[HPforGrownups] Re: Foreign DADA Teacher-- Why it won't happen

[Iggy McSnurd]

No: HPFGUIDX 82184

> Mina-Clare:
>
> Yes, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand would have
> strong influences, but they have their own native influences (Native
> American tribes, Aborigianals). If Canadian wizard society is as much
> as a "mosaic" as Muggle society, then they magic they use in every
> day life could be *vastly* different than British Wizard.

You're also missing South Africa, there... (Just pointing out one that's
never been mentioned... that I've seen, at least.)

>
> My main argument against Foreign wizards comes from places like Asia
> and Africa. There is no way they cast spells in Latin, in the same
> style as Harry and his friends. I have no doubt in my mind that Asia
> uses an old Chinese dialect as opposed to Latin. This pretty much
> discounts any of Floretine's notion of a Chinese DADA Professor
> (sorry, I love the idea, I just can't see it)

Actually, considering the widespread influence of the British Empire, French
colonization, the Holy Roman Empire (which, of course, is where we get the
Latin base for the spells), and the Spanish colonization, it opens up a
whole lot more.  (Also, there are a LOT of indications that Durmstrang's is
in one of the Norse countries... the Viking ship they use for transport and
the cold environment they seem to come from being examples.)  The Spanish
colonization, of course, being included because the language is a Romance
one (based on Latin) and it was also part of the Holy Roman Empire at one
time.

These factors also open up Egypt, South Africa, India, China (due to the
British controll of Hong Kong for 150 years), Indonesia (a heavily French
influenced area), South Korea (strong international influence in cities like
Seoul, in addition to it being one of the few countries that accepts almost
every religeon known to man, including Christian and Roman Catholic.),
Mexico (the national religeon is pretty much Roman Catholic, in addition to
having Spanish as it's language...), and almost all of the Caribbian except
Cuba.

So far as influence from native populations, I can actually see that being
an advantage at times.  For example, who else but a Voodoo practitioner from
Haiti, Jamaica, or Louisianna would know so much about the dark arts?
Especially Posession...
The Chineese have a strong knowledge of Geomancy, including how to protect a
person or area from evil spirits and demons.  The Egyptians hace a culture
that's strongly based in the placing and removal of curses.  (That's one of
the primary reasons Bill was there as a Curse Breaker... right?)

>
> This would explain why the Tri-Wizard Tournament uses the same three
> schools each time its been held. These are the three Wizarding School
> in the region that are pretty much evenly matched, because they draw
> from the same "well". All of their spells are the same, yielding
> (basically) the same results. The only
> variant in the equation is the skill and power of the caster.

Actually, I'd think the primary reason for it being those three schools is
tradition.

If it weren't for tradition, it would be more logical to hold "local
championships" from the various schools in given areas, then work from there
until you end up with the top three schools who compete in the TriWizard
Tournament as a form of "grand championship."

Also, considering that one of the goals of the tournament is to foster
friendly competition between the schools and to see how the other school
works, I'd think they'd welcome the spells and such from other cultures.
That way they'd be able to not only see what the other schools teach, but
how other styles of magic compare with their own.

>
> So why will we never see a foreign teacher? Because their way of
> spell casting will be completely different from the students of
> Hogwarts, neither will be able to catch up.

A good teacher should be able to convey their subject regardless, IMHO.
Also, let's say you hire a Jamaican Haungin (Voodoo priest...male.  Mambo is
a female Voodoo priestess...) to teach DADA:

Some of the basic fundamentals should be the same... especially when you
take into account the roots of Voodoo include Catholocism (good Latin base)
in addition to the African Shamanism.

They should know enough to be able to adapt what they're teaching for the
students who have been taking DADA for a while, and introduce new students
more fully into their styles of DADA.

While there would be a time of adjustment, it would be similar to that of
Firenze teaching Divination.  And he shifted them over to the Centaur
teachings a LOT more abruptly than any human teacher would be likely to do
when shifting over to their DADA methodology.

>
> This is also the reason that "foreign exchange students" are an
impossibility.
>

I'd think it would actually ENCOURAGE foreign exchange students.  After all,
why else do you submerge yourself in another country's language and culture
if not to learn more completely, how other people speak, learn, and live
their lives.

(If I was an American Warlock, and had the opportunity to attend Hogwart's
for a year, I'd jump at the chance... even though our styles of magic would
have some strong differences.)

Iggy McSnurd
the Prankster

"I'm  marching to a different accordion."

-- ABS FIRECAT