Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

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Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

In the hallowed halls of Potterversity, hosts Katy McDaniel (Marietta College) and Emily Strand (Mt. Carmel College and Signum University) explore the Harry Potter series and wider Wizarding World from a critical academic perspective with scholars from a variety of fields, finding new ways to read and opening new doors. Made in association with http://MuggleNet.com.

  1. Potterversity Episode 64: Where No Potter Podcast Has Gone Before

    MAY 12

    Potterversity Episode 64: Where No Potter Podcast Has Gone Before

    Space: the final frontier. Our Prime Directive: to boldly examine what Harry Potter has in common with Star Trek. Hosts Katy and Emily and producer Laurie have found themselves making Star Trek references on past episodes and realized that while Harry Potter is often compared to Star Wars, the future United Federation of Planets is less commonly put in dialogue with the wizarding world. We explore why that is and what looking at Potter and Trek side by side can uncover. Star Wars may be the more obvious point of comparison because it is a mythic story with fantasy elements and a hero's journey, but Trek, like Potter, deals with issues of prejudice, cultural relativism, fascism, justice, and institutional corruption. The magical world and the scientifically advanced society of Trek still have problems. We discuss which Star Trek series is the most like Potter and why it's Deep Space Nine. We compare the loathsome characters Dolores Umbridge and Kai Winn, the troublesome ones Peeves and Q, and the self-sacrificing nonhumans Dobby and Data. Both series also have mirrors (literal or figurative), time travel, and explorations of the past, even though Trek is set centuries in the future. Another important theme is the power of friendship - something that can transcend time, species, and genre. Live long and prosper, listeners!

    1h 14m
  2. Potterversity Episode 63: The Business of Witchcraft and Wizardry

    APR 14

    Potterversity Episode 63: The Business of Witchcraft and Wizardry

    Let's get down to business - in both the wizarding world and the fandom. Abigail Kohler, adjunct lecturer at Brown University's Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, is relatively new to Harry Potter but was quickly introduced to scholarship on the series through the Harry Potter Academic Conference at Chestnut Hill College. In her own presentation at the 2024 conference, "From Wizard Wheezes to Etsy Empires: An Exploration of Fandom and Entrepreneurship," Abbie explored the types of businesses depicted in the books - including shops, restaurants, and publications - as well as Potter-inspired businesses created by fans. The wizarding world seems to have many consumer goods businesses that sell products but not many service-based businesses, such as plumbing or broom repair. Businesses like the Leaky Cauldron and Honeydukes serve as thresholds for Harry to enter magical areas like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. While commerce and wealth are often portrayed as evil in fantasy and children's media, they appear to be morally neutral in Potter, where a business can create good or bad things and their products can be used for good or evil, such as Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes items. Fans who create their own Potter-themed businesses are often motivated by a desire to participate in the wizarding world. Before there was so much official merchandise available, fans were creating the types of products they would want to have using their own artistic skills. Abbie surveyed 46 business owners, 44 of whom were women, and was surprised to find that most did not think of themselves as entrepreneurs, a term she advocates for more small business owners to claim for themselves. Fan businesses can also be a tool for positive change, allowing fans to support each other rather than a large corporation and a wealthy author and to reclaim their fandom for the LGBTQ+ community in the wake of the author's comments. Abbie feels that entrepreneurship can be a form of activism. She also offers some helpful tips for listeners who may be interested in starting their own business!

