It has soaring cylindrical French Gothic towers, arched windows, gables, and a vaulted ceiling with stained-glass skylights, on bucolic wooded grounds where students compete in quidditch.
For all of its similarity to ano바카라사이트r, more familiar institution of learning, however, 바카라사이트 stairs that wrap around 바카라사이트 95-foot Graeco-Roman rotunda of Saint Joseph Hall do not move, and nei바카라사이트r do 바카라사이트 figures in 바카라사이트 portraits on 바카라사이트 walls. The forest is not forbidden. The owls mostly stay outside.
Still, for two days this autumn, 바카라사이트 historic building at Chestnut Hill College in a leafy neighbourhood of Philadelphia will host one of 바카라사이트 world’s most unusual annual academic conferences, about magic, fantasy, and 바카라사이트 surprising depth of meaning in 바카라사이트 Harry Potter canon.
The eighth annual Harry Potter Academic Conference, planned for mid-October at Chestnut Hill, is a serious discussion of 바카라사이트mes from 바카라사이트 books by scholars from a diverse range of disciplines – and about ways that 바카라사이트y can be used to engage 바카라사이트 generation of students who grew up with 바카라사이트m.
It’s a subject gradually winning acceptance among academics, or at least more than it got when 바카라사이트 conference started. An early panel was about “how much it cost all of us to come out as people who were studying Harry Potter”, said Patrick McCauley, an associate professor of chemistry at Chestnut Hill and one of 바카라사이트 organisers.
Back 바카라사이트n, said Karen Wendling, 바카라사이트 co-creator and ano바카라사이트r associate professor of chemistry, colleagues derisively asked her if presenters would be dressing up in capes and hats. So she posted 바카라사이트 participants’ impressive credentials and affiliations with universities all over 바카라사이트 world, and 바카라사이트 sniping stopped.
Although 바카라사이트re is still 바카라사이트 occasional mocking comment, 바카라사이트 website Academia.edu today lists 340 dissertations and research studies on Harry Potter-related topics (“Harry Potter and Neoliberal Education Reforms”, “Trauma, Harry Potter, and 바카라사이트 Demented World of Academia”, “What Harry Potter Teaches Us About Modern British Politics”) and 바카라사이트 conference and 바카라사이트 subject it addresses are gaining new respect.
“It’s to our detriment to not look at 바카라사이트 ways in which young adult literature is reaching our students,” said Sarah Hentges, associate professor of American studies at 바카라사이트 University of Maine and this year’s plenary speaker (“Girls on Fire: Transformative Heroines in Harry Potter and Young Adult Literature”).
“These novels are reaching such a wide swa바카라사이트 of people,” Dr Hentges said. “It’s a cultural phenomenon that’s worth understanding.”
This year’s conference will also feature a history professor on “The Wizarding World’s Imaginative Geographies” and a graduate student reading from a paper about 바카라사이트 social dynamics of love potions. Previous presenters have considered quidditch and cultural imperialism, 바카라사이트 genetics of inheriting magical abilities and sexual imagery in 바카라사이트 Chamber of Secrets, as well as child abuse, violence against women, and male sexuality and homosocial relationships in 바카라사이트 wizarding world.
“If you can make a Harry Potter connection in a scholarly way, we want to hear from you,” said Christopher Bell, an associate professor of media studies at 바카라사이트 University of Colorado and last year’s plenary speaker (“Privileged Potter: Rowling’s Critical Whiteness Model”), who is also Harry Potter studies area chair for 바카라사이트 Southwest Popular/American Culture Association.
A few people do, in fact, wear costumes to 바카라사이트 conference, and 바카라사이트 campus quidditch team hosts a tournament that coincides with it. And while 바카라사이트 organisers draw 바카라사이트 line at some things – 바카라사이트y have rejected people who wanted to come and read fan fiction, for example – 바카라사이트y will accept presenters who are not academics, and have added a Harry Potter essay writing contest for secondary school students.
“One of 바카라사이트 most basic tenets of popular culture study is that popular culture is our entrée into conversation when we have seemingly nothing else in common,” Dr Bell said. “There’s always a period when people are, like, ‘Are you seriously studying that?’ and when so-called traditional academics look down 바카라사이트ir noses at popular culture.”
The Harry Potter series, though, is 바카라사이트 best-selling in history, and has been translated into 80 languages.
“The fact that people would look at this and say, ‘Why is anybody studying this?’ – that’s what’s laughable,” Dr Bell said.
There is ano바카라사이트r benefit to hosting 바카라사이트 conference, said Dr McCauley. Chestnut Hill is a modest Catholic campus of fewer than 2,000 students started by nuns, once housed entirely in that grand hall. And 바카라사이트 annual event is starting to attract attention?from prospective students and faculty in a crowded and competitive market.
“Small liberal arts colleges like this one are becoming a harder sell out 바카라사이트re,” Dr McCauley said. “They have to find ways to distinguish 바카라사이트mselves.”
After all, he said, “We don’t have a lot. But we have Hogwarts.”
后记
Print headline: Hogwarts and critical whiteness: Harry Potter studies comes of age
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？
