532: The Politics of Sabotage & Surveillance (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 32)
Apr 25, 2021
Special guest Rex Hadden joins Adri for a conversation on how chapter 32 is driven by the politics of sabotage and surveillance. Umbridge tries to sabotage Harry's attempts at contacting the outside world while Hermione's actions can be seen as sabotage since she is trying to distract Umbridge from the truth. While...
Apr 18, 2021
Content Warning: Police Brutality
We're talking about police brutality in this episode, which includes a brief history of how police came to be in America, how Umbridge and the Aurors' treatment of Hagrid ties into our understanding of police brutality and excessive use of force, and how we can also see that dynamic at...
Apr 10, 2021
Before today's episode, we thought that chapter 30, "Grawp" was a bit of a throwaway chapter. Not anymore. As we delve into this chapter through the lens of politics, specifically the politics of the colonial mindset and forced displacement, we notice that there are many nuances within the chapter that are illustrative...
Apr 3, 2021
This week, we're tackling the legendary chapter where McGonagall faces off against Umbridge over Harry and the Weasley twins complete their Hogwarts career in the most unorthodox of manners. We talk about how speaking truth to power doesn't necessarily mean that you don't shield yourself from any negative consequences...