A Foucauldian reading of power in Harry Potter series: speciesism and discrimination based on blood status

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2018

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Aslan, Sümeyye Güllü

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The aim of this thesis is to analyse the power relations and the power discourse in the seven sequential books of the Harry Potter Series, written by J. K. Rowling from a Foucauldian point of view. Foucault contradicts the common belief, and suggests that power is an entity that cannot belong to or held by anybody. It surrounds people, and is fed by and feeds the discourse it exists in. Although power cannot be seized by one person or a group of people, it still can be abused by those who seek personal interests and privileges in social life. Truths extracted from individuals can be manipulated in ways to support the existing discourse, and institutions help with the creation and preservation of it. Through inherently learnt expectations of the society, one is normalised into a product of the discourse. The disciplining of people towards becoming this product is maintained through methods of control such as fixed schedules and activities, and most importantly, surveillance mechanisms. In the Harry Potter Series, the already existing discourse of discrimination; both towards non-humans (speciesism) and amongst humans (discrimination based on blood status) is made use of by Voldemort and his followers so as to maintain a privileged status and individual interests. Making use of group psychology, they encourage the v humans and non-humans alike in the series to keep a discriminative stance towards out-group members. This “divide and rule” methodology leads to a polarised society that is easier to manage and thus serve the interests of Voldemort and his followers. The magical society is under constant surveillance to make sure they are disciplined through and for the survival of the discourse of power. In addition, when the members in each group is taken into consideration, it becomes clear that the truth about discrimination is manipulated in a way that those who support Voldemort’s system and those who oppose it are camped, rather those from different species or with different blood-quantum as is asserted. Thus, the philosophy of Voldemort and his followers is completely discursive.

Subject Keywords

Power (Social sciences)., Power (Philosophy).

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12622385/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/27585

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Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis

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Citation Formats

S. G. Aslan, “A Foucauldian reading of power in Harry Potter series: speciesism and discrimination based on blood status,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2018.