Potterversity Episode 77: Magic and Technology

Through the magic of technology, this episode was recorded live at the 15th annual Harry Potter Academic Conference at Chestnut Hill College.Katy and Emily are joined by producer Laurie Beckoff and special guest Lena Henke, a software engineer whose presentation at last year's conference comparing wizarding portraits to artificial intelligence gave us a great deal of food for thought. Our conversation is guided by quotations from two Arthurs, one Muggle and one wizard: Arthur C. Clarke's "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" and Arthur Weasley's "Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain."Engaging with Clarke, we consider examples of magic that seem similar to technology and what makes them so. Mr. Weasley makes us wonder what kinds of magic and technology appear to be sentient and what dangers lie in such an un-locatable locus of thought, whether it be Tom Riddle's diary or an AI chatbot.Both magic and technology can defy the laws of nature (in positive or negative ways), save time and/or labor, and lead to increased surveillance. We discuss the benefits and costs, access and barriers, as well as how human relationships and environments are shaped by powerful objects and systems. Once such power is discovered, can it—and should it—be contained?

October always feels like the perfect time for a Harry Potter marathon—but why is that?Katy and Emily are joined by frequent guest Lana Whited to explore Halloween in the series. We look at the Muggle origins and customs surrounding the holiday, including religious elements that connect to the themes of the story.What does our first Halloween celebration at Hogwarts look like, and how does that set up future Halloweens at the school? Important events occur during Harry's first four Hogwarts Halloweens—a troll gets into the castle, the Chamber of Secrets is opened, Sirius Black attacks the Fat Lady, and the Triwizard champions are selected. Clues tend to be dropped at this time that become significant later on.While Halloween stops being mentioned after the fourth book, the whole series is full of witches, ghosts, and magic. Is Harry Potter simply Halloween-themed?

What does English poet John Keats have to do with Harry Potter?Katy and Emily are joined by Beatrice Groves (Oxford University) to discuss echoes of John Keats in Harry Potter. Bea is particularly interested in Keats's poem "The Eve of St. Agnes" - namely, the medievalisms present in the poem and the medieval vibe of Hogwarts.We consider why these allusions are significant and how Bea determined that the author was familiar with Keats's work. The influence Bea sees extends beyond Harry Potter into the Fantastic Beasts series and The Ickabog.Finally, find out about Bea's upcoming book on Harry Potter!

Sirius Black wasn't the only prisoner of Azkaban—or the only victim of a deeply flawed penal system.Our guest for this episode is Marjolaine Martin, host of our French counterpart podcast at La Gazette du Sorcier, ASPIC, as well as their new Multiplettes podcast. She has also worked for the French Ministry of Justice at the Research Office of the Directorate of Prison Administration, which inspired her presentation at last year's Harry Potter Academic Conference, “Prisons in the Wizarding World: Symptoms of Failing Democracy.”We discuss Azkaban's historical and literary predecessors—and why they tend to be fortresses that are repurposed as prisons. Azkaban's most distinctive feature is probably its guards. What does the Ministry's use of Dementors in this role tell us about this society views criminality and justice?What is the relationship between a prison system and the democracy in which it exists? How does capitalism connect to the Muggle and wizarding reluctance to engage in prison reform? We consider the larger consequences of prison systems, what we can learn from Azkaban, and how we can fix some of the problems.

Harry Potter is a global phenomenon - but how has it been received in Russia?Katy and Emily are joined Dr. Eliot Borenstein, professor of Russian and Slavic studies at New York University, to discuss his recent book The Politics of Fantasy: Magic, Children's Literature, and Fandom in Putin's Russia. Eliot tells us about how Harry Potter came into Russian culture, the initial response, and why it became such a cultural touchpoint within the country.The series gained popularity within Russia, but also raised concerns and a level of moral panic. We consider Russian fan engagement, how the experiences of fans as Russians shape the content they produce, and what that tells us about Russia and the tensions within Russian culture in the 21st century. Russian fans have also used the vocabulary and imagery of the series to respond to Vladimir Putin and his regime.The conclusion of Eliot's book is titled "The Cruel Optimism of the Wizarding World" - what does that mean in the context of not only Russia but a global rise in totalitarian capitalism? Does fantasy literature like Harry Potter - and its transmedia cultural movement - have the power to liberate, or to help people liberate themselves?

