Boys to Men in the Shadow of AIDS : Masculinities and HIV Risk in Zambia

The AIDS epidemic has afflicted Sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately, affecting every aspect of culture and society. In this intimate, longitudinal study Anthony Simpson analyzes the lives of a group of men who studied together at a Catholic mission school in Zambia and explores how the risk of HIV infection has shaped sexual practices. Boys to Men in the Shadow of AIDS reveals the dangerous fragility of masculinity in many men's attempts to act out the ideal of the "real man." Simpson looks at their search for meaning, and their response to both prevention and HIV testing campaigns, to suggest how to refigure masculinity and redesign gender relationships. Read more... Abstract: This ethnography charts the lives of mission-educated men in Zambia and their search for meaning in the AIDS pandemic, as well as their responses to prevention and HIV testing. It also suggests how hegemonic masculinities may begin to be re-figured and gender relationships redesigned. Read more... "This book is important. It goes beyond crude dichotomies about gender and describes the subtleties of male gender identity, sexuality and sexual expression in a place where how maleness is acted out can determine life expectancy and the fate of a man's sexual partners and his children. Here we have a sensitive and thoughtful account of masculinity in Zambia derived from unique field work over almost 25 years." - Tony Barnett, London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine "This book is a stunning demonstration of how ethnography can illuminate the vital issues of our time. With extraordinary sensitivity and deep understanding, Anthony Simpson shows us sides of Zambian men's intimate lives that we have simply never seen before. The deep contextual understanding this study provides should be a revelation to AIDS researchers, and is also sure to be important for a broad range of scholars with interests in youth, masculinity, and sexuality. - James Ferguson, Chair of Anthropology, Stanford University Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 8 1 Introduction......Page 10 2 Fathers and Sons: The Measure of a Man......Page 28 3 Learning Sex In and Out of School......Page 46 4 Sexual Lives after School......Page 70 5 Married Life......Page 100 6 Sexuality as a Site of Difference......Page 124 7 "Has God Come in Another Way?"......Page 154 8 Responses to Campaigns......Page 180 9 Conclusion......Page 202 Notes......Page 214 References......Page 230 C......Page 244 D......Page 245 G......Page 246 K......Page 247 M......Page 248 P......Page 249 S......Page 250 Z......Page 252 This ethnography charts the lives of mission-educated men in Zambia and their search for meaning in the AIDS pandemic, as well as their responses to prevention and HIV testing. It also suggests how hegemonic masculinities may begin to be re-figured and gender relationships redesigned. This ethnography charts the lives of mission-educated men in Zambia and their search for meaning in the AIDS pandemic, as well as their responses to prevention and HIV testing. It also suggests how hegemonic masculinities may begin to be re-figured and gender relationships redesigned "The AIDS epidemic has afflicted Sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately, affecting every aspect of culture and society. In this intimate, longitudinal study Anthony Simpson analyzes the lives of a group of men who studied together at a Catholic mission school in Zambia and explores how the risk of HIV infection has shaped sexual practices."--BOOK JACKET