Conjuring Curriculum, Conjuring Control: A Reading of Resistance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Abstract

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book (and film) of the record-breaking J. K. Rowling series, has been heralded as a catalyst for resurgence in literacy and demonized as an attack on traditional values. Using a cultural studies framework, this article suggests that Order of the Phoenix provides fertile ground for understanding the contemporary socio-cultural context and its relation to contemporary issues in education and education policy. The Harry Potter series consistently revolves around the young wizard’s experiences in school, with this fifth installment focusing on issues of curriculum and the control thereof. The author suggests that an analysis of the text could provide a particular reading that serves to critique current moves toward standardization, high-stakes accountability, and curriculum control.

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Notes

Notes

1 This article is based on a paper presented at the 2004 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in San Diego, CA.

2 The entire series of Harry Potter books and films, and their respective publication and release dates are: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), in 1998 {film released in 2001}, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2), published in 1999 {film released in 2002}, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3), published in 1999 {film released in 2004}, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) published in 2000 {film released in 2005}, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) published in 2003 {film released in 2007}, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) published in 2005 {film to be released in 2008}, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) published in 2007 {film to be released in two parts, in 2010 and 2011}.

3 Elsewhere, I have suggested that a text such as this might be employed by teacher educators to explore issues of identity—both teacher and student, curriculum and control, and the social context of contemporary classrooms but that remains outside the scope of this review (see Helfenbein, 2008).