Harry Potter and International Relations

by Daniel H. Nexon, Iver B. Neumann, Brian Folker, Maia A. Gemmill, Patricia M. Goff

Overview

Why not take seriously the claim that Harry Potter's world intertwines with our own? In this timely yet otherworldly volume, more than a dozen scholars of international relations join hands to demonstrate how this well-loved artifact of popular culture reflects and shapes our own lifeworld. A wide range of historical and sociological sources shows how Harry's world contains aspects of our own. Practices such as quidditch dovetail quite clearly with "muggle" sports, and the very British-ness of the books has, in translation into languages such as Turkish and Arabic, been transformed to reflect these unique cultures. Chapters on the political economy of the franchise as well as the scholarly problems of studying popular culture frame what is essentially a highly info-taining read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742539587
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/25/2006
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.27(w) x 9.27(h) x 0.93(d)

About the Author

Daniel H. Nexon is assistant professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. Iver B. Neumann is associate professor of Russian studies at 'slo University and research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Harry Potter and the Study of World Politics Part 2 I Globalization Chapter 3 Producing Harry Potter: Why the Medium Is Still the Message Chapter 4 Global Hero: Harry Potter Abroad Chapter 5 Foreign Yet Familiar: International Politics and the Reception of Potter in Turkey and Sweden Chapter 6 Children's Crusade: The Religious Politics of Harry Potter Part 7 II Conflict and Warfare Chapter 8 Conflict and the Nation-State: Magical Mirrors of Mugglesand Refracted Images Chapter 9 Quidditch, Imperialism, and the Sport-War Intertext Part 10 III Geography and Myth Chapter 11 Naturalizing Geography: Harry Potter and the Realms of Muggles, Magic Folks, and Giants Chapter 12 The Fantasy of Realism, or Mythology as Methodology Part 13 IV Pedagogy Chapter 14 Dumbledore's Pedagogy: Knowledge and Virtue at Hogwarts

Editorial Reviews

Broaden[s] the contextual basis for thinking about international relations theory to encompass popular culture as well as political experience.... Contributes to the literature that explores how popular culture molds national identity and how aspects of local culture may clash with the process of globalization.

International Studies Review

Nexon and Neumann explore an underdeveloped area of Harry Potter scholarship in a collection of essays covering a wide range of political and cultural topics. In a post-9/11world, international relations is a critical area of inquiry. Their book is a valuable contribution to the growing body of scholarly attention to the boy wizard and the magician who created him.

Lana Whited

A landmark in muggle studies.

The Daily Prophet

Nexon and Neumann explore an underdeveloped area of Harry Potter scholarship in a collection of essays covering a wide range of political and cultural topics. In a post-9/11world, international relations is a critical area of inquiry. Their book is a valuable contribution to the growing body of scholarly attention to the boy wizard and the magician who created him.--Lana Whited, Ferrum College

Armed with this volume, scholars who study or teach international relations will be better able to mine the works of Rowling for insights, analogies, comparisons, and examples.--Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, Jr., The Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis "International Studies Review "

This accessible and original volume will challenge both Harry Potter fans and students of world politics to think more deeply and critically about different forms of engagement between popular culture and world politics. Drawing on 'enjoyable evidence' from the Harry Potter universe, this diverse yet coherent collection of essays draws on one of western culture's quintessential commercial mega-texts to demonstrate that our understanding of world politics can be significantly and agreeably expanded by delving into the riches of popular culture.--Jutta Weldes, University of Bristol, U.K.

From the Publisher

Because of the quality of the insights that this book achieves in examining the relationship between culture and international relations, we as International Relations scholars can read Harry Potter and justify it as 'research.'

International Affairs

Armed with this volume, scholars who study or teach international relations will be better able to mine the works of Rowling for insights, analogies, comparisons, and examples.

International Studies Review - Robert L. Pfaltzgraff

This accessible and original volume will challenge both Harry Potter fans and students of world politics to think more deeply and critically about different forms of engagement between popular culture and world politics. Drawing on 'enjoyable evidence' from the Harry Potter universe, this diverse yet coherent collection of essays draws on one of western culture’s quintessential commercial mega-texts to demonstrate that our understanding of world politics can be significantly and agreeably expanded by delving into the riches of popular culture.

Jutta Weldes