Arts and Humanities Commons^™

How Dumbledore Saved Europe: A Comparison Of Fascist Rhetoric In European History And In The Harry Potter Franchises, Emma Pederson, Natalie Rice

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

In recent years, the popularity of the Harry Potter franchise has seen a resurgence with the release of the first two Fantastic Beasts films and accompanying screenplays. As parallels have been drawn between Voldemort’s Death Eaters and Nazis, it is time to examine the relationship between Gellert Grindelwald and real-life fascists. Through such a comparison, we can see common rhetoric in both real and fictional fascism.

Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore have not only a Nazi-like goal of racial purity, but employ Nazi-like language to defend themselves. Related fascist rhetoric is woven throughout other European history, particularly in the dialogues …

Reaching Reality: Realistic Portrayals Of Racism, Paige Evans

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper argues that genre is essential to the accurate depiction of racism. By focusing on three landmark texts—Richard Wright’s Native Son, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Percival Everett’s Erasure—an overview of the most powerful genres in this discussion is given. The first, Realism, is defined by its determination to show physical reality. The next, Surrealism, is associated with cognitive reality. Poststructuralism, the last genre included, is described as using the cognitive effects of Surrealism to actively commentate and critique the physical realities of Realism. It is this interaction that marks Poststructuralism as the genre best suited …