Of Memes and Muggles : Harry Potter, Facebook and the 2016 ­Presidential Campaign in the United States

• “The ministry has fallen.” These words appeared in my Facebook-feed on the day after the US election 2016. They refer, of course, to Voldemort’s takeover of the ministry of magic in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and establishes a connection between Rowling’s fictional universe and real world politics. Other quotations and allusions to Rowling’s series follow in the comment field below, such as “Wands up!” and “DA!” For Potter-fans these responses make sense (even should they disagree with the political analysis); for others, these references would be obscure and rather meaningless. Taken in isolation, this Facebook-post and the comments that followed it could be dismissed as an entertaining curiosity, nothing more. Harry Potter, however, was present on Facebook (both within and without the immediate Harry Potter fandom) from the very beginning of the campaign, and the ideological and aesthetic struggle that resulted is both complex and interesting, and rewards close inspection. This chapter, therefore, critically examines the socio-political uses of Harry Potter during the 2016 US presidential campaign, paying particular attention to Harry Potter election memes.

Nyckelord

Harry Potter

memes

convergence culture

fandom

fanfiction

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