Inclusion in fandom : how Harry Potter fans rhetorically create representation.

Abstract

Drawing on Jenkins’ concept of textual poachers, this thesis looks at how Harry Potter fans rhetorically invent representation by drawing on aspects of the original story and reinterpreting them in more inclusive ways. I examine how fans use fanfiction to depict and normalize LGBTQ+ representation, how the Tumblr platform serves as a central space for fans to visually characterize diversity through the fan practice of racebending, and how meta narratives developed on Tumblr construct a greater understanding and significance of women in the Harry Potter universe. In each of these case study’s, I examine how fans use the common fan practices of fanfiction, fan art, and meta narrative blog posts to provide greater depth to the Harry Potter fan community and rhetorically invent greater representation and inclusion. The diversity that fans rhetorically construct of established characters becomes commonly understood within fan communities and normalizes greater representation.