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Journals / KARE / 2026 / Sayı: 21

From Hogwarts to Sorcerers’ Covens: Heterotopic Places and Spatial Estrangement in the World‑Building of Fantasy Novels Harry Potter and Arabistan Orchards

Hogwarts’tan Büyücüler Cemiyeti’ne: Harry Potter ve Arabistan Bahçeleri Romanlarındaki Heterotopik Mekânlar ve Mekânsal Yabancılaşmanın Bir Dünya Kurma Üzerindeki Etkisi

Abdel-Fattah Adel(Univeraity of Bisha)0000-0001-7968-8167
Journal
KARE
Pages
8–31
Publication Date
2026-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

It can, thus, contribute to the fields of fantasy literature studies and cross‑cultural literary analysis by offering insights into world‑building techniques and the global prominence of Western fantasy in shaping genre conventions.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This comparative study investigates the world‑building techniques employed in J.K.
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Key Findings & Data:Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Osama Almuslim’s Arabistan Orchards series, with a focus on the construction and function of magical landscapes within Western and Arabic fantasy traditions as exemplified in the first novel of each series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) and Arabistan Orchards (2015).
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Conclusion & Impact:It can, thus, contribute to the fields of fantasy literature studies and cross‑cultural literary analysis by offering insights into world‑building techniques and the global prominence of Western fantasy in shaping genre conventions.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2015 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Fantastik Edebiyat · Heterotopya · Çok Sistem Kuramı

Abstract

This comparative study investigates the world‑building techniques employed in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and Osama Almuslim’s Arabistan Orchards series, with a focus on the construction and function of magical landscapes within Western and Arabic fantasy traditions as exemplified in the first novel of each series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) and Arabistan Orchards (2015). By applying Michel Foucault’s concept of heterotopia to fantasy literature, this study provides a perspective on spatial estrangement in narrative and thematic development. The examination of heterotopic locations such as the Hogwarts School, Al‑Yamamah Residence, and Takht‑Sulayman Valley elucidates how these fantastical settings reflect and subvert real‑world norms while addressing broader social and cultural issues. The paper also explores the influence of Western fantasy on Arabic literature. A seven‑category framework integrating heterotopia, spatial estrangement, and Polysystem Theory is proposed and employed in the analysis and comparison of the two novels. The categories examine spatial dynamics and alternate spaces, temporal evolution and boundary effects, fantasy realm coexistence and strangeness, temporal aspects of fictional worlds and characters’ responses, the boundaries between fantasy and reality, and spatial paradigms. This study identifies the similarities and differences in the portrayal of magical landscapes in Western and Arabic cultural contexts. It can, thus, contribute to the fields of fantasy literature studies and cross‑cultural literary analysis by offering insights into world‑building techniques and the global prominence of Western fantasy in shaping genre conventions.

Özet

Bu karşılaştırmalı çalışma, J.K. Rowling’in Harry Potter serisi ile Usame Almuslim’in Arabistan Bahçeleri serisi kapsamında kullanılan dünya inşa tekniklerini incelemektedir. Çalışma, her iki serinin ilk romanı olan Harry Potter ve Felsefe Taşı (1997) ile Arabistan Bahçeleri (2015) üzerinden Batı ve Arap fantezi geleneklerinde büyülü mekânların inşası ve işlevine odaklanmaktadır. Michel Foucault’nun heterotopya kavramı fantezi edebiyatına uygulanarak, anlatı ve tematik gelişimde mekânsal yabancılaşma üzerine bir bakış açısı sunulmaktadır. Hogwarts Okulu, El‑Yamamah Rezidansı ve Takht‑Süleyman Vadisi gibi heterotopik mekânların incelenmesi, bu fantastik ortamların gerçek dünya normlarını nasıl yansıttığını ve altüst ettiğini ortaya koyarken, aynı zamanda daha geniş sosyal ve kültürel meseleleri ele alma biçimlerini de açıklamaktadır. Çalışma, Batı fantezisinin Arap fantezisi üzerindeki etkisini de araştırmaktadır. Heterotopya, mekânsal yabancılaşma ve Çok Sistem Kuramı’nı bütünleştiren yedi kategorili bir çerçeve önerilmiş ve bu çerçeve iki romanın analizi ve karşılaştırılmasında kullanılmıştır. Kategoriler; mekânsal dinamikler ve alternatif mekânlar, zamansal evrim ve sınır etkileri, fantastik diyarların bir arada varoluşu ve tuhaflığı, kurgusal dünyaların zamansal boyutları ve karakterlerin tepkileri, fantezi ile gerçeklik arasındaki sınırlar ve mekânsal paradigmaları kapsamaktadır. Araştırma, Batı ve Arap kültürel bağlamlarında büyülü mekânların tasvirindeki benzerlikleri ve farklılıkları ortaya koyarak, dünya inşa teknikleri ve Batı fantezisinin tür geleneklerini şekillendirmedeki küresel etkisi hakkında içgörüler sunmakta; böylece fantastik edebiyat çalışmaları ve kültürlerarası edebi analiz alanlarına katkıda bulunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Adel, A. (2026). From Hogwarts to Sorcerers’ Covens: Heterotopic Places and Spatial Estrangement in the World‑Building of Fantasy Novels Harry Potter and Arabistan Orchards. KARE, Sayı: 21, 8–31. https://doi.org/10.38060/kare.1796888

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