Interpreting Epidemic: The Meaning of HIV
Wende E Marshall
Department of Anthropology
The proposed research is a preliminary study to begin exploring the relationship
between AIDS risk, social structural, political economic and cultural factors, and to determine the feasibility of a larger scale ethnographic project on the meaning of HIV for black women aged 18-40 who live in rural Virginia. The objective of this preliminary project is to conduct ethnographic research in two rural Virginia counties (Accomack and Northhampton) to determine the ways in which black women interpret HIV in the midst of an array of threats to their health and well-being.
The proposed research will: 1. Begin to map the health, social service, and other institutional resources available in the counties, with particular attention to the role of clinics, churches and community organizations; 2. Begin to describe how rural black women in the counties narrate struggles with health and disease, the meanings attached to disease in general and HIV/AIDS in particular, issues of sexuality, socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, welfare reform and access to other survival resources, kinship and friendship networks and other sources of emotional and financial support; 3. Begin to map the help seeking behavior of black women to determine whether the available services are meeting the needs of this population; 4. Collect preliminary data for the production of interview and participant observation guides for subsequent research; and, 5. Determine the feasibility of further research.
More information at www.virginia.edu
Project Sponsored By: University of California at San Francisco
Start Date: 8/1/2003
- End Date: 4/14/2005
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