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

by Unknown

  Professor Slughorn’s Slug Club is one example of this type of group. Slughorn (a member of the ambitious Slytherin House) “collected” students who he thought would be of benefit for him to know, based on their family histories and/or magical ability or perceived potential. Students invited into the club during Harry Potter’s tenure at Hogwarts included Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Blaise Zabini. For the most part, these students found the Slug Club rather dull and confusing; but they participated, perhaps in hopes that there might be some assemblage-style gains to be made. Clubs based on exclusivity seek to further the fortunes of their members through connections. Zabini, a Slytherin member of the Slug Club, states that Slughorn himself is “Just trying to make up to well-connected people” (HBP 149). This strategy parallels those of clubs and societies such as fraternities and sororities on older Muggle university campuses, which aim to create friendships and connections for select groups of students.

  Some wizard groups exist on the more troubling end of this exclusivity spectrum, like the Death Eaters, Voldemort’s select group of followers. The Death Eaters dedicated themselves to the elimination of all non-magical blood from magical training and society, and use violence to obtain this aim. They had no democratic process, but submitted to the orders of their leader (usually) without question. This submission extended to sacrifices such as branding with the Dark Mark and sometimes giving up status and freedom. Interestingly, within the Death Eaters, there was a hierarchy based on degrees of magical heritage and manifested through inclusion and exclusion. For example, although the werewolf Fenrir Greyback worked for the Death Eaters (some might even consider him a member of the group), he was not given the “honor” of being branded with the Dark Mark (DH 453). The Death Eaters resemble groups in the Muggle world such as the Ku Klux Klan, who hope to achieve the dominance of one racial group through the subjugation or eradication of others.

  Community and Common Causes:

  Dumbledore’s Army, S.P.E.W., and the Order of the Phoenix

  In contrast to the clubs focusing on exclusivity are those that emphasize common cause: Dumbledore’s Army, The Society for the Protection of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.), and the Order of the Phoenix. This is not to suggest that The Slug Club and the Death Eaters do not have a common cause – they do – but to look at such a cause as central to the club or society’s mission. These clubs do not exclude members, but rather seek out those wizards and witches dedicated to their cause. In this way, they resemble service organizations in the Muggle world that look outside themselves for their purpose, trying to create positive change in society.

  These groups believe that commonalities were more important than differences, especially in the face of a threat. Dumbledore’s Army in particular focused on the strengths of its members and formed a support system to help those who were struggling with expectations. Through this training, the group as a whole was made stronger and relationships were forged across the borders of House affiliation. In the case of S.P.E.W., at first Hermione had trouble convincing anyone to join or take an interest in the lives of house-elves. Yet through her efforts, Harry built a relationship with Kreacher, Regulus Black’s former house-elf, which led Kreacher to divulge the history of Black’s locket, one of the Horcruxes the group sought. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron championed freeing the house-elves from the kitchen so they would not get harmed, a sentiment that prompted Hermione finally to express her love for him.

  Leadership in these groups is not made by one person, but rather a democratic process. This generates a feeling of ownership by all members, no matter their role in the group. As in the Muggle world, at times this democratic process gets rocky, with multiple ideas of what the group should do next. In the case of the Order of the Phoenix, for example, Molly Weasley questioned whether Harry Potter should be exposed to the secrets and plans of the Order: “What’s wrong, Harry, is that you are not your father, however much you might look like him…. You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!” (OOTP 89, emphasis in original). While Mrs. Weasley’s concern is ultimately overruled, her caution shows the deliberative processes at work in the group.

  Although these groups were open to all who believe in their mission and values, two of the groups, Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix, relied on secrecy to protect their members. This secrecy was paramount in situations where the health of the group (e.g., in the face of disbanding by Dolores Umbridge) or of wizards and witches more broadly was at stake. In this way, the Order of the Phoenix parallels certain Muggle military or investigative units that function through collecting, guarding, and acting on secret information. The wizarding world did not have knowledge of the day to day operations of the Order, but such recognition was not important to the members of the group.

  Implications

  There are multiple implications of an analysis of the groups extant in the wizarding world. Through looking at membership requirements, expectations, and benefits, we can derive some general ideas about how similar groups function in Muggle society. We can also suggest how young people might use wizarding society and its groups as a blueprint for how to successfully navigate their own Muggle group memberships: which groups to join, the expectations of such groups, and their member benefits.

  First, the importance of students acting together in Harry’s adventures shows that group membership is vital to success, both academically and socially. Without his friends, Harry would not have succeeded in his adventures. Hermione and Dumbledore usually had greater knowledge of wizarding lore, while Ron knew a great deal about wizarding society, having grown up immersed in it. Neville and Luna taught Harry to value all people, regardless of whether their abilities were readily apparent. Through these networks and the assemblages they constructed, Harry was able to defeat Voldemort and fulfill the prophecy surrounding his birth.

