FROM PÉTAIN TO DE GAULLE. THE MEMORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE ASTERIX COMICS

Abstract

Appearing in 1959 as part of the launch of the weekly magazine Pilote, the comic strip Asterix was created by the duo Albert Uderzo (cartoonist) and René Goscinny, scriptwriter, and quickly established itself as a benchmark in French popular culture. Through the chronological distancing movement offered by the adventures of Asterix, it manages to dramatise certain key debates that were run- ning through French society in the 1960s and 70s.This study argues that the au- thors of Asterix offer a critical understanding of the past regarding the occupation and collaboration. Through humour, the Asterix series contributes significantly to a commemorative turning point marked by the inhibition of the heroic discourse of the Resistance and a painful return to the dark episodes of this period.