Lecturer Margaret-Ann Simonetta ‘19 and ‘24 discusses the fandom of Harvard College.

#harvard #harvarduniversity #fandom

J. K. Rowling, the world’s best-selling author in recorded history, is the creator of a seven-book series about a boy navigating his new and unpredictable life in the wizarding world. His name is Harry Potter. Since the series’ inception in 1997, the Harry Potter books have sold over 600 million copies and have been translated into more than 85 languages, equating to one in every thirteen individuals globally owning a Harry Potter book. Rowling’s unparalleled success has additionally produced eight record- breaking feature films and five Harry Potter global theme parks, including the world’s most exclusive Harry Potter themed destination located on the outskirts of London. In March of 2012, J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Pictures joined forces and debuted the first official Harry Potter tour, one that fuses the Harry Potter fandom and global tourism into one. The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour London grants Potter enthusiasts’ access to an authentic behind-the-scenes experience, as witches and wizards have an opportunity to live through the culture of Harry Potter by means of the film’s original sets, backlot, and special effects that famously took the text to screen. Notably, the Studio Tour has evolved into one of the United Kingdom’s most popular and visited tourist destinations, as visitors from around the world journey to London to embody this unequaled location. Indeed, this unique themed space creates a remodeled significance for the phrase “tourist destination,” as the Studio Tour performs as a nexus between Harry Potter’s magical culture and one’s physical self. Due to this cultural phenomenon, global Harry Potter fans now have access to what was once considered an imaginary within one’s mind to an embodied reality in the flesh.

Harry Potter and the Wizarding Tourist is an analysis on how the Harry Potter fandom culturally symbolizes the milieu of The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour London using anthropological concepts of space, place, and embodiment. With equal regard, an examination on this Harry Potter themed space also considers how the Studio Tour performs as a fan-induced tourist destination, thus analyzing these cultural elements and their potential to elevate the study of tourism and fan scholarship in the field of anthropology.

Background: Data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology & End Results Program (SEER 2022) estimates there are currently over 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States who rely on family and friends to provide caregiver support. Family and volunteer caregivers fulfill a vital and essential role for cancer patients throughout the care continuum and are at the forefront of advocating and navigating the health care system for the patients under their care. Recognizing the caregiver’s lived experience and the demands and obstacles caregivers endure has a direct impact on understanding the challenges cancer patients face daily. Methods: November 2022 – April 2023 the Raymond Foundation hosted nationwide cancer caregiver focus groups, personal interviews, advisory boards, and online surveys. Primary goals included reaching a diverse range of caregivers in medically underserved communities, rural, urban and community oncology settings. In addition, researchers were interested to learn how the cancer caregiver experience and burden had evolved since our nationwide cancer caregiver published studies in 2018 and 2020. Results: 1214 caregivers (48% identified as male; 52% identified as female) participated during the six-month research period. 96% stated they provide direct patient care, such as: overseeing and ensuring adherence of oral chemotherapy or immunotherapy; communicating with clinicians to coordinate medications for adverse effects; surgical and treatment-related wound and drain care; colostomy, ileostomy, urostomy, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG or G) support; 94% of caregivers reported they are included in all medical and treatment decisions; 91% reported they felt ill-equipped to navigate complex medical terminology including precision medicine information, biomarker, genetic and hereditary testing and navigating clinical trial options; 87% reported respite care, additional support and educational services would enable them to become a more empowered caregiver and patient advocate; 78% reported their overall quality of life had diminished since becoming a caregiver with feelings of depression, anxiety, financial insecurity, burn-out, loneliness and fear. Conclusions: Cancer caregivers experience significant challenges as they care for their loved one facing a cancer diagnosis. Caregivers are trusted partners in treatment decision making, but too often caregivers do not receive the tools they need to help make informed decisions. Additional caregiver education and support services are essential, so caregivers can provide the best possible support for patients throughout the care continuum.

© 2023 by American Society of Clinical Oncology

Join Margaret-Ann Simonetta at this year's 12th Annual Harry Potter Academic Conference where she discusses her 2023 anthropological fandom fieldwork in London. Mischief will be managed! 