  Second, Harry’s tenure at Hogwarts shows that groups with different focuses help young people develop holistically. Harry was a member of multiple groups: Gryffindor House, the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Dumbledore’s Army, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Slug Club. Each of these groups allowed him a window on a certain type of society with its attendant ideas and value systems. The groups allowed him to develop physically, intellectually, socially, personally, and morally/ethically. No one group on its own was responsible for his development; it took all of them in combination – as well as his unique personality – to build the person of Harry Potter.

  Lastly, the groups that succeeded in wizarding society avoided exclusivity and worked toward the common good. The Slug Club, while it brought Harry closer to Professor Slughorn, had little impact on the Battle of Hogwarts. The Death Eaters, of course, were defeated during the battle. By contrast, Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix were able to survive persecution and defeat Voldemort’s forces. It could be argued that S.P.E.W. defies this trend, because it never accumulated the type of membership Dumbledore’s Army enjoyed, despite its focus on the social good. Yet, S.P.E.W.’s mission was readily apparent in the actions of Harry and his friends at the end of their tenure at Hogwarts. S.P.E.W. was not needed as a club because its values had been internalized by Hermione’s friends.

  These implications relate to Muggle young people’s participation in clubs in schools, universities, and communities. The groups Harry encounters, joins, and rejects promote certain types of group membership and illuminate such memberships’ functions in a postmodern society. In this way, paying attention to Harry’s actions demonstrates the usefulness of sociological analysis not only in the wizarding world but in the Muggle world as well. To quote Dumbledore, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities” (COS 333) – and these choices include the choice of which groups to join and how to navigate within them.

  References

  Althusser, Louis. 1971. “Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses (Notes Towards an Investigation).” Pp. 127-186
in Lenin and Philosophy and Other Essays, edited by L. Althusser. New York, NY: Monthly Review Press.

  Blumer, Herbert. 1986 [1969]. Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

  Chappell, Drew. 2008. “Sneaking Out After Dark: Resistance, Authority, and the Postmodern Child in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series.” Children’s Literature in Education 39(4): 281-293.

  Lee, Nick. 2001. Childhood and Society: Growing Up in an Age of Uncertainty. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

  Mendlesohn, Farah. 2002. “Crowning the King: Harry Potter and the Construction of Authority.” Pp.159-181 in The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon, edited by A. Whited. Columbia and London: University of Missouri Press.

  Strimel, Courtney. 2004. “The Politics of Terror: Rereading Harry Potter.” Children’s Literature in Education 35(1): 35-52.

  “The whole point of the tournament is

  international magical cooperation”

  Resisting a Unified

  Wizarding Collective Identity

  Mya Fisher

  Introduction

  Since the events of September 11th in the Muggle world, international cooperation among Muggle nations and peoples has been critical to continuing peacekeeping efforts, economic development, and public policy. Globalization has led to increased integration of world systems, defying traditional barriers such as nation-state borders, language and cultural differences; making cooperation necessary among nations and between its citizens. This complexity and interdependence require individuals to be knowledgeable, understanding and familiar with cultures, practices, and customs of other nations. International sporting events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup have been one means of fostering interpersonal connections between citizens of different nations. In recent years, international student exchanges and study abroad programs have also been a way of facilitating and promoting positive international relations, by encouraging grassroots appreciation and friendships between students from different countries.

  Until the age of 14, Harry Potter’s view and understanding of the magical world is limited to the context of Great Britain. He is faced with the fact that the magical world extends beyond the borders of Great Britain when he attends the 422nd Quidditch World Cup and when Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hosts the Triwizard Tournament later that same year. The goal of the two events is to bring inhabitants of the magical world together through friendly contests with an eye towards cooperation and cross-cultural understanding. Increased interdependence of economies and the emerging threat of Voldemort’s return make cross-cultural understanding, cooperation and positive relations spanning national boundaries and species categories all the more necessary. The logic behind such ideas is that those who have friends or personal connections with foreign peoples or foreign cultures will be less likely to engage in war, seeking instead positive and peaceful relations. However, establishing positive relations and connections between people is not always simple or easy.

  Bringing groups together does not instantaneously result in friendship and positive relations as proposed by the intergroup contact hypothesis. The intergroup contact hypothesis states that “increasing contact and communication between members of opposing groups will reduce intergroup conflict” (Delamater and Myers 2007: 425). In the case of student exchanges, it makes sense that over time students on both sides of an international exchange will share the information they have gained about the other group and culture when they return home. In international sporting competitions like the Olympics or World Cup, bringing citizens together to participate in sports with excellence is the mechanism that will facilitate and increase positive relations between nations.

