The Achilles Heel Reader (Routledge Revivals): Men, Sexual Politics and Socialism(Routledge Revivals)

First published in 1991, The Achilles Heel Reader brings together key articles from Achilles Heel, the path-breaking and influential magazine of men's sexual politics. It also includes an important introduction by the editor, setting the magazine in its intellectual and historical context. Achilles Heel, first published in 1978, was a magazine which explored positive conceptions of masculinity and the ways in which men can change in response to the challenge of feminism. It sought to persuade men to take responsibility for the power they share as men in relation to women - and to use this responsibility both in their personal relationships and in challenging the political and social institutions and practices that embody such power. This selection covers crucial issues in men's lives - work, sexuality, children, relationships, family, class, sharing the experience of different masculinities - and brilliantly catches the tensions and anxieties of men trying to cope with the interplay between their sexuality and their political commitments. By bringing the personal and the political together The Achilles Heel Reader reconsiders basic questions of socialist theory and practice. It will be of great value to students of sociology, women's studies, politics and cultural studies, as well as those interested in feminism as part of a process of reworking socialism.

Table of Contents:
1. Men, Sexual Politics and Socialism 2. Hope and Dreams: Creating a Men's Politics 3. 'Personally Speaking: Experiencing a Men's Group 4. Men, Feminism, Patriarchy 5. Men and Children 6. Men's Work 7. Sources and Traditions 8. Postscript: Men, Feminism and Politics

About the Author :
Seidler, Victor

Review :
'A fascinating account of the way in which various groups of men responded to the emergence of the women's movement. It is of genuine relevance to contemporary sexual politics. No other text covers the same ground in such an illuminating manner.' - Arthur Brittan, University of York 'Describing the pleasures and perils of confronting traditional patterns of masculinity, this collection from Achilles Heel introduces us to the men who were among the first to respond creatively to the challenge of feminism: a very useful resource.' - Lynne Segal, Middlesex Polytechnic