Aix-en-Provence, France
Asian Societies Confronted by AIDS
Asianists involved in research on sexuality, cultural representations of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and AIDS prevention gathered in France to present a state of the field report on prevention, education, treatment, and AIDS projects implemented in Asian countries.By Evelyne Micollier
The workshop 'Asian Societies Confronted by AIDS' took place in Aix-en-Provence, France, and was organized by the Institute for Research on Southeast Asia (IRSEA), Thematic Programme on AIDS, Human and Social Sciences Dept, CNRS. Fifteen papers were presented by scholars, mainly from France but also from Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.Taking part were social scientists (anthropologists, sociologists, geographers, historians and public health researchers) involved in Asian Studies (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao, Thailand, P.R. China, and Taiwan), who are doing research on sexuality, cultural representations of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and AIDS prevention. The aim, which was largely fulfilled, was to present a state of the field report on the means of prevention, education, treatment, and AIDS projects implemented in these countries. To give a comparative edge, researchers specialized in the HIV/AIDS issue in Africa had been invited. The main lines of study were as follows:
1-Sexuality in South and Southeast Asia
2-Institutional responses (health policies, education, silence, etc.), analysis and evaluation of AIDS projects and patient care.
3-Spontaneous or organized responses beyond the institutional framework (tolerance, care, or stigmatization).
4-Responses from traditional medicine and traditional healers.
5-Learning from the African experience.
The papers delivered and discussions they aroused have shed light on some questions which are recurrently debated: fieldwork obstacles thrown up by political, ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity; what are the methodological problems linked to the HIV/AIDS issue as a research subject in South and Southeast Asia? Cultural representations of HIV/AIDS in the Asian context: do they or do they not share a specific perspective with the African cultural area? A public health issue (the AIDS epidemic and its implications) can both reveal and fuel social change. There is a lack of reliable data and knowledge regarding sexuality (behaviour and cultural representations) among Asian populations. In a comparative perspective, last but not least, what can Asia learn from the African experience and vice-versa? How can Asian responses to the epidemic be an example for Africa to follow?
A book will be prepared for publication putting together most of the papers presented at the workshop. M.E. Blanc, L. Husson, and E. Micollier were appointed on the editorial committee.
Dr Evelyne Micollier is an ESF Fellow stationed at IIAS Amsterdam branch office.
For further information on the workshop, please contact: Dr E. Micollier, e-mail: micollier@pscw.uva.nl or Dr L. Husson / Dr M.E. Blanc, IRSEA, Aix-en-Provence 389, avenue du Club Hippique 13084 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 2 - France, tel.: +33-4-42 95 16 50, fax: 33 4 42 20 82 10, e-mail: irsea@romarin.univ-aix.fr.