Q&A: Turning fandom into political and social action

As the public's faith in government and traditional political institutions crumbles, younger generations are taking cues from fictional wizards and TV vampires to take action on behalf of issues or causes they believe in. That phenomenon is at the heart of Ashley Hinck 's research for her Ph.D. in the Department of Communication Arts. Her master's thesis focused on the Harry Potter Alliance , a nonprofit organization with 85 chapters around the world that uses parallels from the popular books by J. K. Rowling for its activism in the real world. Since 2005, the alliance has organized more than 25 social justice campaigns on issues such as same-sex marriage, independent media, fair trade, and ending genocide. But Harry Potter is not the exception: fan activism is happening at all levels.
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