Book Release - Dialogue on AIDS- Perspectives on for the Indian Context

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Dear FORUM,

A Book titled, ‘Dialogue on AIDS: Perspectives for the Indian Context’ edited by

Ritu Priya & Shalina Mehta will be released on November 27th , 2009 at NHSRC,

NIHFW, New Delhi -10067.

This event will be part of the A Workshop Series " Cross-Learnings between the

National AIDS Control Programme and the National Rural Health Mission " to be

held at the same venue from 10-4pm.

Please see attached the first and last page of the book for more information.

While including some very strongly critical analyses of

the AIDS control efforts, this volume also incorporates papers

by those who have for long been directly involved in the

operationalising of these efforts. The purpose is to ‘dialogue’,

to bring together diverse opinions and perspectives.

Different theoretical moorings can be found in the papers by different

authors, from a political economy perspective to an administrative

approach, to a more cultural or social psychology

focus. The critical analyses of existing approaches exhibit

divergent points of view among themselves.

In fact even we, as the editors of this volume, differ with each other on

several points. Harsh truths, irreconcilable paradoxes and irresolvable dilemmas

have to be confronted. They have been

brushed under the carpet for too long. We hope that strong

critiques will be read in this spirit. The idea is to discern social

processes and not blame individuals or specific organisations.

Only through an understanding of the wider meaning of our

actions can we assess their effectiveness and consequences.

Recognising the partial nature of our own ‘truth’ we can then

make more informed choices for realistic AIDS control efforts.

The authors of papers provide alternative directions to

the ones they critique. Some papers in each section focus

primarily on possible suggestions for a more effective

response.

We believe that the dominant knowledge base available shapes perceptions of the

epidemic and its control strategies. In the case of AIDS, as in the case of most

diseases today, the primary knowledge base has been provided by the disciplines

of clinical medicine and epidemiology.

Public health draws upon these on one hand, and on the other uses

the social sciences and management sciences to develop its

intervention strategies. Analysing the information and

perspectives provided by these disciplines, and the way in

which public health used or managed the knowledge for

AIDS control, will provide us a holistic understanding of the

AIDS epidemic and the discourse around it.

Contributors

THE CONTEXT

Ritu Priya; Imrana Qadeer; Arun Kumar

INTROSPECTING ON AIDS CONTROL IN INDIA

Rajeev Sadanandan; Vijay Thakur; Shalina Mehta; Ritu Priya

CARE AND SUPPORT: SYSTEMIC APPROACHES

Rama V. Baru & M. Kurian; Vijay Rai; Atul Kotwal; Shalini

Bharat; Alpana Sagar; Françoise Jenniskens, Ietje Reerink, Dick

Schapink & Madeleen Wegelin-Schuringa; Shanti ; Ros

Beatson & f Decosas

GENDER AND SEXUALITY: WHAT IS MAINSTREAM, WHAT IS

MARGINAL?

Manisha Joshi; Flavia Agnes; Amita Dhanda; Shaleen; Lalitha;

Deepti Priya Mehrotra; Krishna Soman; Manimala & Putul

CREATING IMAGES: COMMUNICATION, STEREOTYPES AND STIGMA

Usha V.T.; Amar Nath Sinha; Jyotsna Bapat; Pradeep Krishnatray;

Leigh Pigg

Ritu Priya is a medical graduate and an interdisciplinary public

health analyst. Faculty member at the Centre of Social Medicine &

Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, she has

worked on public health policy, communicable diseases including

AIDS control, nutrition, urban health, health of migrant labour and

the lower castes. Her work links epidemiology, popular culture,

political economy, and health systems research for a holistic understanding.

Shalina Mehta is professor of Social Anthropology at Panjab university,

Chandigarh. She has been actively working in the field of

HIV/AIDS research since 1992. Author of five books and several

papers...

Anandi Yuvraj

e-mail: <anandiy@...>