Why is it important to read Harry Potter critically?  Katy and Emily talk about bridging the academic and fan worlds with Dr. Julian Wamble, who teaches a course called Harry Potter and Social Identity at George Washington University. Julian's class allows students to approach complex political issues through the lens of Harry Potter, such as prison abolition based on Sirius Black's experience.When Julian started posting clips from his class online, he encountered enthusiastic discourse and debate. Hermione can be a controversial character, particularly considering her identity as a Muggle-born and her views on house-elves. The Weasleys, the Malfoys, and Severus Snape also inspire strong opinions.Julian engages with this passionate feedback in his podcast, Critical Magic Theory, for which he circulates surveys about different characters, asking provocative questions to get readers to think deeply about identity, power, and morality. Loving something doesn't mean we can't be critical of it, and Julian will explore this further in his upcoming book.

We're going back to school, and specifically Latin class, on this episode.Dr. Mitchell Parks (Knox College) joins us once again to connect classical studies to Harry Potter, but this time, we're not looking as far back as ancient times. Inspired by Mitchell's presentation at the last Harry Potter Academic Conference, we're going to the 1950s to explore the satirical Molesworth books written by Geoffrey Willans and illustrated by Ronald Searle. These novels, narrated by St. Custards schoolboy Nigel Molesworth, parody the British school story genre and feature several names found in Harry Potter.We consider the influence Molesworth may have had on Potter, including its humor and portrayal of education. Mitchell is particularly interested in how the study of the ancient world and Latin is presented in the Molesworth books and how that reflects upon our reading of classical echoes in Potter. We think about traditionalism and imperialism in both texts via their use of Latin.Moving into modern times, we discuss parallels between methods of teaching Latin at these fictional schools and current debates around artificial intelligence in the classroom.

This special episode is a call to join us at our favorite event of the year - the Harry Potter Academic Conference!The 15th annual conference is back in person at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia this October and accepting proposals until April 10. Katy and Emily are joined by conference board members Laurie Beckoff and Lauren Camacci to reminisce about past conferences, discuss what we're looking forward to in this landmark year, and encourage our listeners to consider submitting an abstract.If you've listened before, you've probably already heard us wax poetic about the value of this conference and critical analysis of the series in the current moment. We also talk about what kinds of topics are welcome, where you can find inspiration and sources, and why you should make it a priority to get to Philadelphia on October 23 and 24, 2026.Find more information on the conference and submit your abstract at harrypotterconference.com.

We're entering the Upside Down to compare Harry Potter and Stranger Things following the Netflix series's final season. Spoilers ahead - proceed with caution!Katy, Emily, and producer Laurie reflect on the end of Stranger Things and how the series as a whole, and its conclusion in particular, connect to Potter. Season 5 was released in three installments at the end of 2025 to mixed reviews and a multitude of Potter comparisons. We see a coming-of-age story with characters starting around the same age as new Hogwarts students, the highs and lows of friendship, teens working together to fight evil, a hidden world of magic intersecting with the mundane, and government corruption.Parallels between the villains Voldemort and Vecna were particularly strong this season as were those between their respective targets Harry and Will Byers as well as Ginny Weasley and Holly Wheeler. One common criticism of the season was that there was too much time spent on emotional sharing rather than action, but we see good reason for this when thinking about the role of emotion in magic in Potter, such as casting a Patronus or learning Occlumency.Like Potter, Stranger Things ended with an epilogue, and we consider what these flash-forwards tell us and what possibilities there may be (promising or not) for spinoffs. Finally, we respond to a recent New York Times editorial about Harry Potter's continuing relevance or lack thereof.

We're heading to Hermione's favorite place in this episode: the library!Ian McLaughlin, an PhD student in English who also holds an MLIS, joins Katy and Emily to reflect on libraries and librarians in Harry Potter, following up on his recent presentations at the Harry Potter Academic Conference. Hogwarts librarian Madam Pince is portrayed as extremely strict and irritable, but is she unfairly maligned, and is she actually a good librarian?While books are portrayed as important in the series, theoretical knowledge is not sufficient, as demonstrated by the need to form Dumbledore's Army to learn practical defense skills when Umbridge only allows reading. Books aren't the form of media in the series - Ian compares the Mirror of Erised and two-way mirror to smartphones, which leads us to think about how wands function as technology.Back to librarians, we discuss the issues with censorship and limiting children's access to books, including Harry Potter. We also touch on yet another of Ian's HPAC presentations, exploring the significance of double-casting in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.