Interesting post dicta! Thanks for sharing. I personally neither have an issue with black Hermione nor with JKR being okay with it, so we both agree and disagree on points.
The only thing I think is "wrong" (or I should phrase it as: I can see why some black people dislike the idea) with the black!Hermione theory is that it simplifies the experience of actually being black; that being black is not just a skin color. But my counterargument to that is, I've heard so many times that it doesn't make sense to overlay real-life structures onto the Potterverse (a view I mostly agree with, except when it's an intentional metaphor) and race as we know it in real-life society would be one of those structures. Also, race doesn't play in HP the way it plays in real-life, or at least that's my argument.
So, I guess my conclusion is what I said above :D I personally don't have any issues with Hermione being interpreted as black by those readers who want to, nor with JKR supporting that.
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The only thing I think is "wrong" (or I should phrase it as: I can see why some black people dislike the idea) with the black!Hermione theory is that it simplifies the experience of actually being black; that being black is not just a skin color. But my counterargument to that is, I've heard so many times that it doesn't make sense to overlay real-life structures onto the Potterverse (a view I mostly agree with, except when it's an intentional metaphor) and race as we know it in real-life society would be one of those structures. Also, race doesn't play in HP the way it plays in real-life, or at least that's my argument.
So, I guess my conclusion is what I said above :D I personally don't have any issues with Hermione being interpreted as black by those readers who want to, nor with JKR supporting that.