Phipps explores the ways in which modern-day feminist beliefs intersect with and may even be appropriated by neoliberal and neoconservative agendas As Phipps observes, unless accompanied by structural change, 'choice' is too often only meaningful for a small elite. New Statesman Anybody who wants to know about contemporary political confusions about the body should start here Times ... Read moreHigher Education Thought-provoking, caustic, and self-reflexive, as its wide range of themes reflect both breadth and depth in analytic scope. Gender and Society The Politics of the Body offers valuable insights into the insidious ways in which neo-conservative and neo-liberal agendas shape even our most intimate thinking and behaviour A rich and provocative set of arguments that could inform efforts 'to revitalise the feminist politics of the body, reconnecting the personal with the political, instead of positioning it as an end in itself' Gender and Development This is a brave and important book. Beautifully written, cogently argued and with vivid up-to-date examples, it shows how a neoliberal and neoconservative politics is rewriting our common sense about bodies. A must-read for students and scholars of gender, sociology and cultural studies. Rosalind Gill, City University London Alison Phipps revises the old feminist understanding of victimhood in the context of neoliberal and neoconservative politics. Her analysis shows how mythologies about victims not only prevail but also are spurred on by the political and economic agendas of contemporary capitalism. Kristin Bumiller, Amherst College This book can be useful for a range of different actors, practitioners, and researchers in sociology, especially those working on and for gender issues. The Politics of the Body is a well-documented and responsible must-read account of gender equality challenges in the contemporary Western world. Bodies in Society Show Less