The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts UNE DRÔLE DE MÉMOIRE RELATIONS FRANCO-ALGÉRIENNES ET MÉMOIRE COMIQUE, 1954-2012 A Dissertation in French and Francophone Studies by Sandra Emilie Rousseau © 2015 Sandra Emilie Rousseau Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2015 The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts A FUNNY SORT OF MEMORY FRANCO-ALGERIAN RELATIONS AND COMIC MEMORY (1954-2012) A Dissertation in French and Francophone Studies by Sandra Emilie Rousseau © 2015 Sandra Emilie Rousseau Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2015 ii The dissertation of Sandra Emilie Rousseau was reviewed and approved* by the following: Jennifer A. Boittin Associate Professor of French, Francophone Studies, and History Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Jonathan Abel Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Japanese Thomas O. Beebee Professor of Comparative Literature and German Richard S. Fogarty Associate Professor of History, University at Albany, State University of New York Special Member Jean-Claude Vuillemin Professor of French Kathryn Grossman Department Head *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. iii ABSTRACT My dissertation coins and develops the concept of “comic memory,” which contends that communities organize and communicate representations of their past through humor. Franco-Algerian relations are historically colored by violent colonial, racial and cultural discrimination that seems to preclude any comical practices, yet humor has infiltrated most realms of discourse on both sides of the Mediterranean. My work explores multiple case studies of the many ways humorous cultural productions have participated in memorial discourses of both Algeria and France from the beginning of the Algerian War of Liberation (1954) to the fiftieth anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France (2012). I argue that denying the many ways historically antagonistic communities use humor to laugh at (or with) each other keeps us from recognizing a central aspect of how cultural identities are shaped, and could even lead to dangerous misunderstandings. The case-study model I have chosen for my work illustrates various forms of comic memory. My chapters are anchored on performances, caricatures, comic strips and stand- up comedies because each illuminates Franco-Algerian relations in a different way. My discussion of comic novels, press cartoons and stand-up comedies all reveal that while the media of humor may vary Algerian artists have constantly resorted to humor when discussing Franco-Algerian relations. iv TABLE DES MATIÈRES Table des figures ................................................................................................................ vii Remerciements ................................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION: MÉMOIRE COMIQUE ET RELATIONS FRANCO- ALGÉRIENNES ................................................................................................................... 1 Historiographie ................................................................................................................. 11 Rire, humour, comique ..................................................................................................... 22 La mémoire comique........................................................................................................ 32 Etudes de cas .................................................................................................................... 40 CHAPITRE 1: L’HUMOUR MONTE EN SCÈNE : LA FAMILLE HERNANDEZ .. 46 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 46 Synopsis des pièces .......................................................................................................... 50 Humour et contre-mémoire : authenticité et fiction ......................................................... 52 L’algérianité en scène ...................................................................................................... 57 Qui est « l’homme nouveau » ? ....................................................................................... 61 Le miroir théâtral.............................................................................................................. 68 Le motif comique du stéréotype ....................................................................................... 70 Mémoire et Stéréotypes.................................................................................................... 76 Enregistrement historique et Approche comique ............................................................. 82 Liminalité de la communauté ........................................................................................... 86 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 92 CHAPITRE 2: DES BULLES DE MÉMOIRE : M’QUIDÈCH (1969-1972) .............. 95 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 95 Composition ................................................................................................................... 102 Manifeste ........................................................................................................................ 104 Lecture et lectorat ........................................................................................................... 111 v Humour, difformité, normativité : l’évolution comique ................................................ 113 Jouer et rire ..................................................................................................................... 122 M’Quidèch, publication nationaliste .............................................................................. 128 « De nos Montagnes » .................................................................................................... 134 M’Quidèch vous parle .................................................................................................... 137 Conclusion : nouvelles bulles ........................................................................................ 139 CHAPITRE 3: DE LA BULLE AUX COLONNES (1980-1995) : LES CARICATURES DE SLIM ET DILEM. ....................................................................... 142 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 142 Un contexte politique en flux ......................................................................................... 147 Emigration : vers le bonheur… ...................................................................................... 153 Hospitalité et racisme ..................................................................................................... 162 Humour et censure ......................................................................................................... 170 Le Barbu : épitomé de la violence.................................................................................. 181 Désespoir, des espoirs ? ................................................................................................. 185 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 188 CHAPITRE 4: RETOURS EN SCÈNE, DÉTOURS HISTORIQUES : L’HUMOUR DE FELLAG (1995-2012) ................................................................................................ 194 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 194 Djurdjurassique Bled et Le dernier chameau ................................................................. 196 Mémoire et témoignage.................................................................................................. 200 Humour et histoire: La colonisation ............................................................................... 205 Humour et histoire: L’administration française ............................................................. 209 Humour et histoire : L’immigration ............................................................................... 212 Humour et langues : entre inclusion et exclusion .......................................................... 218 La langue : une frontière infranchissable ? .................................................................... 222 Une communauté linguistique sans frontières ............................................................... 225 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 228 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 234 vi Une rencontre performative ........................................................................................... 237 Mémoire comique : et après ? ........................................................................................ 242 Subtilités des rapports franco-algériens ......................................................................... 246 Mémoire, Humour et