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AIDS-talk in everyday life: the presence of HIV/AIDS in men's informal conversation in Southern Malawi

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  • Kaler, Amy

Abstract

Malawi is one of the world's most AIDS-afflicted countries. In order to cope with the AIDS pandemic, we must know what the people most at risk think about it, how they evaluate their situation and that of their community, and what actions they would consider adopting to lower their risk. However, the main research methods in studying attitudes--surveys and questionnaires--have only a limited ability to capture what people think about AIDS. In order to get a more naturalistic perspective on attitudes towards AIDS from 1999 to 2001 six Malawian research assistants who lived in rural villages were asked to keep journals in which they wrote down information about all the conversations they participated in or witnessed in which the topic of AIDS surfaced in any way. The conversations ranged from graveside condolences following a funeral to stories told during men--only beer--drinking sessions, to women chatting on the bus. In this paper, I analyse these journals in order to see how men talk about AIDS in naturalistic settings, what they perceive as the impact of the AIDS epidemic, and how they understand AIDS risk.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaler, Amy, 2004. "AIDS-talk in everyday life: the presence of HIV/AIDS in men's informal conversation in Southern Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 285-297, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:59:y:2004:i:2:p:285-297
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Margaret Frye & Sophia Chae, 2017. "Physical attractiveness and women’s HIV risk in rural Malawi," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 37(10), pages 251-294.
    2. Bogart, Laura M. & Wagner, Glenn J. & Green, Harold D. & Mutchler, Matt G. & Klein, David J. & McDavitt, Bryce & Lawrence, Sean J. & Hilliard, Charles L., 2016. "Medical mistrust among social network members may contribute to antiretroviral treatment nonadherence in African Americans living with HIV," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 133-140.
    3. Kim, Jinho, 2016. "The effect of peers on HIV infection expectations among Malawian adolescents: Using an instrumental variables/school fixed effect approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 61-69.
    4. Kaler, Amy & Angotti, Nicole & Ramaiya, Astha, 2016. "“They are looking just the same”: Antiretroviral treatment as social danger in rural Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 71-78.
    5. Doyal, Lesley & Anderson, Jane & Paparini, Sara, 2009. "'You are not yourself': Exploring masculinities among heterosexual African men living with HIV in London," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 1901-1907, May.
    6. Wachira, Catherine & Ruger, Jennifer Prah, 2011. "National poverty reduction strategies and HIV/AIDS governance in Malawi: A preliminary study of shared health governance," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(12), pages 1956-1964, June.

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