1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910808733903321

Autore

Rodlach Alexander

Titolo

Witches, Westerners, and HIV : AIDS & cultures of blame in Africa / / Alexander Rodlach

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Walnut Creek, CA, : Left Coast Press, c2006

ISBN

1-315-41571-2

1-315-41572-0

1-315-41573-9

1-59874-749-5

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (259 p.)

Disciplina

306.4/61096891

Soggetti

Medical anthropology - Zimbabwe

AIDS (Disease) - Zimbabwe - Public opinion

HIV infections - Zimbabwe - Public opinion

Conspiracies - Zimbabwe

Witchcraft - Zimbabwe

Public opinion - Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Social life and customs

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

First published 2006 by Left Coast Press.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-237) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Investigating sorcery and conspiracy -- HIV/AIDS as personal experience -- The sorcery paradigm -- A sorcerer's servant-being -- Infidelity and sorcery -- Conspiracy paradigms -- Conspiracy theories involving healthcare providers -- Conspiracy theories involving westerners -- Comparing theories of blame -- Applications for the AIDS crisis.

Sommario/riassunto

A witch's curse, an imperialist conspiracy, a racist plot-HIV/AIDS is a catastrophic health crisis with complex cultural dimensions. From small villages to the international system, explanations of where it comes from, who gets it, and who dies are tied to political agendas, religious beliefs, and the psychology of devastating grief. Frequently these explanations conflict with science and clash with prevention and treatment programs. In Witches, Westerners, and HIV Alexander



Rödlach draws on a decade of research and work in Zimbabwe to compare beliefs about witchcraft and conspiracy theor