Activist Professors

Accuracy in Academia ^ | January 25, 2011 | Allie Winegar Duzett

[Academiadotorg]

The 2011 Modern Language Association (MLA) Annual Convention featured more than just lectures on language. One roundtable, entitled “Transmedia Activism,” dealt with both “technocultural innovation” and the more controversial idea of increasing political activism among students.

Anne Balsamo of the University of Southern California talked about “designing culture” through “technocultural innovation” and argued that universities have a “responsibility” to create “publications and outreach in new modalities,” including modalities such as ebooks and Twitter. Radhika Gajjala of Bowling Green State University talked about the need for electronic representation in “global civil society,” and discussed the technological disparities across the world.

But Henry Jenkins of the University of Southern California had the most radical things to say by far. His presentation was called “What Would Dumbledore Do?” and used the Harry Potter Alliance as his main example.

The Harry Potter Alliance has many local chapters worldwide, and in each local chapter people team up to do charity work. According to Jenkins, it’s a way of bringing fandom to life. Jenkins said that to involve kids in politics one needs to “frame cultural things in political terms.” He argued that “kids get culturally engaged, but not politically engaged,” and that groups like the Harry Potter Alliance show that cultural engagement can be channeled into political engagement.