DisCrit and Anti-Fascist Education: Lessons from Gobetti’s

Story of Sebastiano the Rooster, Otherwise known as the Thirteenth Egg

Abstract

This paper presents a critical analysis of Ada Gobetti’s Story of Sebastiano the Rooster, Otherwise known as the Thirteenth Egg through the lens of Disability Critical Race Studies in Education (DisCrit) (Annamma, Connor, & Ferri, 2013), and particularly DisCrit Solidarity (Annamma & Morrison, 2018). The focus of our analysis is on Gobetti’s lessons on the importance of educational interventions to challenge Fascism–lessons that remain eerily relevant to the present socio-political moment. The paper focuses on three key themes in the text: (i) critiquing anxiety and shame of difference and disability; (ii) interrogating ableism and eugenics; and (iii) resisting the pressure for conformity and nonconformity. We conclude by affirming the relevance of Sebastiano as an educational tool for Western nations, where we currently witness similar fears of difference (e.g. sexuality/trans*, race/ethnicity, immigrant/refugee), within educational institutions and the larger society.