The construction of national and foreign identities in French and Belgian postwar comics (1939-1970)

The second World War had various repercussions in the comics produced in the 25 years after the Liberation in France and Belgium: one remarkable consequence was the construction, in comics as La Bête est morte ! and Astérix, of a fictive French ethnicity which was eagerly contrasted to the stereotype of the militaristic Prussian. Despite a few comics demonstrated the positive effects of reconciliation with former enemies or of European cooperation, most comics rather clung to older stereotypes of other European people. These popular culture products offered a particular - but not always consistent - view on national identities in the post-war period