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

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.