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

by Jenn Sims (Editor)

Philosophers and psychologists have explored the Harry Potter stories through the lenses of their disciplines, now it's time for sociologists. In the twenty-two chapters of The Sociology of Harry Potter, social scientists from eight countries cast their imaginations on the wizarding world. From standard topics such as inequality and identity to more contemporary topics such as technology and trauma memory, this essay collection analyzes, not J. K. Rowling's books as fiction, but her wizarding world as a "real" society. The Hogwarts house system, Quidditch, internet fan fiction and the lives of our favorite witches and wizards are explored in reference to sociological theories and concepts. Fans of these bestselling books will gain insights into the world of Harry Potter as well as sociology. Sociologists and their students will be intrigued to see everyday tools of the trade working magic in another universe.
"Even after so much scholarship on Harry Potter, this collection offers something delightfully new, plunging us into the inner workings of the wizarding world as if we're truly a part of it. By letting the experts loose, The Sociology of Harry Potter reveals the cause of Snape's antagonism, Voldemort's secret sexual shame, the reason our world needs Death Eaters, the true power of pets, and so much more. A brilliant anthology not to be missed!"

Valerie Estelle Frankel
editor of Teaching with Harry Potter and Harry Potter, Still Recruiting

Jenn Sims is completing her PdD in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include race/ethnicity and social psychology with a focus on mixed race identity and experience. She is from Nashville, Tennessee.

Genres: Harry Potter, Nonfiction

251 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2012

Reviews

[Blondelle]

Bien

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book, as someone who's interest in sociology affects the way I read children's and young adult fiction. And there were some really good ones in here, that made me see the wizarding world in a new light. But too often, the essays were either too puny - look, let me show off how this isn't a regular boring academic essay by constantly defining everything as Muggle - or far-reaching - dementors are symbols of our dread of government surveillance, Voldemort really molested the two children in the cave when he was younger and his suppressed homosexuality is what made him so evil... I'd say of the 22, about four or five of them I found enlightening and insightful, and the others were either too gimmicky or far-reaching.

[Jordan E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a neat way to analyze my favorite magical world using the sociological imagination! I really appreciated some essays more than others because there were certain elements of HP that I never even thought about until reading this.