O. A. Yanutsh
Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia
For the past 10 years, the magical world described by J. Rowling in the books about the young wizard Harry Potter, has turned into the object of study for specialists in the fields of pedagogy, philosophy and sociology. The paper manifests the specificity of cultural studies of education paradigm on the example of the specific educational system’s current state and possible ways of its reforming analysis. First of all, the traits that make Hogwarts not similar to a typical English boarding schools were determined. Analytic review of positive and negative evaluations of the content and methods of teaching which are common at Hogwarts showed that in their setting, the researchers rely on modern ideals of education and do not take into account socio-cultural realities of the wizards’ world. Analysis of the socio-political, technological and intellectual facets of the culture of wizards in the UK leads to the conclusion that this is a culture of the pre-industrial type, which exists in the stage of transition from late Medieval to Modern times. In this context, the formation of permanent readiness to risk, awareness of intergroup tension as the norm, a high proportion of practical knowledge and the lack of other learning activities except reproductive are basic characteristics, ensuring stable reproduction of existing type of culture and helping the alumni to cope with potential social disasters. From this point of view, education at Hogwarts fully corresponds to the maxim of cultural conformity. The main drawback is the absence of the ideas about the cultural diversity of the world. It is overcoming this deficiency that might help to initiate the increment of magical knowledge and to create a natural foundation for the development of all other facets of the wizards’ culture. It also seems to be the most effective strategy of reforming inasmuch as it corresponds with the existing educational traditions.
Key words: Harry Potter, Hogwarts, cultural conformity, cultural studies of education, applied cultural studies.
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Янутш Ольга Александровна – кандидат культурологии, доцент, доцент кафедры теории и истории культуры РГПУ им. А.И. Герцена; 191186, Россия, Санкт-Петербург, наб. р. Мойки, д. 48; тел.: 8-921-307-69-88, e-mail: yanutsh@gmail.com.
Yanutsh Olga – Candidate of Science (culturology), Associate professor at the department of The Theory and History of Culture; Russia, Saint-Petersburg, the Moika river embankment, 48, 191186; 8-921-307-69-88, e-mail: yanutsh@gmail.com.
SPIN-код РИНЦ: 6624-2810; ORCID: 0000-0003-2922-2320.