Righting rewritings of the myth of Mentor: a critical perspective on career guidance mentoring

Mentoring is entering the repertoire of career guidance techniques as caree rs services prioritise socially excluded young people. This article explore s the use of Homer's Odyssey as a source of definitions and legitimations o f many current accounts of mentoring. Contrasting modern versions of Homer' s myth of Mentor with the original, it draws on feminist and class perspect ives to question the basis on which such myths are used to proclaim the ori gins of a very contemporary phenomenon. It identifies an emerging discourse of mentoring, a regime of truth which exerts control not only over the you ng people being mentored, but also over career guidance staff expected to a ct as mentors in new Personal Adviser roles.