced; Sybill Trelawney instructs the “lofty” Divination while Rubeus Hagrid instructs Care of Magical Creatures. Unlike Muggle schools, the gender representation among the teachers of Hogwarts doesn’t stick the male or female instructors into a niche based on gender.

  Also, narrow Muggle proscriptions about “male” and “female” jobs are likewise irrelevant among the Hogwarts staff. For example, a male, Argus Filch, holds the post of caretaker, a job that entails housekeeping duties such as cleaning. The connotations of the word “caretaker” are usually ascribed to traditional notions of femininity, meaning the traditional view of mothers as caretakers of house and children (to read an analysis of why Filch doesn’t live up to his post’s title, see chapter 11). Before and after becoming the Care of Magical Creatures professor, Hagrid fills another role that Muggle usually prescribe to women. In addition to being the Keeper of Keys and Grounds, Hagrid consistently goes out of his way to care for animals. When he hatches a dragon egg, Hagrid exclaims with pleasure that the baby dragon “knows his mommy!” (SS 235). Despite his hyper-masculine appearance, the character traits of compassion and care demonstrated by Hagrid offer an image to the students of Hogwarts that defies Muggle constraints on masculinity.

  While women still lag behind men in top-level administrative positions at schools in the Muggle world, it appears the glass ceiling in the wizarding world was cracked centuries ago. Although the Headmaster is a male up to the end of Harry’s sixth year and during what would have been his seventh, we know via portraits that there have been a number of Headmistresses of Hogwarts. The first Headmistress of Hogwarts was Phyllida Spore, who held the position sometimes before her death in 1408 (Rowling 2007; HP4). Eoessa Sakndenberg (HP2), Dilys Derwent (OOTP 468-469), Dolores Umbridge, and Minerva McGonagall also held the position of Headmistress of Hogwarts.

  During Harry’s school years, Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore’s Deputy Headmistress, frequently takes over during the sitting Headmaster’s absences and serves as the permanent Headmistress after the end of the Second Wizarding War. Not only does McGonagall serve as Headmistress, she steps up and takes charge of the Battle of Hogwarts. During the preparations for the fight, McGonagall essentially becomes the General of the forces opposing Voldemort and her leadership went unquestioned. McGonagall is not criticized for being a powerful woman – she receives a significant amount of respect from her students, colleagues, and the magical community in general (though maybe not from the Death Eaters).

  The other Heads of magical schools in Europe are Madame Maxime of Beauxbatons and Igor Karkaroff of Durmstrang. The post of Headmaster/Headmistress of magical institutions of higher learning commands a certain respect and influence in the magical community and receives it regardless of the gender of the current post holder.

  It is important to note that gender equality in social institutions does not just apply to women. The Muggle world, as stated before, holds men to a certain standard of masculinity that many fail to live up to, earning them scorn for not being “real” men. One of the greatest illustrations of how the wizarding world rejects these constraints can be found in the example of “the most inspirational and best loved of all Hogwarts headmasters” (DH 20), Albus Dumbledore. While Karkaroff seems to be a stereotypically masculine male holding a top-level administrative position, Dumbledore is anything but a stereotypical masculine male. Dumbledore holds many traits normally prescribed to women, such as being gentle and non-aggressive. Also, Dumbledore is a celibate gay man (Rowling 2007), completely transcending the Muggle masculine ideal of active heterosexuality. In sum, in the wizarding world’s social institution of education, witches and wizards are free to be themselves without fear of condemnation or negative career repercussions for failing to adhere to a restrictive patriarchal system.

  Government

  In the Muggle world, there are currently only four female heads of state. In addition to the rampant gender inequality of governments in terms of representation, women who do hold government positions are sharply criticized for being un-feminine. Hillary Clinton, for example, was hounded during her primary bid for the U.S. presidency for not being feminine enough. When she did show her feminine side – wearing a shirt that showed a hint of cleavage and tearing up during a press conference – she was just as sharply criticized for not being tough enough. Sarah Palin was also painted in a very negative light by the U.S. and international media, repeatedly being sexualized as well as being portrayed as incompetent. In addition to the unfair treatment of women politicians in the Muggle world, Muggle government has historically been oppressive to women in terms of laws. Women weren’t able to vote until the early 20th century, marital rape wasn’t criminalized until the 1970s (Clay-Warner et al. 2009), and sex discrimination in the workplace is still prevalent.

  The Ministry of Magic, by contrast, appears to be much more equal, though admittedly not 100% so. It is fairly balanced in terms of employment, top-level administrators, as well as policies. Both males and females work at the Ministry. Two top-level male employees who work at the Ministry are Cornelius Fudge (Minister for Magic) and Kingsley Shacklebolt (Auror Department, eventual Minister of Magic) while two top-level female employees are Amelia Bones (Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement) and Dolores Umbridge (Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic). At the Ministry of Magic, merit, not gender, appears to dictate government careers.

  Despite Hermione’s Ministry position being “very high up” in magical law enforcement, the top seat – Minister for Magic – is, like its Muggle counterpart, still male dominated. The list of known Ministers for Magic reveals that, like in the Muggle world, the overwhelming majority of these appointees are male. However, there are two known female Ministers for Magic, Artemisia Lufkin and Millicent Bagnold. More impressively, the first female Minister for Magic was appointed in 1754 (Rowling 2006). Magical Britain’s counterpart has only had one female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. In the Muggle world, the first female to achieve an elected head of state, of Sri Lanka, wasn’t until the mid-20th century; and Thatcher wasn’t elected in Britain until 1979 (“Women heads of state”). Progress for women in the political realm, it seems, occurred much quicker in the wizarding world than in the Muggle world. If a female could become Minister for Magic in the 18th century, it’s clear that women were participating in politics in the wizarding world long before women in the Muggle world.

  Sport

  In the world of magical sports, Quidditch is the game. Regardless of gender, almost everyone in the wizarding world appears to love Quidditch, sometimes – as with the Muggle world and soccer – fanatically. Ron Weasley’s enthusiasm for the Chudley Cannons is displayed both by his room decorations and interactions, such as when he interrupted a conversation between Cho Chang and Harry to express outrage over her favorite professional team. Oliver Wood cared so much about his team winning matches that he even said he didn’t care if the Firebolt threw Harry off so long as he caught the Snitch first. Additionally, girls show as much enthusiasm for the sport as boys: Luna Lovegood made an animated lion hat while Dean Thomas painted an animated banner to show their support for the Gryffindor House team one match; witches like Cho passionately defend the professional team they support as do wizards like Ron; and Angelina Johnson shows the same intensity as Wood during her tenure as Captain of the Gryffindor House team. Moreover,
regarding Angelina’s position as Captain, the fact that the players, male and female, recognized and respected her authority, rather than challenging it or claiming her outbursts at Harry were due to being “emotional,” shows the normality of women occupying structural positions of power.

  Furthermore, Quidditch is a coed sport. It is almost unfathomable to imagine soccer being coed above the age of 10 or so in the Muggle world. Though a few female players have been extended invitations to join men’s professional soccer squads (such as Brigit Prinz of Germany), there is no co-ed soccer at the professional level in Europe (“History of Women’s Soccer”). And yet in the wizarding world, Quidditch is coed at both the school and professional levels. Ginny Weasley, Katie Bell, Cho, and Angelina all play on House teams alongside Fred and George Weasley, Ron, Cedric Diggory, and Harry. Whereas the Muggle world has separate leagues for men and women, there is no such division in the wizarding sport of Quidditch. While there are no professional teams that exclude women that we know of, there is one professional team that is exclusively female, the Holyhead Harpies.