Hermionewank
| Event | |
|---|---|
| Event: | Hermionewank, Casting of Black Hermione, Hermione Race Debates |
| Participants: | assort. Harry Potter fans |
| Date(s): | Dec 2015 - |
| Type: | Imbroglio, Racism in Fandom |
| Fandom: | Harry Potter |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Hermionewank is one term for an imbroglio in the Harry Potter fandom after the casting of Hermione Granger in The Cursed Child. When the casting for the stage play was revealed on December 20, 2015, some fans were surprised, pleased, or angered by the casting of Noma Dumezweni, a black English actress born in Swaziland, to play the role of Hermione Granger. Hermione was previously portrayed by white actress Emma Watson.
Fan Reactions
The casting reveal led to a huge reaction by fans, both positive and negative, and conflict between the two sides. People who supported the casting said that that would help increase representation and diversity in a major series, where the default was assumed to be white. Critics said that the casting broke canon and continuity. References for this included a 1999 drawing by JKR, where Hermione was drawn as white,[citation needed] and the line "Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a white tree" in Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as Emma Watson's casting for the films.
There were strong reactions by both sides, people saying that if you disagreed with black!Hermione you were racist, and some others saying that black!Hermione is "disgusting".
There has already been much discussion, with the main thread on the Harry Potter Reddit garnering as of now 945 comments.[1]
History
Black!Hermione was pre-existing fanon in parts of Harry Potter fandom. For example:
- tumblr art by mariannewiththesteadyhands, Archived version (January 2015)
- tumblr fanart by lilabeanz, Archived version (September 2015)