Young-Adult Fantasy Literature as a Tool of Political Socialization: Harry Potter Book Heptalogy

Young-adult fantasy may affect the political socialization of their target audience. Teenagers gain knowledge about politics before they obtain actual political experience. Such popular fiction as the Harry Potter series may impose basic political attitudes that will define subsequent political socialization in adult life. Books that teenagers see as important should be analyzed for possible impact on political behavior. The problem remains understudied in relation to Russian teenagers against the background of geopolitical tensions and cultural conflict with the global West. Russian teenagers tend to demonstrate low political involvement. The study contributes to the understanding of the political culture of youth and the potential impact it experiences from popular young-adult literature. The authors analyzed the political system of the Harry Potter universe. The discourse analysis relied on the system of political orientations proposed by G. Almond and S. Verba. The heptalogy promotes a negative image of the state and political processes, with an emphasis on the injustices and unfairness of the law. The political landscape develops negative political attitudes, which might turn into political passivity or protest. On the other hand, the books promote tolerance towards others. The social impact is aggravated in fanfiction domain, where readers interiorize the fictional political landscape by offering their own interpretations of the canonic plot.