Abstract

The Swedish National Agency for Education has for the past decade conducted research about norms, power structures and how they affect humanity. The studies have concluded that it is of vital importance to teach the students not only of the existence of the social differences, inequity and injustices in society, but furthermore to demonstrate how norms are created around us, as well as educate them how to question these set “standards”. This dissertation addresses prejudices and norms existing around sex, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, class, and functionality, as well as the power relationship between adult and child by adopting J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. The essay further demonstrates how the acclaimed literary work can be used to teach students in Swedish high schools and/or upper secondary schools about these norms, along with how to implement a norm-critical thinking process in their reading. In the Harry Potter universe, there are numerous norms applicable for discussion in a classroom situation, for example what it means to be a man, a child, a romantic hero, an orphan, a side-kick, a housewife, a wizard, a muggle and a squib (person born in a magical family, but holds no magic capacity themselves), and this dissertation suggests that the classroom activity following the close-reading of the book series will sufficiently illuminate the prejudices existing and serve well to question why they exist and what the consequences are of maintaining them, as well as contribute to mould the students into democratic citizens, something that the Swedish National Agency for Education states to be a requirement for educators in schools today.