Topic: Censorship

Activity: Write an article for submission to a professional journal like those found in our resources throughout the subject and those you find while doing your own research.

Background Information:

J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series is one of the top ten most challenged books in the United States (LaRue, 2019). Part of the reason for this proposed censorship was due to the content of the series, some lobbyists believed the series encouraged violence, antifamily and Wikkaism beliefs (LaRue, 2017). However, censorship about the content of the books was overshadowed by the success of the franchise, with the books being accredited to ‘making reading cool again.’

In June 2020, Rowling blogged a 3,700-word essay detailing her concerns about people who transition to the opposite sex. This blog was controversial and may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, causing a number of bookshops to remove Rowling’s works from their shelves. Many bookshops, including Perth’s Rabble Books and Games, chose to prioritise their policies over loyalty to authors (The Latch, 2020). Official Harry Potter websites have also issued policies distancing themselves from Rowling’s controversial blog posts and ideologies (CNN, 2020). Of course, company censorship is ultimately up to the company to decide. But what about school and public libraries for children and young adults?

What Did I Learn?

I learned about the proposed censorship surrounding the Harry Potter series and how the series overcome these hurdles due to its success. I also learned how an author’s ideologies (even in publications, blogs, and Twitter posts outside the book) can influence censorship.

The activity taught me that there are different levels of censorship based on the reasoning behind the censorship. Content censorship can be overshadowed by the book’s success and money-making potential, however, if that content can risk stirring a higher level of controversy (as LGBTQIA+ content appears to), there may be stronger censorship imposed. The activity also taught me about how different outlets (bookshops, franchises, and libraries) react differently to these situations, initiating the different types of censorship based on their end-user base and business/governing structure/funding.

How was the activity relevant to my professional practice working with children and/or young adults?

The activity was relevant to my professional practice working with children and young adults, it showed me that books can be censored based on the author’s ideologies even outside of the book. However, the most common reason behind censorship within schools and public libraries is imposed because of the content of the book and whether it is deemed ‘age-appropriate’ or ‘too controversial’ by society. The most common form of censorship in schools and children and young adult libraries is enforced by the government. Higgins-Dailey (2020) says ‘censorship is most threatening when government entities take part in the removal of material and content.’ It is interesting to note that among the other ten most banned books in the US, eight have LBGTQIA+ content and were banned to avoid controversy (LaRue, 2019). However, there are consequences to censoring these topics in children and young adult libraries. As Bloomfield and Fisher (2016) explain, the consequences of self, curriculum, and government censorship in school libraries are subtle but profound. Saying, ‘the types of books we have available (or absent)… is a part of the hidden curriculum… (where) unspoken messages are communicated unknowingly to students.’  

Another reason for censorship for the book’s content and religious differences. Since 2001, a number of Christian and Catholic schools in Australia have banned the series due to its content, citing that the series is against the school’s ethos, by encouraging Wikkaism and discouraging Christianity (Branley, 2012; Harry Potter books banned by Australian school, 2001; Australian school bans Harry Potter books, 2003). School censorship is decided upon by the school’s board, invoking self-censorship.  

Gaps in Knowledge and How to Fill Them?

At the end of the activity, I was still left with a number of questions around censorship and how it is enforced:

• Higgins-Dailey (2020) suggests that a bookshop’s omission of works is not censorship, as patrons can access the work elsewhere. But is it censorship when a public library’s supplier does not stock the books?

• Another question which the activity has raised is whether Rowling has interwoven her controversial ideologies into the text to avoid censorship? I assume this is the concern some booksellers have and has contributed to their decision to remove Rowling books from their shelves.

 

References:

Admin. (2018, December 27). Top Ten Most Challenged Books Lists.   Advocacy, Legislation & Issues; American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10. 

Anabel, A. (2020). Perth Bookstore to Remove All JK Rowling Books From Its Shelves. The Latch. https://thelatch.com.au/jk-rowling-tweets/.

Australian school bans Harry Potter books. (2003). Www.Rediff.com. https://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jul/02pot.htm.

Branley, A. (2012, August 24). Harry Potter banned by a Christian school. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/harry-potter-banned-by-christian-school-20120824-24q7i.html.

Bloomfield, V. E., & Fisher, M. E. (2016). LGBTQ voices in education : changing the culture of schooling. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/LGBTQ_Voices_in_Education/bWL7CwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+types+of+books+we+have+available+(or+absent)+…+is+a+part+of+the+hidden+curriculum…+(where)+unspoken+messages+are+communicated+unknowingly+to+students.&pg=PA30&printsec=frontcover.

Flood, A. (2020, April 21). LGBTQ children’s books face record calls for bans in US libraries. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/21/us-libraries-say-lgbtq-children-books-most-calls-for-bans-last-year-alex-gino-george.

Harry Potter Books Banned by Australian School. (2001). www.Cesnur.org. https://www.cesnur.org/2001/potter/jan_01.htm.

Higgins-Dailey, J. (2020, August 17). J.K. Rowling’s Magical Thinking is Censorship. Intellectual Freedom Blog. https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=21438. 

Howalczyk, P. (2016). HARRY POTTER BOOKS ARE BACK IN KINDLE UNLIMITED! https://ebookfriendly.com/harry-potter-back-kindle-unlimited/

Khaliq, A. (2020, July 3). “Harry Potter” fan sites distance themselves from J.K. Rowling over gender identity comments. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/03/entertainment/harry-potter-sites-condemn-rowling-intl-scli-gbr/index.html. 

Kirch, C. (2020, July 3). Mission-Driven Indie Bookstores Drop J.K. Rowling’s Books: Booksellers Condemn the Harry Potter Author’s Views, Call Her “Transphobic.” Publisher’s Weekly. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/83771-mission-driven-indies-drop-j-k-rowling-s-books.html.

Peters, P. (2017, August 28). Harry Potter and 20 Years of Controversy. Intellectual Freedom Blog. https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=10636.

SBS News. (2019, September 3). US Catholic school bans Harry Potter books because they “conjure evil spirits.” SBS News. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-catholic-school-bans-harry-potter-books-because-they-conjure-evil-spirits.