Harry Potter and the Surveillance State Part 1
There has never been a book series with such a tumultuous trajectory as Harry Potter. It went from being seared into the subconscious of every millennial across the globe, to being shunned and rejected when J.K. Rowling decided to articulate her actual thoughts about the trans community. A lot has been written about J.K.’s bigotry and skewed ideas of gender and Identity. This article, however, wishes to analyse the book series from a materialist perspective. How did the Harry Potter series uphold the class/power status quo? In an imagined magical alternate universe, the author found it hard to imagine socio/class dynamics that are different from the unjust ones in the real world. So what concepts does HP not challenge?
The Surveillance State
The Ministry of Magic has surveillance technology to make the Israeli Mossad jealous. The Trace allows the Ministry to track underage witches and wizards, but this disproportionately affects Muggle-borns and those in non-magical homes since it cannot distinguish between magic performed by the child or someone else nearby. They also have control of the floo network allowing them to monitor people’s movements and communications. Whenever you have committed a crime, they know where you are and can send you a letter to the literal room you are in. The ministry has a team of wizards whose speciality is to track muggle witnesses and wipe their memories. These tools of suppression are regarded matter-of-factly and no one ever questions if they can be utilised for other malicious purposes. They also have a propaganda wing in the form of the Daily Prophet.
Describing such surveillance capabilities is not necessarily always bad, a fantasy can imagine an alternate universe with similar problems to the real world. What we have a problem with is the fact that these powers are never challenged. Harry and company struggle against the constant surveillance when Voldemort is in power, however, no one ever questions the right of the ministry to have such privileges and a monopoly of enforcing violence. Even after these privileges are abused, no one ever suggests that maybe a governing body should not hold such universal control over its citizens. Even after Voldemort’s defeat, no surveillance reform is suggested and Harry Potter (the nark) becomes a police officer. So basically, the systems and mechanisms of surveillance are justified and necessary for the greater good, the only challenged aspect is who holds the reins of power. If it is Voldemort then the system is used for evil, yet if it is someone “good” in power then they are justified.
The Dementors and the Cruel Penal System
Dementors, terrifying soul-sucking creatures, are used as prison guards in Azkaban. They psychologically and physically torment prisoners, and yet this is considered a normal and acceptable method of law enforcement. Dementors are described as “the foulest creatures who walk the Earth” yet somehow it is acceptable to have them guard prisoners because criminals deserve it. Even when a person has not been proven guilty, like Hagrid in book two, they are still subjected to the worst kind of torture without trial, just in case. The only thing that forces the Ministry to look for alternatives is when the Dementors join Voldemort, so just out of necessity. Similarly, Dumbledore’s main problem with them is their allegiance and not their methods.
To not overwhelm you with my negative rants, I will content myself with a description of the governmental structures of the wizarding world. Tune in next week to dive into the unchallenged socio/cultural aspects of the world of Harry Potter.
[originally posted to Patreon on 17/3/25]
