Grab, it is overreaching the term to call what occurs in these books "racism." I understand "racial" to imply different colors (noticable but otherwise no genetic difference) within the same species, and a caste system (based upon ranking by color) within that species. In the Harry Potter books there are humanoids of various sorts and there are speaking creatures that aren't at all humanoid. If you are considering some kind of wizard animism in which "all speaking parts are equal" in these novels and then distinguish their caste within that huge bulky framework, then you might call it "racism" but that's a misprision. Bigotry and bias can be present without it being racist. Speciest? Speciesm? It needs to be called something else.

I had to go back to look at what I wrote, because it occurs to me that there is racism in the wizarding world, but it isn't skin color, and it isn't between species, it's skill level (MMario mentioned this, I think). This is illustrated by the Malfoys. And it correlates directly to skin color in the non-wizard world we live in.

There may well be other messages Rowling wants us to notice. The fact that many humans consider themselves above other creatures in the world is a problem around the world. Western influence is overtaking the good works of cultures that practice leaving a more benign footprint on the world. We don't know what the environmental footprint of a wizard is. Interesting problem.


SRS