Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Stigma, HIV/AIDS and the "Wretched New Class of Untouchables" in India

在卡洛琳·萨金特博士的指导下，人类学研究生佩吉·瓦格塞将研究艾滋病毒/艾滋病的耻辱与印度历史上普遍存在的其他形式的耻辱的交集。在世界各地，诸如种姓、阶级、种族和性别等基本等级制度都带有耻辱的成分。目前，对艾滋病毒/艾滋病耻辱的文化框架和理解的研究主要集中在非洲。该疾病的中心正在迅速转移到亚太地区。因此，现在也有必要研究这一流行病在该地区的社会和文化动态。研究者将使用多种社会科学研究方法。她将采访200名医疗专业人员、宗教领袖、患者家属、患者和一个对照组。她将选择一个子样本进行更深入的访谈，包括心理社会量表和认知测试。她的目标是对该地区围绕艾滋病毒/艾滋病的耻辱的起源和具体形式进行深入的描述。这项研究将有助于从理论上理解疾病是如何被文化和社会背景所介导的。由于耻辱感阻碍检测和治疗，制定有效战略以了解和消除耻辱感必须成为遏制这一流行病努力的核心。如果不彻底了解特定当地环境中艾滋病毒耻辱的社会和象征基础，这些策略将不可避免地失败。这项研究也将对社会科学家的教育作出重大贡献。

Under the supervision of Dr. Carolyn Sargent, anthropology graduate student Peggy Varghese will examine the intersection of HIV/AIDS stigma with other, historically pervasive forms of stigma in India. Throughout the world, foundational systems of hierarchy such as caste, class, race, and gender, all carry elements of stigma. Currently, studies of the cultural framing and understanding of HIV/AIDS stigma are concentrated in Africa. The epicenter of the disease is quickly shifting to the Asia Pacific region. Therefore, it is now necessary to study the social and cultural dynamics of the epidemic in this region, as well. The researcher will use a variety of social science research methods. She will interview 200 medical professionals, religious leaders, family members of patients, patients , and a control group. She will select a sub-sample for more intensive interviews, including psychosocial scales and cognitive tests. Her goals is to produce an in-depth account of the origins and specific forms that stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS exhibits in this region. The research will contribute to theoretical understanding how disease is mediated by cultural and social context. Because stigma deters testing and treatment, development of effective strategies to understand and counteract stigma must be at the heart of efforts to contain the epidemic. These strategies, will inevitably fail without a thorough understanding of the social and symbolic bases of HIV stigma in the particular local environment. The research also will contribute significantly to the education of a social scientist.