Le lunghe ombre della resa: memorie e narrazioni del collaborazionismo

The article compares the memory and reinterpretation of collaborationism in Vichy France and in Italy under the Italian Social Republic (RSI). Initially overshadowed by narratives of the Resistance, memories of collaboration gradually reappeared, marked by tensions between denial, justification, and tragic self-representation. Through a comparative lens, the article highlights shared strategies of moral redemption and self-exoneration, while underscoring key differences – especially France’s gradual reckoning with its past versus Italy’s tendency toward selective amnesia. In the end, these contested memories reflect broader struggles over national identity rooted in the trauma of defeat.