It’s a big year for Harry Potter fans ever. The play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will premiere in London this summer, the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will come out this fall, and J. K. Rowling recently released a set of short stories called “History of Magic in North America.”
The four stories look at different parts of North American history through a magical lens, including the Salem Witch Trials and Native American culture. As much as Potter fans were excited for new content, Rowling is facing a lot of backlash for poorly researched history and cultural appropriation. The stories include several generalizations and stereotypes about Native Americans, as well as the reconstruction of several established Native American traditions to fit her fictional ideas about the wizarding world.
The other stories are an interesting glimpse of the wizarding world in North America, but they’re just that—a glimpse. The stories were criticized for being shallow and not a well-researched interpretation of American history. At least she tried?
Don’t worry J.K., we still love you!