Racial Makeup in the Potterverse

[Ali <Ali@zymurgy.org>]

No: HPFGUIDX 50972


Perhaps this is an over simplification, but my understanding of the 
recent thread re empire etc, is that there is a cultural divide over 
JKR's repressentation of ethnicity in the Potterverse. Whilst we 
Brits defend JKR as showing "how it is", other readers think that JKR 
missed out by not "showing how it should be".

In Harry's class, 25% of the named Gryffindor's belong to an ethnic 
minority group. In Britain as a whole, the figure is c.8.8%, and 
roughly 11% for children. This indicates to me that JKR has attempted 
to emphasise racial diversity. Should she portray black children with 
African names when most of the black kids in Britain are of West 
Indian extraction? Why is it racist to suggest that the likes of 
Angelina Johnson and Dean Thomas are Muggle-Born – making them 
somehow outsiders to Purebloods? As Eloise said would witches and 
wizards have wished to immigrate to Britain? In fact, you could argue 
that there are less likely to be wizards and witches from our ethnic 
minorities, as perhaps only Muggles would have migrated.

In terms of the under-representation of wizards in the MoM, Hogwarts 
staff etc, could this not be answered in part by the longevity of 
wizards, and the the tendency to have older more experienced people 
in positions of power? As immigration on a serious scale has only 
occurred in the last 50 years, would you expect this to have filtered 
through to the WW where Dumbledore is still working aged 150, and 
immigrants have tended to be young and able-bodied?

I do understand the arguments re showing a diverse range of races at 
all levels, but feel that JKR is probably damned if she does, and 
damned if she doesn't. JKR is a product of post-Imperial Britain. 
IMHO I do not believe that that makes her personally guilty of 
racism, but guilty of showing a snapshot of how ethnicity is viewed 
in Britain at the moment. It is unfortunately true that we have some 
very real problems with racism, and inability of some groups to enter 
certain professions etc etc. Is JKR wrong to reflect this, or must 
she show some kind of Utopia?

Ali