Harry Potter and Resistance Beth Sutton-Ramspeck 9781032319896

Although rule breaking in Harry Potter is sometimes dismissed as a distraction from Harry's fight against Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter and Resistance makes the case that it is central to the battle against evil. Far beyond youthful hijinks or adolescent defiance, Harry's rebellion aims to overcome problems deeper and more widespread than a single malevolent wizard. Harry and his allies engage in a resistance movement against the corruption of the Ministry of Magic as well as against the racist social norms that gave rise to Voldemort in the first place. Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix employ methods echoing those utilized by World War II resistance fighters and by the U.S. Civil Rights movement. The aim of this book is to explore issues that speak to our era of heightened political awareness and resistance to intolerance. Its interdisciplinary approach draws on political science, psychology, philosophy, history, race studies, and women's studies, as well as newer interdisciplinary fields such as resistance studies, disgust studies, and creativity studies.

Beth Sutton- Ramspeck, Associate Professor Emerita of English at the Ohio State University at Lima, received her doctorate in English, with a minor in Women's Studies, from Indiana University. The author of Raising the Dust: Literary Housekeeping in the Writings of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Sarah Grand, and Mary Ward (2004), and the editor of three novels, she has published numerous articles and presented at conferences about Victorian literature and about Harry Potter.