The Dialectics of Decolonization as a Mythical Dream: Moebius' The Airtight Garage

Abstract

Abstract: The article analyzes the comic book The Airtight Garage by Moebius, interpreting it as a metaphor or "symptom" of the French decolonization process following World War II. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from Gadamerian hermeneutics and Freudian psychoanalysis, the study examines the work not merely as entertainment, but as a historical document that reflects the political unconscious of an era marked by counterculture and France's colonial traumas in Indochina and Algeria. It is argued that the protagonist, Major Grubert, symbolizes colonial power: a world-creating "god" whose omnipotence proves fragile and artificial in the face of the unpredictability of events. The narrative demonstrates that attempts at revolt within the plot do not aim for genuine emancipation, but rather the usurpation of the dominator's position, suggesting a skeptical reading regarding the promises of political liberation and the maintenance of pre-existing power structures.

Keywords: Dialectics, Decolonization, Colonial Traumas, Indochina, Algeria.