evaluations of cultural content, such as literature. A host of political scholars theorize that

foundational and underlying ideological beliefs, of which individuals often unwittingly subscribe,

individuals already “know.” In order to test this theory, I will use JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and

the Order of the Phoenix as a case example to show how interpretations through differing, and

often conflicting, ideological viewpoints can actually change the political evaluations and

outcomes of content.

central tenets of the four ideological frameworks employed to analyze Harry Potter: Classical

Liberalism, Classical Republicanism, Radicalism, and Marxism. I will also provide the reasoning

behind the selection of Harry Potter as a case example and a brief overview of the Harry Potter

storyline in the background section. In the literature review section, I will introduce the theoretical

frameworks- cultural theory and politics of assent- that are related to the formation of ideology

Republicanism, and Radicalism discourse. I will then perform critical discourse analysis on the

text in conjunction with the application of Marxist critical theory to successfully re-evaluate the

book from a Marxist ideological viewpoint. A Marxist interpretation, with its emphasis on

socioeconomics, is in direct contrast to its previous Anglo-American ideological interpretations of

the book and will prove that political evaluation is subjective to preconceived ideological beliefs.

and findings, I will use the definition of ideology provided by scholar Michael H. Hunt. Derived

from his article entitled “Ideology,” it defines ideology as “an interrelated set of convictions or

foundational importance, its perceived range of influence, and how influential it is in the

Everyone has an ideology and that ideology strongly influences

how we interpret the world.

thought. To keep things relatively simple, this paper will only focus on four specific ideologies.

Three of these- Classical Liberalism, Classical Republicanism, and Radicalism- are most often

linked to Anglo-American political thought. The fourth ideology, Marxism, is also considered

somewhat of a Western ideology, but it lacks a foundational emphasis on the rights of the

individual, choosing instead to focus on the collective and therefore, contrasts the other three

ideologies to offer an alternative perspective.

common and prominent ideology in Anglo-American political thought.

Not to be confused with

the modern interpretation of the word liberal, this ideology has, historically, emphasized the

promotion and protection of the individual, an open market-based economy, and a minimal role of

government. Classical Liberalism stems from the writings of political and economic philosophers

such as John Locke, Adam Smith, and Thomas Malthus. Their writings provided the foundation

upon which the United States government was built, as the Founding Fathers were heavily

influenced by their work. Some of the main political themes and concepts of Classical Liberalism

that I seek to find in Harry Potter are the idea that the only purpose of government is to protect

people from one another, an emphasis on placing the wants and needs of the self over the collective

society, and the safeguarding of individual rights. I will present the analytical interpretations

ideal of humanitarianism is believed to be achieved through the promotion of civic virtue, morality,

key values include vita activa, which is basically civic participation, and vivere civile, which is

basically civic engagement.

summarized in the findings of scholar Anthony Gierzynski following a study he performed on the

effects of Harry Potter on Millennial politics. The main Classical Republican ideological concepts

I will uncover from his analysis include active participation and engagement from the citizens, a

focus on the well-being of society as a whole, the promotion of patriotism, and an emphasis on

morality (what is right and what is wrong).

as a common Anglo-American political ideology. While the US government was created using

ideas central to Classical Liberalism and Classical Republicanism, it is radicalism that provided

the fuel for the initial revolution from England. Radicalism is a much more extremist ideology and

political spectrum. Regarding US politics, there is a presence of radicalism in both the left and the

right wings. Some examples of radical ideology-based movements through US history into early

abolition of slavery efforts, the feminist and suffrage movements, and the ecological and

environmental waves. In the analysis section, I will examine an article by Noel Chevalier and note

the elements of radical discourse that are present in his political evaluation of the story. These

elements include identifying a problem in society that cannot be fixed through institutions,

deviation from traditions and societal norms, and the presence of an anti-hero or a conflicted hero.

socioeconomics as the platform on which all things are built upon. Marxist ideology looks at class

relations and the means of production as evidence of the presence of a socioeconomic foundation.

The unbalanced socioeconomics can lead to societal tension. Early Marxist writings identify two

key groups- the bourgeoisie and the proletariat (or “the haves” and “the have-nots”) - as the main

actors and source of conflict.

