8 épisodes
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling The Free Press
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- Culture et société
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5,0 • 82 notes
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The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is an audio documentary that examines some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world’s most successful author. In conversation with host Megan Phelps-Roper, J.K. Rowling speaks with unprecedented candor and depth about the controversies surrounding her—from book bans to debates on gender and sex. The series also examines the forces propelling this moment in history, through interviews with Rowling’s supporters and critics, journalists, historians, clinicians, and more.
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Chapter 1: Plotted In Darkness
Host Megan Phelps-Roper writes a letter to J.K. Rowling—and receives a surprising invitation in reply: the opportunity for an intimate conversation in Rowling’s Scottish home.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org. -
Chapter 2: Burn The Witch
As "Harry Potter" becomes an international phenomenon, it coincides with the culture wars of the 1990s. In the backlash from Christians across America, author J.K. Rowling is accused of mainstreaming witchcraft and poisoning children’s minds.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org. -
Chapter 3: A New Pyre
The early days of the internet collide with the feverish fandom of “Harry Potter,” and a sprawling, global community emerges. But the hopefulness of this new technology brings with it the darker impulses of human nature.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org. -
Chapter 4: TERF Wars
The movement for trans rights hits its stride in the early 2010s, but encounters fierce resistance from an unexpected source. J.K. Rowling watches the battle unfold with mounting unease.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org. -
Chapter 5: The Tweets
After years of observing the conflict between advocates for trans rights and women’s rights, J.K. Rowling weighs in.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, and Megan Phelps-Roper, with special thanks to Candace Mittel Kahn and Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org. -
Chapter 6: Natalie and Noah
Transgender fans of Harry Potter share their criticism of J.K. Rowling—and the experiences that inform their views.
Produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Megan Phelps-Roper, and Candace Mittel Kahn, with special thanks to Emily Yoffe.
This show is proudly sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. FIRE believes free speech makes free people. Learn more at thefire.org.
Avis
Fabulous
I’m so grateful for this content which helps to understand what is really at stake in this controversy: “it doesn’t matter to be popular but it’s important to do the right things.” Thanks!
Fascinating!!!!
This is the only podcast I have listen to. Amazing exploration into how the 80’s and 90’s have led us as a society to a point where debate and differences are no longer viable. How the militant right and left are mirror images of each other and the tactics they use to shut down dissenting voices, similar to tactics used in the passed to commit atrocities. All of this through the one topic of Rowling speaking on her concerns for women and girls.
Fine podcast but not quite impartial?
First and above all I want to salute the wonderful Natalie Wynn which was once again very precise and eloquent in her piece. I’m sorry to know this interview has been a bad experience for her. Also I was very very impressed by Noah, so insightful and articulate at only 17!
Now I find this podcast very enlighting but I found the contextualisation provided to be way too US-centered, everything being linked to American events and history exclusively, which is reductive especially since Rowling is British and has been distancing herself from the trans community due to a British law proposal.
On the question of impartiality, I find it odd that JK Rowling gets 2 full episodes to explain her "concerns" – with corroborating interviews and uncontextualized archive records that present trans people in a very negative way, and also a couple of completely isolated cases that seem to support her views – and then only one episode with no additional data for the trans point of view?
To me episodes 4