    1h 7m
  3. Potterversity Episode 62: Harry Potter and Revenge

    MAR 10

    Potterversity Episode 62: Harry Potter and Revenge

    Vengeance is sweet - sometimes. Explore revenge in Harry Potter and the ancient Greek Oresteia by Aeschylus. We welcome back to the show classicist Dr. Mitchell Parks (Knox College), who presented on "Dumbledore, Agamemnon, and the Imperfect Legacy" at the 2024 Harry Potter Academic Conference. He was struck by the epigraph from The Libation Bearers, one of the plays that makes up the Oresteia, at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We discuss the parallels between the play trilogy and the book series, particularly the intertwined themes of justice and revenge. Although there are some similarities between Harry and Orestes, the former spends much more time wrestling with his options and emotions than the latter. The two texts have very different gender politics, which have been reinterpreted in different ways over the years based on current contexts. Although authorial intent is not Mitchell's main interest, the author made a very deliberate choice to include the epigraph, which is formatted similarly to the lightning bolt-shaped dedication. Still, if a reader can notice parallels and convince other readers of their significance, whether or not the author had a deep familiarity with the referenced text doesn't invalidate the meaning.

    1h 18m
  4. Potterversity Episode 61: Owl Post

    FEB 10

    Potterversity Episode 61: Owl Post

    Our listeners carry on the conversation about memory and more in Harry Potter in this special episode straight from the owlery. We were excited to hear from several listeners after our two-part episode on memory, so producer Laurie Beckoff joined hosts Katy and Emily to discuss what they had to say. We talk about when fan mail is also intellectual discourse before considering the thoughts we received. Matthew wrote in wondering about the objectivity or lack thereof in Dumbledore's memories of Tom Riddle and Snape's memories in "The Prince's Tale." Abigail proposed the Pensieve as a tool for life organization similar to bullet journaling or even a therapeutic method of processing one's thoughts. David Martin considered the use of Memory Charms to relieve suffering from trauma and also weighed in on our conversation about monstrous creators. Thank you to everyone who gave us plenty of food for thought!

    1h 5m
  5. Potterversity Episode 60: Silly Resistance in Harry Potter

    JAN 13

    Potterversity Episode 60: Silly Resistance in Harry Potter

    On this episode, we examine the relationship between humor and resistance to authoritarianism. Harry Potter scholar and stand-up comedian Mark-Anthony Lewis joins Katy and Emily to talk about what makes something funny. Benign violation theory says that humor is found in something safe - for example, you can laugh at someone falling if they aren't seriously hurt, and you can tickle someone you know, but not a stranger. It's all about context. It can be especially funny when an authority figure looks ridiculous. Comedians are often viewed as truth-tellers, and a jester - seen as non-threatening - may be the only person who can speak the truth in the presence of the king. Humor in Harry Potter is often subversive, with Peeves and the Weasley twins as the primary examples, particularly against Umbridge. But humor is not inherently virtuous. Sometimes, pranks can go too far and veer into bullying or unintentionally inspire villains. This applies to the Marauders as well. The power dynamics in a particular situation can determine whether or not a joke is funny. When employed appropriately, jokes can help fight fear, like when facing a boggart. And what's more frightening than totalitarianism?

    1h 14m
  6. Potterversity Episode 59: Holding Space for Harry

    12/09/2024

    Potterversity Episode 59: Holding Space for Harry

    We're always holding space for Harry Potter, but no one does it quite like the Harry Potter Academic Conference. Our favorite event of the year was back in person at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia in October and full of interesting insights as usual. Katy and Emily talk with Potterversity producer and conference communications coordinator Laurie Beckoff and conference vice chair Lauren Camacci about the range of presentations and the wonderful community of scholar-fans. Emily, Laurie, and Katy discuss their respective papers: "Harry, Gawain, Green Knights, and Goblets," about the connections between Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; "'All with Flaming Red Hair': Harry Potter and the Magical Redhead Tradition," on how Harry Potter engages with literary and historical depictions of redheads; and "The Petunia Palimpsest," about Fiona Shaw's portrayal of Petunia Dursley and Maarva Andor on the Star Wars show Andor. We also talk about some of our favorite papers from the weekend. Dumbledore was a popular topic and remains a contentious figure. Psychology and politics were present alongside literary analyses. We enjoyed presentations on Madam Pince and the Hogwarts library (Ian McLaughlin), sexual innuendo and maturation in Goblet of Fire (Bill Ward), the series as wainscot fantasy (Liam Butchart and Katherine Wang), property law in the wizarding world (Dorothea Keiter), entrepreneurship and business in the wizarding world as well as the fandom (Abigail Kohler), and a potluck panel about food in Harry Potter (organized by Mark-Anthony Lewis). There was plenty to learn from the plenary lecture by Priscilla Hobbs, author of Harry Potter and the Myth of Millennials, as well as the invited talks by conference regular Brent Satterly and first-time presenter Julian Wamble, known for sharing snippets of his Harry Potter class on TikTok and his Critical Magic Theory podcast. The conference switches off annually between in-person and online events, so we look forward to joining a global community of scholars virtually in 2025.

