Diversity in Literature & Media (WAS book differences)

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 40613

Cindy said:

>"In addition, I would have been quite sure that you wouldn't find 
>*any* black people at a British boarding school.  After all, my 
>experience with British boarding schools is that these are the 
>places where you will find members of the Royal Family.  ;-)

And Rosie replied:

> Um, I'm not trying to be rude, but could you just explain this to 
>me - I don't understand. You thought that most parts of the UK were 
>pretty much all-white, with the exception of London & other major 
>cities, right, and you thought that most of Scotland was all-white 
>too? And this meant that Hogwarts would be all-white, because it's 
>located in (probably) Scotland? I don't quite follow this because 
>don't we know that students come from all over the UK, probably lots 
>of them from London (West Ham, Kings Cross, Diagon Alley, etc etc)? 
>And what about people like Parvati and Cho.. did you think they must 
>be white too, if it wasn't explicitly stated?

And now I'll write:

Well, this question wasn't directed at me, but I seem to have a 
similar view to Cindy, so if you don't mind my weighing in...

I consider myself a pretty intelligent person.  Of course I realize 
that the UK is a diverse place.  However, when I think British 
boarding school, I think white.  This is not based on an educated 
assumption (most of Scotland is white, Hogwarts is in Scotland, 
therefore most of Hogwarts is white).  It is, rather, based on 
fleeting images of British royalty on in uniform, etc, as Cindy 
mentioned.

Back to the book.  I assume JKR has crystal clear pictures in her 
mind of the characters.  Although she wants to leave some things up 
to the readers' imaginations, I'm sure she's like us to see the 
characters more or less as she does.  In the UK, mentioning that 
Hogwarts is a boarding school does not create the same mental image 
as it does for those of us in the U.S. who have little knowledge of 
boarding schools.  Adding a small, unobtrusive line regarding a 
single character is an easy way to erase an unintentional stereotype 
in the minds of many potential U.S. readers.  We suddenly see 
Hogwarts as a racially diverse area, as JKR does.

- Corinth