This course examines the socio-historical legacy of chocolate, with a delicious emphasis on the eating and appreciation of the so-called food of the gods. Interdisciplinary course readings introduce the history of cacao cultivation, the present day state of the global chocolate industry, the diverse cultural constructions surrounding chocolate, and the implications for chocolate's future of scientific study, international politics, alternative trade models, and the food movement.

This lecture will focus on the fandom of chocolate and how our world is culturally invested in the chocolate industry. We consider anthropological schemas such as materialism, food and beverage, tourism, global politics, popular culture and media, and Harvard's influence on the Big Chocolate Industry. 

The Harry Potter Conference is a non-profit annual academic conference hosted by Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, PA). This interdisciplinary conference provides a forum for scholarly presentations arising out of J.K. Rowling's literature. 'Fantastic Memes and Where To Find Them,' authored and presented by Margaret-Ann Simonetta, is a Featured Presentation for the 2022 HPAC Conference. 

The Harry Potter series may be riddled with magical tales and envious optics, but the real Muggle magic lies within a community far from the Wizarding World — the internet. Since the fandom’s inception in 1997, Harry Potter enthusiasts have transported their adoration of the series on page, to a subculture on webpage, by employing folkloristic videos, memes, and fanfics in an effort to expand the wizarding realm. Indeed, Potter memes have become a vital vernacular of the global fandom, including memetic frameworks such as comedy, parody, and digital folk groups who thrive on remixing J. K. Rowling’s original narrative. Thus, 'Fantastic Memes and Where to Find Them' is a memetic remix within itself and a composition that explores the viral success of Harry Potter online.

This cultural composition explores the nature of wizarding justice and its deployment within the Harry Potter series and cross-examines how the cultural behaviors encompassing justice, or a lack thereof, have greatly altered the wizarding world since the First Wizarding War in 1970.

There’s one timeworn and highly debated social dilemma inside the secretive wizarding realm displayed throughout Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: wizarding supremacy against house-elves, spawning radicalized subjugation against their race and duties within magicked households and kitchens. This deep-rooted battle encompassing the bondage of house-elves and their use within the Harry Potter series has sparked innumerable debates throughout the chapters and the fans who consume these contentious concepts. J. K. Rowling applies such circumstances surrounding the historical enslavement of bodies and food to educate her global audience on the unfair pressures and cultural norms through the topic of slavery; thus creating a gateway by virtue of the Harry Potter series as a way for readers of all ages to understand the political and societal outcomes of the enslaved.

Harry Potter's first chocolate frog. Molly Weasley's infamous corned beef sandwiches. Bewitched chocolate cupcakes... 

How do the cultural behaviors encompassing food include or exclude those within a community, specifically through the lens of the Harry Potter series?
The wizarding world's exclusive capability to cook and provide never-ending plates of food at the flick of a wand has a quirky way of contextually signaling to the reader the cultural behaviors behind the enchanting culture. By comprehending how the series enables such nourishment motifs, scholars and fans alike may begin to analyze how the culture of food throughout the Harry Potter series reveals a wizarding identity between those accepted and those rejected.

Hungry for Hogwarts? Take a bite of the Harry Potter series through this cultural culinary analysis of Harry's favorite dish: treacle tart. Originally known as a traditional British treat, the essence of treacle tart has drastically changed since the inception of the Potter series; spawning wizarding bakers across the globe. Looking at the dish through an anthropological lens, there's no doubt this sweet-tooth tart has left a societal impression for muggles and wizards alike.

The impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly affected cancer patients seeking to enroll in a clinical trial. The pandemic has led to an unprecedented disruption across the cancer research community pausing trial operations. Data from the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Medicine indicates 988 cancer clinical trials were suspended from March – September 1^, 2020, with 60% of institutions enrolling patients at a lower rate. Our research underscores the patient perspective of clinical trial participation amid COVID-19. 

Linguistics, fairytales, fandom, and morals… oh my! Margaret-Ann Simonetta, seminar lecturer and graduate student at Harvard University in the field of anthropology, is back to guide us through discussing Potter through even more areas of anthropology! Join hosts Katy and Tracy as they gape, open-mouthed at Margaret-Ann’s bloody brilliance.