    1h 6m
  7. Potterversity Episode 58: More than Meets the Eye

    11/11/2024

    Potterversity Episode 58: More than Meets the Eye

    Don't judge a book by its cover - this episode is about how looks can be deceiving in Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts. We're joined by Eizabeth Baird Hardy (Mayland Community College) to discuss her chapter in The Ivory Tower, Harry Potter, and Beyond, "Muggle Worthy: Deceptive Exteriors and Outsized Interiors in the Wizarding World." There is an implicit lesson in the wizarding world - one understood by magical children but that needs to be learned by newcomers like Harry - not to trust architecture. Staircases move, paintings hide passageways, unassuming pubs contain entrances to bustling magical streets. People, too, are more than they appear, like the enormous but gentle Hagrid. Some spaces in Potter seem sensitive to emotional or psychological factors, such as the Room of Requirement, which seems to work in a similar way to a boggart in terms of understanding a person. While the former senses what a user needs, the latter senses what they fear. The Room of Requirement does not appear to judge and can be used for noble or nefarious purposes, whether to fight Death Eaters or let them into the castle. What about portable, extendable spaces? Hermione has her beaded bag and Newt Scamander his suitcase full of creatures, both of which serve as metaphors for the complex personalities under the exteriors that might be overlooked. Spaces like these are also seen in Mary Poppins, Discworld, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Fantasy itself feels like a space where we cross a threshold from the mundane into a world of possibility.

    1h 1m
  8. Potterversity Episode 57: The Ghosts of Our Past

    10/14/2024

    Potterversity Episode 57: The Ghosts of Our Past

    In the spirit of the spooky season, this episode is all about spirits and specters in the wizarding world. Emily and Katy, who recently published a new article titled "Harry Potter and Historical Witness: The Pensieve and the Time-Turner," are joined by Louise Freeman, fresh off our two-part episode on memory, and David Martin, member of the winning Hufflepuff team on Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses and author of Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches and Other Thoughts About Harry Potter. Why does Hogwarts have ghosts? David thinks that ghosts are representations of the past and the influence of the past on the present, so a thousand-year-old castle is bound to be full of history. Louise sees the influence of Gothic novels, in which old castles tend to be haunted. We debate the dynamics governing ghosts and their interactions with the world around them. Ghosts don't age, but can they evolve emotionally? Peeves is a different kind of spirit altogether as a poltergeist and can interact with objects in a way the Hogwarts ghosts cannot - and thus cause much more chaos. Ghosts are also distinct from the form of Tom Riddle that emerges from the diary, the figures that appear with the use of the Resurrection Stone, and Voldemort's victims conjured by Priori Incantatem. Most of the ghosts at Hogwarts lived centuries ago. Why did they choose to become ghosts and stay at Hogwarts? In addition to a fear of death, we discuss what unfinished business they had on earth - which could be coming to terms with death. Once ghosts finish their business, can they ever move on?

    1h 11m
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In the hallowed halls of Potterversity, hosts Katy McDaniel (Marietta College) and Emily Strand (Mt. Carmel College and Signum University) explore the Harry Potter series and wider Wizarding World from a critical academic perspective with scholars from a variety of fields, finding new ways to read and opening new doors. Made in association with http://MuggleNet.com.

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