Conference from the Laboratoire des imaginaires:

Speculative fiction often presents complex political societies, ergo based on a connection to their history. The latter founded on archives and systems of validation analogous to our academy.

I particularly address the subversion that is possible when new discoveries allow us to question the official public narrative. I would like to explore several highly interrelated aspects of this dynamic:

• The place of archives and archival studies in the studied second universe;
• The relationship to the historical narrative constructed by the ruling power;
• And how the confrontation of the two with new discoveries leads to a subversion of social rules.

Thus in Elisabeth Vonarburg's Chroniques du pays des mères, the matriarchal society presented is based on an original figure, Elli, of whom few records are kept and little real, verifiable knowledge is available. The importance of higher education and analyses touching on theology shows well the link between political power and history of the social group, establishing, among other things, the persecution of the men in this world. The archaeological research and comparison of texts carried out by the main protagonist, Lisbei, bring into existence another reality of the established founding myth, leading to a global questioning of the institutions.

Other works will be called upon to refine the analysis, namely Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Christelle Dabos' novel series La Passe-miroir.