On Episode 317 we discuss…

→ Localization of the Harry Potter text (British vs. American English)
→ Why butcher cultures for the sake of ethnocentrically Americanizing text?
→ Hooray for fans fighting back!
→ Folklore and Fairytales – “The Boy Who Lived” is already a living legend
→ Are there similarities between Potter and other epic tales?
→ Enter the Cinderfellas: Voldemort, Lockhart, and Snape
→ The Anthropology of Fandom – how do you carry Harry Potter on a daily basis?
→ The 2020 fandom divide… educate yourself
→ Cultures are always shifting. The same is true for fandoms.
→ Morals and Ethics in the Potter series… is it a new religion?
→ We can definitely find moral lessons to share with others in Potter
→ Learning to deal with crises by reading about how others dealt with theirs

 

This critical anthropological assessment explores the concept of Harry Potter tourism throughout the United Kingdom. This paper includes cultural research on Harry Potter hotspots in London and Scotland, among a lively discussion of who can and cannot afford such Potter luxuries. This new-age form of tourism, solely based upon fans living through the Harry Potter fantasies (both in-text and in-person) is brought to life through an abundance of stimuli rewarded to the curious Potter tourist. This paper investigates how these famed sites became a few of our globe's most sought after tourist destinations, and how the Harry Potter series allows fans of all ages and cultural backgrounds to live like a wizard for one day.

This critical anthropological assessment explores the concept of Harry Potter tourism, specifically at London's King's Cross station. This new-age form of tourism, solely based upon fans living through the Harry Potter fantasies (both in-text and in-person) is brought to life through an abundance of stimuli rewarded to the curious Potter tourist. This paper investigates how the famed Platform Nine and Three Quarters at King's Cross station became one of our globe's most sought after tourist destinations, and how the Harry Potter series allows fans of all ages and cultural backgrounds to live like a wizard for one day. 

This critical anthropological assessment explores the concept of theme parks, specifically The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade, at Universal's Orlando, Florida. This new-age form of tourism, solely based upon fans living through the Harry Potter fantasies in-text and on-screen, is brought to life through an abundance of stimuli rewarded to the curious Hogwarts tourist. This paper investigates how the Wizarding World became one of our globe's most sought after tourist destinations and how the Harry Potter series allows fans of all ages and cultural backgrounds to live like a wizard for one day. 

Data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology & End Results (SEER) program estimate that in 2020 over 1.8 million new cancer diagnoses will occur. SEER data also indicate that over 15.5 million patients/survivors are currently living with a cancer diagnosis in the United States. Amid COVID-19, transitioning care beyond the clinic to minimize exposure for patients and health care providers is essential. Now more than ever, new and evolving ways to communicate openly and effectively are crucial for patients and their health care team.

This critical essay explores the concept of bondage and race within the Harry Potter series. Through the lens of historical enslavement, this piece investigates how the wizarding world deems its people and cultural heritage through house-elf slavery. What do the lives and legacies of the multi-racial characters within the Harry Potter series, and their perception toward the principals of slavery, ethically teach Harry Potter enthusiasts on the overwhelming topic of personal body rights and the enslaved? This loaded question is up for much debate and discussed within Harry Potter and the Master of Slaves.

How can the study of anthropology be applied to the Harry Potter series and its fans? Margaret-Ann Simonetta, Seminar Lecturer and graduate student at Harvard University in the field of anthropology, is here to teach us! Join hosts Grace, Katy, and Tracy along with Margaret-Ann as they discuss this new, impressive way of academically approaching Potter.

On Episode 301 we discuss…

→ How has Potter shaped your own personal or social environment?
→ “The Harry Potter series is a massive lesson on the notion of death”
→ Which character deaths got send-offs and which didn’t?
→ Life following loss
→ What kind of afterlife would you want in the Potter universe?
→ “I really do believe that Voldemort was a good leader”
→ So many daddy issues
→ A great political leader or a god?
→ The progression of propaganda
→ What should the new Ministry of Magic statue look like?
→ WHO IS SAINT MUNGO??
→ Which words/phrases from the series do you use in your everyday conversations?