  But intergroup contact does not work immediately, and sometimes it results in intensifying group boundaries and associated identities such that there are significant obstacles to cooperation and integration, particularly in instances of competition. Further consequences of the conflict are antagonistic behaviors toward out-groups as explained by social identity theory of intergroup behavior. Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) theory says that individuals identify as members of a social category or group, and affiliate themselves with positive attributes in order to maintain a positive self-concept. In order to maintain this positive self-concept, in situations where groups are vying for a limited resource or in competition, group identity may become salient. Therefore the individual will act in ways to reinforce their positive self-concept by framing the out-group negatively, often employing stereotypes. Many of these processes are clearly visible during Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts.

  The Quidditch World Cup:

  Inter-Group Connections and Narrowing Identities

  The 422nd Quidditch World Cup reveals both the challenges and merits of international sports competitions in facilitating positive relations across national and cultural boundaries. In some ways, international sports competitions like the Muggle Olympics and Quidditch World Cup exemplify a simplified idea of the contact hypothesis for both spectators and participants. The contact hypothesis emerged as a theoretical approach for reducing prejudice and negative attitudes between groups experiencing conflict. When taken at its most basic, some will suggest that simple contact between groups is enough to improve intergroup relations. In the case of international sports competitions, the contact of interest is between spectators. In spite of language barriers, the Ministry of Magic is able to organize detailed arrivals of Portkeys from around the magical world, accommodate 100,000 magical spectators and erect a stadium, all without notice of Muggles.

  Spectators in the venues and around the host areas mix and mingle with one another, and can cheer for their own athletes. And when their own are not competing, spectators can support and cheer for favorites from other countries. Even though a British team is not competing in the Championship match, Harry and the Weasleys are cheering their neighboring team, the Irish. Although it is unclear as to why they are cheering for Ireland rather than Bulgaria, perhaps their affinity for the Irish team via Britain’s shared history with Ireland, and personal friendship with Seamus Finnegan, has something to do with it.

  In the same way that spectators may cheer for teams other than their own (particularly when their own are not represented) in international competitions, individuals are likely to cheer for those teams with whom they share some common feature, idea or personal connection. When walking to get water, Harry finds himself in a sea of green surrounding an area of tents clearly inhabited by fans of Ireland. When happening upon Seamus Finnegan and his mother, they make clear their support of Ireland among the tents stating, “Why shouldn’t we show our colors?” (GOF 82). She goes on to further inquire as to whom Harry and his friends are rooting for with, “You’ll be supporting Ireland, of course?” To which they nod in agreement. As Harry continues walking through the campground he sees areas marked out by fans of both teams. Both groups of fans have bedecked their tent areas with flags, posters, and other materials that make their affiliations crystal clear. This is the first time Harry realizes the immense size and diversity of wizards within the magical world.

  While the world known to Harry Potter centers on life and events at Hogwarts and in Great Britain, the wizarding world stretches far beyond the boundaries of the small nation. Since his entry to the magical world at the age of eleven Harry has learned of the numerous distinctions between Muggle and wizards, and among wizards (pureblood, half-blood, Muggle-born). But it is at 14 that he realizes there are other various nationalities and ethnicities from around the wizarding world. Walking through the tent grounds on the way back from getting water, he notices a group of young people he’s never seen before. Ron surmises they “go to some foreign school” then tells Harry and Hermione about his brother Bill’s Brazilian pen pal. Coming face to face with these foreigners of roughly the same age, force a narrowing of Harry’s existing social identity as a wizard. It’s perhaps the first time
that he might consciously and specifically classify or identify himself as a wizard from Great Britain, rather than simply a wizard. As social identity theory (Tajfel and Billig 1974; Tajfel and Turner 1979) posits, everyone claims membership in social categories, and that membership provides a definition of who one is. Moreover, these identity claims become salient and meaningful in particular contexts. In Harry’s case, he consciously begins to identify not only with the broad social category of wizard, but specifically from Great Britain while walking amongst the tents at the World Cup, and as a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he comes across these school-age wizards. Social identity theory continues by asserting that this conscious social identity shapes interactions between groups and its members. Moreover, negative interactions between groups (intergroup conflict) is understood in terms of opposing groups struggling to reaffirm their group and membership in the positive, and as a zero sum game, the opposing group in the negative (Tajfel and Turner 1979; Hogg 2006). These struggles and dynamics are illustrated in the interactions between students of the three schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament that takes place at Hogwarts.

  The Triwizard Tournament: Intergroup Contact

  The Triwizard Tournament is a 700 year old “friendly” competition between the three largest wizarding schools in Europe – Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Hogwarts. The goal of the Tournament is to establish and maintain ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities. International exchanges between academic institutions, like the Triwizard Tournament, have the potential to increase knowledge and understanding between those who share membership in the magical world, but whose local cultural practices, values and orientations toward the world may create obstacles to cross-cultural cooperation, communication or friendship. It is an opportunity to learn about others who inhabit the magical world and to extend social networks beyond the boundaries of their school and nation.