Posted by: @oldmanofarchenland

Digory is British. If Digory is no longer British, he will be another boy, because a person's ethnicity is a fundamental aspect of his/her being... Do not steal a people's stories from them.

FWIW, I'm American and I've always felt like Digory's story was mine as much anyone else's. (Also, FWIW, kids learn about non-Hollywood-ized history in school. They have no choice but to do that.) 

Posted by: @oldmanofarchenland

I would view such a change in The Magician's Nephew as part of this trend. A people's/nation's/ethnicity's stories, historical or fictional, are very important to their identity and self-esteem. A false past is being created, and our minds are being narrowed. Young people who know no better may become confused about what the past really was like, about who they are and where they come from. Do not steal a people's stories from them.

With respect @oldmanofarchenland, I can understand why you are passionately against the notion of Aslan being altered in such a way as having been discussed in this and other threads due to the recent talks of potential casting... however, I would suggest that there is very little said about Digory's ethnicity or skin colour in the books.  We know what Uncle Andrew says of the Ketterley family to Jadis, but we are not told much about Digory's father's side of the family apart from (1) he is in India for most of the story and (2) He inherits the big house in the country at the end of the book.  Sure it may not have been common to have mixed-race marriages in the era in which MN is set, but it seems to me there is enough room within what is written and what is not written to potentially portray Digory as mixed Indian-British decent without being seen as part of a trend or changing of the past or narrowing our minds.  I'm all for a faithful adaptation of MN, and would be sad if it is strays too far from the source material, but for me personally, Digory's ethnicity doesn't appear to have a major impact on the faithfulness to the story and the source material.

Posted by: @oldmanofarchenland

 

Digory is British. If Digory is no longer British, he will be another boy, because a person's ethnicity is a fundamental aspect of his/her being. While it is possible that there could be a story about an Anglo-Indian boy in Victorian London, while it is plausible such a thing could be done and handled well, The Magician's Nephew is not that story. It already exists. Let Lewis show us a vision of an all white England, let him show us that different world that once existed not very long ago. While such a version of The Magician's Nephew that you describe could be historically plausible, there is a trend of rewriting stories and history of the past in the image of these times. I think of shows like Bridgerton, and other portrayals of British and European history which are historically impossible. I would view such a change in The Magician's Nephew as part of this trend. A people's/nation's/ethnicity's stories, historical or fictional, are very important to their identity and self-esteem. A false past is being created, and our minds are being narrowed. Young people who know no better may become confused about what the past really was like, about who they are and where they come from. Do not steal a people's stories from them.

Now this was something I did a lot of research on since the casting call. Once the Victorian era came about there was a lot of migrating happening in England. There were numbers of POC that intermingled with largely aristocrat whites. Digory's race is the least of my worries, I'm just hoping we get good news about a non gender swapped Aslan as we wait for further news.

Digory can be Indian/white and British all the same.

Wasn’t the character of Digory based on one of Lewis’s own professors? As I remember that Professor was British and taught in the English schools and was unusually good for the poorly run schools of the By the time of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe he was an old professor, but he may not have been as stern as the one that Lewis had. I think that Lewis liked the real Professor because he questioned many things and was the no nonsense type.  But the Digory Kirke in the Narnia books was perhaps more permissive (“that old chap will let us do anything we like”) and I think Lewis made him more appealing to children for the story. He is one of the most likable characters in the books (even as a child in The Magician’s Nephew). Lewis added much sensitivity with Digory grieving over his mother’s illness. I hope that any movie based on the book will preserve his character.

I haven't posted here yet, so here's my two pence 🙂 :

I don't find that I have a problem with the casting if Digory is half-English, half-Indian. I don't believe it's too consequential to the plot. It allows there to be a bit of diversity which doesn't feel forced. The Aslan matter is still the real controversial one for me!