Décrypter le futur à travers la dystopie et l’uchronie: pouvoir, altérité et risques sociétaux dans les univers de The Walking Dead, The Last of Us et Sweet Tooth

Abstract

This article addresses the following question: how do dystopian and uchronic TV series, through examples such as The Walking Dead (2010-2022), The Last of Us (2023 – ongoing), and Sweet Tooth (2021-2024), reflect and critique current societal issues, while influencing the public’s perception of possible and alternative futures? Employing a qualitative methodological approach, including content analysis, thematic analysis, and a comparative approach, we examine dialogues, scenarios to identify themes related to societal concerns. The theoretical framework draws on Zygmunt Bauman’s liquid modernity, Ulrich Beck’s societal risks, and Michel Foucault’s notions of power and alterity. Structured in three parts, the article first analyzes social collapse and reconstruction in The Walking Dead, then the societal response to a pandemic in The Last of Us, and finally the challenges of alterity and coexistence in Sweet Tooth.