Potterversity Episode 72: Harry Potter and Identity

About this episode

Katy and Emily discuss the importance of critical reading of Harry Potter with Dr. Julian Wamble, exploring themes of identity and social issues.

Why is it important to read Harry Potter critically? Katy and Emily talk about bridging the academic and fan worlds with Dr. Julian Wamble, who teaches a course called Harry Potter and Social Identity at George Washington University. Julian's class allows students to approach complex political issues through the lens of Harry Potter , such as prison abolition based on Sirius Black's experience. When Julian started posting clips from his class online, he encountered enthusiastic discourse and debate. Hermione can be a controversial character, particularly considering her identity as a Muggle-born and her views on house-elves. The Weasleys, the Malfoys, and Severus Snape also inspire strong opinions. Julian engages with this passionate feedback in his podcast, Critical Magic Theory , for which he circulates surveys about different characters, asking provocative questions to get readers to think deeply about identity, power, and morality. Loving something doesn't mean we can't be critical of it, and Julian will explore this further in his upcoming book.

People in this episode

Hosts: Katy, Emily

Guest: Dr. Julian Wamble

Topics covered

• Harry Potter
• identity
• social issues
• critical reading
• academic discourse
• fan culture

Keywords

• Harry Potter
• identity
• critical reading
• social identity
• academic discourse
• Hermione
• Sirius Black
• The Weasleys
• The Malfoys
• Severus Snape

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: George Washington University

Books & works: Harry Potter, Critical Magic Theory

More episodes of Potterversity: A Potter Studies Podcast

• Potterversity Episode 71: Potter Meets Molesworth · April 13, 2026 · 60 min
• Potterversity Episode 70: Harry Potter and the Call for Papers · March 30, 2026 · 47 min
• Potterversity Episode 69: Potter Gets Stranger · March 9, 2026 · 1h 17m
• Potterversity Episode 68: When in Doubt, Go to the Library · February 9, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Potterversity Episode 67: The Best Hope We Have · January 12, 2026 · 58 min
• Potterversity Episode 66: Back to Wizarding Business · July 14, 2025 · 42 min