Sexuality, Culture, and Power in HIV/AIDS Research

Abstract

▪ Abstract This article examines the development of anthropological research in response to AIDS. During the first decade of the epidemic, most social science research focused on the behavioral correlates of HIV infection among individuals and failed to examine broader social and cultural factors. By the late 1980s, however, pioneering work by anthropologists began to raise the importance of cultural systems in shaping sexual practices relevant to HIV transmission and prevention. Since the start of the 1990s, this emphasis on cultural analysis has taken shape alongside a growing anthropological research focus on structural factors shaping vulnerability to HIV infection. Work on social inequality and the political economy of HIV and AIDS has been especially important. Much current research seeks to integrate both cultural and structural concerns in providing an alternative to more individualistic behavioral research paradigms.

Confronting structural violence in sex work: lessons from a community-led HIV prevention project in Mysore, India

“…In Karnataka specifically, a large number of women enter sex work through a religious tradition called the Devadasi (O'Neil et al, 2004). These cultural factors present unique challenges to HIV prevention efforts and are further influenced by wider social and sexual inequalities that shape the experience of HIV/AIDS risk reduction strategies (Parker, 2001). Sex worker communities are subjected to severe forms of stigma, discrimination and violence and as a result face formidable barriers to accessing services.…”

Assessment of non-formal sexual education strategies for adolescent girls: the case of Tanzania

“…Different actors within institutions construct social meanings about whether sexual activity is permitted or not, who it is permitted for, for what outcomes, how and when to become sexually active (WIGHT et al, 2012;PARKER, 2001). In turn, these social meanings are internalized by individuals and groups, including adolescents, and may influence the way they perceive their own sexuality, as well as the way they engage in actual sexual behaviours, access and use of available health information and services on the same issue.…”

Using principles of community participatory research

“…A minimum standard for international research is necessary for scientific and ethical reasons. It has been suggested that those researching cultures foreign to them must immerse themselves in the culture, must be familiar with the formal and colloquial use of the native language, and must examine the sociocultural factors that influence behavior in that culture (Parker, 2001;Rebhun, 1999).…”