From the times of ancient Greece through the Middle Ages, philosophers undertook the task of ranking and classifying beings. Different philosophers took different approaches to this ranking; some used it as a scientific endeavour (which later influenced the development of the theory of evolution), others turned it into a religious paradigm, and others welcomed ranked hierarchies as a political theory. The ranking of beings has been known as scala naturae (lit. “ladder of being”) or “the great chain of being.”
In the world of Harry Potter, readers will note a great chain of being that the characters subscribe to. The exact layout of the great chain of magical being may vary between good wizards and Death Eaters but, in the end and despite the egalitarian message of the series, the characters of Harry Potter certainly do participate in and enforce hierarchies. The major, overarching plot of the Harry Potter series is a fight for the rights of half-bloods and muggles, but even the good characters still discriminate and look down upon those members of the magical ecosystem who are not entirely human. House-elves are enslaved, centaurs are othered, fairies and pixies are used as ornaments, dragons are tortured, lycanthropes are feared, and the list goes on.
The Harry Potter series reminds readers that there are many fights for justice to be fought. While the protagonists battled fiercely for the dignified treatment of half-bloods and muggles, there were entire systems of oppression that went mostly, if not entirely, overlooked. Similarly, in the real world no matter how hard we fight for one cause, we do not achieve justice if we do not fight for everyone; systems of oppression are all interconnected and bolster each other, and none of them will be toppled without toppling all of them. Understanding hierarchies allows us to better realize the importance of intersectionality in our activism.
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We are first introduced to Hermione Granger in the first book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hermione is described as having a lot of bushy brown hair and large front teeth. By the first description of the character, it is entirely possible for Hermione to be black, and yet to many, this seems intolerable. In the first film released in 2001, Hermione is played by Emma Watson, a young white girl. However, most recently in 2016, Noma Dumezweni, a black actress, was cast to play Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, a play based on the books, with the original story written in part by J.K. Rowling. The changing of our society is evident in looking at the progression of role casting in fantasy media production. Even though many consider Hermione to be white, there still continue to be many readers and avid fans of the series that believe she is black. As readers and fans of a series, it is important to find similarities between ourselves and the characters we are reading about, as we enjoy seeing ourselves reflected in the characters we enjoy. This a real life example of why it is important for producers to cast actors of colour, and why the 'otherness" demonstrated in the Harry Potter series contributes to social progress and social change.
One of the many interesting displays of otherness that occurs within the Harry Potter series is the othering of Lupin. Lupin is ostracized on the account that he is a werewolf. He is able to live a relatively normal life expect for when it is a full moon. He is feared by many within the society and is therefore othered and labelled as someone who is not fit to teach, or even to marry. Rowling's discrimination against lupin can draw parallels between both racial discrimination as well as prejudice based on sexual orientation. It is known that Lupins Lycanthropy is a used to illustrate illnesses that carry stigmatization in the real world such as HIV and AIDS. In the novels Lupin is forced to give up his teaching position in the school due to parents fearing for the safety of their children, even though he was taking a potion that allowed for him to remain safe. In addition, Lupin does not wish to marry Tonks in fear of ruining her life due to the stigmatization that he brings. We see this with AIDS as well, not so long ago players in the NBA were protesting playing against Magic Johnson for fear that the disease would spread through them through touch. This misinformation that goes along with hidden illnesses leads to the othering of individuals that can impact their quality of life. Social hierarchies are eternally present and prevalent in the world. From childhood, one is conditioned to understand where one stands relative to other. This formation of societal standards which favour those that are 'better' goes into the very make-up of the way in which things work in this world. We respond and react to others based on rank and title, and those with said things are afforded with better resources and power. Thus, the presence of a social hierarchy establishes one group in a position in which they have the ability to control the others. Historically, this has caused many conflicts, such as countries fighting for freedom from colonialism, authoritarian takeovers, revolutionary reforms and many others. Even in the Middle Ages, society functioned on the basis of social stratification. Due to this, those in power have the ability to determine treatment of 'otherness'.
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AuthorsEthan, Sarah, Maansi, and Emma ArchivesCategories |