According to Marxist ideology, the proletariats are the working (or

lower) class members of society and the bourgeoisie are the aristocrats (or upper class) members

of society. The proletariat class is subservient to the bourgeoisie and an array of techniques are

employed by the bourgeoisie to keep the proletariats content and actively producing, and to prevent

their uprising. Some of the techniques used by the bourgeoisie include repression ideologies such

as classism and patriotism. The goal of these repressive ideologies is to create tension within the

ideology, I will perform critical discourse analysis on the text along with applying Marxist critical

will provide a general framework of Marxist ideology and also questions to ask of the text to see

if it embodies Marxist ideology. Meanwhile, the discourse analysis will look at the actual language

that is used in the text in search of phrasing that also helps solidify a Marxist ideological evaluation.

Literature is a vehicle through which authors can spread messages, provide social commentary,

and address societal and cultural norms of time periods.

In the article “Hidden Persuaders:

Political Ideologies in Literature for Children”, scholar Robert D. Sutherland notes that ideology

plays a prominent role in both the writing and the interpretation of the material, stating:

the fatalist worldview is based on low group, high grid dimensions. Individuals with this

Based on the explanations that I provided in the

background section of Classical Liberal, Classical Republican, Radical, and Marxist ideology,

some of these descriptions may sound very familiar. These worldviews carry a lot of the same

values and beliefs of the four ideologies that I am using to interpret and evaluate Harry Potter.

on understanding liberal/conservative evaluations and connecting them to egalitarian/individualist

worldviews. This is not an entirely new concept, but it is faulty and could be significantly improved

upon. The individualist worldview is often linked to modern conservatism, and the egalitarian

theory creators Aaron Wildavsky and Karl Drake in which a series of questions were asked of

individuals who were considered either modern conservatives or modern liberals. Their responses

connections to community and social groups. Classical Republican ideology places are strong

emphasis on the role of citizenship and as scholar Joseph T. Ripberger states individuals with the

hierarchical worldview “place the welfare of the group before their own, and they are keenly aware

Concerns over the welfare of

citizens and emphasizing the importance of citizenship form the entire basis of Classical

Republican ideology.

libertarian society based on bidding and bargaining without many rule and regulations, and hesitate

tenets of Classical Liberalism that place emphasis on the role of the individual and warns of the

dangers associated with large government. One flaw that both Ripberger and I notice, however, is

that the Michaud, Carlisle, and Smith article neglects further analysis of the hierarchical and fatalist

worldviews.

Since I have previously related hierarchical to Classical Republicanism, it has

life is much more a matter of chance than choice.”

This sentiment echoes the foundations of

Radical ideology. Often individuals who subscribe or who are influenced by Radical ideology feel

a strong sense of oppression (grid) and little control to change it within the existing structures or

system (group).

the egalitarian worldview, I find this worldview to be much more closely linked to Marxism and

its Communist ideals. An egalitarian worldview prefers “a society based on equality rather than

differentiated status, express a powerful sense of social solidarity, and vest authority within the

According to Michaud, Carlisle, and Smith,

“egalitarians are especially concerned with risks caused by what they see as inegalitarian

production are owned by the citizens and gains are forgone in lieu of equality and shared, vested

interests. Classical Republicanism is not nearly as progressive as this ideological framework and

it is Marxist ideology that truly appears to evoke the egalitarian worldview or vice versa.

cultural theory among individuals, Michaud, Carlisle, and Smith noted “in particular, people who

know little about politics generally do not hold consistent opinions or have coherent worldviews,

while people who know a great deal about politics generally have consistent opinions and

worldviews which can be described with the liberal-conservative continuum.”

Their article and

the Ripberger article both believe that aligning cultural theory to a liberal-conservative continuum

threatens the theory to become just another explanation of ideology. However, the Ripberger study

does assert three findings that refutes Michaud, Carlisle, and Smith’s claims:

Ultimately, despite its perceived shortcomings, critical theory can be a useful theory for

understanding either the formation of ideology, the formation of political preference, or, in this

case, both. I conclude that ideology and preference work together to influence individual political

evaluations of content. For the intent and purposes of the arguments that I make in this paper, I

consider cultural theory responsible for the formation of both ideology and preference. Although

Michaud, Carlisle, and Smith take issue with certain areas of cultural theory, they note its

significance and potential, concluding that “the grid-group argument underlying cultural theory

offers a possible explanation of ideologies and values. Cultural theory offers a promising path.”

