Ce numéro s’attache à définir ces objets humbles, a circonscrire leurs caractéristiques propres et à les inscrire dans une réflexion pluridisciplinaire : comment l’archéologie, les études littéraires ou cinématographiques, l’histoire de l’art, le droit et bien d’autres champs de recherche se confrontent a ces objets ? Et comment, au-delà, donnent-ils les clés de leur appréhension a travers les musées, les centres mémoriaux, les laboratoires de conservation, etc.

Traces de la vie ≪ d’avant ≫, témoignages de la guerre, des spoliations et de la déportation, des socles de l’écriture de l’histoire et du travail de mémoire, ces objets sont tout cela. Les aborder suppose une triple démarche : définir la nature, la provenance, le contexte spécifique de ces objets ; reconstituer leur vie depuis la guerre et leur mise en récit ; déterminer leur usage actuel et leur circulation a travers le prisme des collections muséales.

C’est a cette réflexion, éclairée par l’expérience et le questionnement déspécialisâtes venus de disciplines diverses, qu’invite ce numéro de la Revue d’histoire de la Shoah.

In the 1950s, the pioneering work of Joseph Billig, Georges Wellers, and Léon Poliakov dismantled this “lesser of two evils” argument, which was subsequently relegated to pro-Pétain literature (e.g. the books of Admiral Auphan, René de Chambrun, Jacques Isorni, etc.). Later, a scientific, cultural, and political consensus emerged in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of works by authors such as Robert Paxton, Michaël Marrus, and Serge Klarsfeld.

However, even though it lacks any scientific basis, the hackneyed “lesser evil” argument has spread beyond the limited circle of those nostalgic for the Pétainist regime in recent years. A handful of historians, who disagreed with the so-called “Paxtonian orthodoxy,” have begun supporting the idea once again. A far-right polemicist, the popular media figure Éric Zemmour, has even made the argument a key pillar of his racist and nationalist intellectual world view.

This revisionist offensive is worrying. It represents a new phenomenon within the French political and intellectual arena, which is also experiencing a rise in populism, even as society’s awareness of history is decreasing. This context underscores the need for a quick primer on history and a presentation of the latest findings from research on the Holocaust in France.

This is precisely the goal of this issue, which demonstrates the vitality and depth of the research being conducted on the Vichy regime, the French, and the persecution of the Jewish people. In response to each topic misinterpreted through the lens of neo-Pétainist revisionism (the origins of the anti-Jewish policy in 1940, Vichy's room for maneuver in 1942 in the face of Nazi pressure, the personal role of Marshal Pétain and Pierre Laval, the role of public opinion, the comparison with other countries, etc.), the top specialists in the field provide clear, informed, and concise arguments.

This issue also incorporates the latest findings on the topic from French, German, British, and Israeli researchers. Its purpose is to create a solid base of scientific knowledge for specialists, high school instructors, and the general public.