Superior and Inferior. Conversations among girls at middle school

The book Superior and Inferior presents a facsimile reprint of Carla Accardi’s provocatory publication Superiore e Inferiore and the first ever English translation of the full text. First published in 1972 by Italian abstract artist and feminist Carla Accardi (1924–2014), the book Superiore e Inferiore features discussions among girls at a middle school – all between 10 and 13 – about society’s discriminatory behaviour towards women. They also commented the Manifesto of the revolutionary feminist group Rivolta Femminile – collectively written by Accardi, art critic and feminist activist Carla Lonzi, and Elvira Banotti – which first appeared posted on city walls in Rome in July 1970.  For having discussed sex-related issues with pupils, Accardi was fired and permanently suspended from teaching. (Her letter of dismissal issued by the Italian Ministry of Education forms part of the introduction to the book.) Along the lines of Pasolini’s Comizi d’Amore (Love Meetings), Accardi’s own voice is secondary in the book, giving way to the thoughts, narratives, opinions, and debates expressed among girls on the role of women and girls, family conflicts and intimate relations.