Harry Potter Fans Call out This Euro-Centric Wizarding School Map

How do you solve a problem like J.K. Rowling? The celebrated author gave us one of our most endearing modern children’s literature classics with the Harry Potter series. She boosted the literacy of a generation of kids and garnered fans of all ages. But alas, ALAS dear readers, she has proven herself to be an extremely problematic figure.

Last year Rowling outed herself as a TERF and queerbaited fans with a gay relationship that never materialized in the books or films. And don’t get us started on the whole “wizards shit their pants and magick it away” thing.

Now, fans are calling Rowling out on the names and locations of her various wizarding schools. The conversation started when Twitter user @gayrauder tweeted the map below:

Okay, so let’s break it down:

The United Kingdom: Hogwarts
France and Western Europe: Beauxbatons
Scandanavia and all of Eastern Europe: Durmstrang
Italy: Shit out of luck/magic
America, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean: Ilvermorny
Central and South America: Castelobruxo
Most of Africa: Uagadou
Russia: Koldovstoretz
North Africa and the Middle East: School #9
Most of Asia/China/India: School #10
Southeast Asia/Pacific Islands/Australia/New Zealand: School #11
Japan/Korea: Mahoutokoro

Let’s be real, this breakdown is banoonies. Europe gets four schools, but nearly ALL OF AFRICA shares a single school? ALL of the Middle East has set aside centuries of geopolitical unrest to go to school together? Perhaps the most egregious is the idea that countries like China and India, which account for 36.17% of the world’s population, are just lumped together in one unnamed school. But really what did we expect from the author who named her sole Asian character Cho Chang?

Fans were quick to call out this Euro-centric nonsense on Twitter:

Granted, Rowling probably didn’t realize when she started writing these books that they would soon garner a global following. And no one is expecting her to be a one-woman global cultural expert. But why not take the criticism of American school Ilvermorny’s colonialist perspective and learn from the experience?

Why not hire and/or consult cultural experts to build wizarding worlds that are respectful of local myths and folklore? Or better yet, enlist a world’s worth of globally influential authors to build out their own schools? This entire affair feels like a half-assed job. It’s like she literally typed “magic + school” and let Google Translate do the rest.

Do better, Rowling. We seem to be saying this a lot as of late.

(via Daily Dot, image: Warner Bros.)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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