Next I will provide a brief exploration of how ideology can be expressed in literature through the

politics of advocacy, politics of attack, and politics of assent frameworks.

is important according to Sutherland because “comprehensive critical appreciation of a literary

work would include an understanding of the ideologies it expresses, since frequently it is these that

shape and color it. Since the ideologies may not be readily apparent, but implicit only (masked or

Sutherland notes that fairy tales are a prime example of politics of advocacy because they often

have explicit moral lessons.

not seek to promote a cause, but instead admonish an ideological principle that runs counter to the

Sutherland points to Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and its commentary on racism as

an example of politics of attack.

politics of attack. Many readers seem to note that the books embody a classic good versus evil

plot, while others note its social commentary aspects. However, as evidenced by this paper,

differing ideological frameworks, it emerges as a politics of assent piece. Politics of assent is

intriguing case example. The use of politics in the story is not so overt that readers are inundated

with messages and signals. But the use of politics is apparent enough that readers will even

section, I will couple ideological frameworks formed through cultural theory with a book written

from a politics of assent framework. I will analyze the language used by previous scholarly

evaluations to identify language linked to Classical Liberalism, Classical Republicanism, and

Radicalism. Lastly, I will interpret the book using Marxist critical theory to draw out Marxist

ideology, analyze the discourse, and provide a fourth evaluation of the book that conflicts with

previous interpretations.

focuses on relationships among socioeconomic classes, both within a society and among societies,

and it explains all human activities in terms of the distribution and dynamics of economic power.”

Veering away from the typical Anglo-American political ideologies that primarily focus on the

individual’s role in society, my analysis of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will place

an emphasis on socioeconomic status and the conflicts or tensions that arise as a result. The overall

objective is to enable readers to critically re-think the story of Harry Potter using a Marxist

ideological lens, regardless of whether or not Rowling intended a Marxist agenda.

To begin, Marxist critical theory considers both the historical situation and the material

circumstances under which the socioeconomic classes operate and live.

Marxism must emerge

from a specific set of circumstances that foster its development. Marxist critical theory divides

terms by referring to them as “the haves” and “the have-nots.”

In Marxism, the proletariats are

the working class members of society and the bourgeoisie are the aristocrats or upper class

members of society. The proletariat class is subservient to the bourgeoisie and an array of

techniques are employed by the bourgeoisie to keep the proletariats content and to prevent an

uprising. In my Marxist analysis of Harry Potter, these will be important terms and concepts to

absorb as the proletariats and bourgeoisie will be identified in the story, along with the techniques

used by the bourgeoisie for distraction and oppression.

through Marxist critical theory, central components of Marxist ideology will also be applied to the

text to draw out additional evidence of Marxism. These components include the use of repressive

ideologies by the bourgeoisie as a means of control over the proletariat. Classism is one of these

repressive ideologies and is described as a belief system that links an individual’s worth to the

As an ideology in

Marxist critical theory, classism allows for one group of individuals to take precedence and

acceptable in society to presume that people in higher social classes are more intelligent, more

refined, and worldlier than people in lower social classes and therefore, are deserving of their

upper class, and aristocracy. Classism and the aforementioned specific classes are indeed present

in the Harry Potter story and provide the foundation on which the story is built. Classism exists

between the Muggles and the Wizards as well as within the Wizard community and the topic will

be further explored in the analysis section of this paper.

citizenry, pass them off as natural ways of seeing the world instead of acknowledging themselves

The overall goal of ideology, according to Marxist critical theory, is to program

people to process repressive beliefs as normal and the patriotism ideology operates under this

premise. Patriotism plays on one’s satisfaction to be a member of a nation as opposed to a member

of a class.

within the established classes and opts, instead, to be satisfied to simply be a member of society at

all. Instead of criticizing the ruling classes, the lower classes strive for that level of prominence

that they associate with the upper classes and will compete with one another to in an effort enhance

their social status. All the while, the conflict between lower classes keeps them distracted and their

patriotism gives them a blind, subconscious allegiance that is present in Potter.