Social and Sexual Revolution

Social and Sexual Revolution is a collection of essays by Marxist scholar Bertell Ollman examining the interconnections between sexual liberation and socialist revolution. The essays span topics from Marx's theories of alienation to Wilhelm Reich's work on sexual repression and social control. The book analyzes how capitalism shapes intimate relationships, family structures, and sexual norms through economic and social mechanisms. Ollman draws connections between various revolutionary movements of the 1960s and 1970s, including feminism, gay liberation, and the New Left. Each essay addresses specific aspects of sexual politics and class struggle while building a framework for understanding their relationship to broader social transformation. The text incorporates perspectives from sociology, psychology, economics and political theory. The work presents an argument for viewing sexual and social liberation as inherently linked processes that must be pursued together rather than in isolation. This theoretical synthesis offers insights into both historical revolutionary movements and contemporary struggles for human emancipation.

Limited reader reviews exist online for this academic book from 1979, making it difficult to provide a comprehensive analysis of public reception. Positive reader comments focus on Ollman's clear explanation of Marxist alienation theory and his critiques of academic sociology. A Goodreads reviewer noted the book "provides an accessible introduction to Marx's ideas about human nature." Critical reviews mention the dated nature of some essays and language that can be overly academic. One Amazon reviewer felt the chapters on sexuality "rely too heavily on assumptions from the 1970s that don't hold up today." Available Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (5 ratings, 0 written reviews) Amazon: No ratings available LibraryThing: 3.5/5 (2 ratings, 0 written reviews) The book appears to be primarily used in academic settings rather than by general readers, which explains the limited number of public reviews and ratings online.

Dialectical Investigations by C.L.R. James This work examines Marxist theory through social movements and cultural transformation in the twentieth century.

The Production of Space by Henri Lefebvre The text analyzes how social relations, politics, and capitalism shape physical and mental spaces in society.

Society of the Spectacle by Guy Debord This critique explores how media, consumption, and social relationships transform under modern capitalism.

Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Barrington Moore Jr. The book traces the historical paths different societies took toward modernization through revolution, reform, and reaction.

The State and Revolution by Vladimir Lenin This theoretical work examines the relationship between class struggle and state power during social transformation.

🔸 Bertell Ollman created and marketed the board game "Class Struggle" in 1978, designed to teach players about Marxist principles - the game pitted workers against capitalists and became a cult classic. 🔸 The book challenges traditional Marxist interpretations by exploring the intersection of sexual liberation and social revolution, making it one of the first works to seriously examine this connection through a Marxist lens. 🔸 Ollman faced significant professional backlash in 1978 when the University of Maryland attempted to block his appointment as department chair due to his Marxist beliefs, sparking a national debate about academic freedom. 🔸 The book's analysis of alienation builds on Ollman's earlier work "Alienation: Marx's Conception of Man in Capitalist Society," which has been translated into at least eight languages and is considered a seminal text in Marxist theory. 🔸 Written during the height of the sexual revolution in the 1970s, the book predicted many of the ongoing debates about gender roles, sexuality, and social transformation that would emerge in subsequent decades.