AIDS and the Body Politic: Biomedicine and Sexual Difference (Writing Corporealities (Paperback)) - Softcover

Waldby, Catherine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415141303 ISBN 13: 9780415141307

Publisher: Routledge, 1996

Synopsis

(AIDS and the Body Politic traces the fascinating yet disturbing shape of how culturally desirable is the clean, self-identical and sharply bounded (male) body, protected against infection, and how culturally horrifying are open, uncontrolled (female and gay male) bodies, prone to collecting and proliferating infection. This work is an important and fresh analysis of how cultural material informs biomedical and epidemiological models and measures)

About this title

Product Description:

This book demonstates the extent to which establis hed ideas about the virus, the immune system, the HIV test and the epidemiology of the disease rely upon unexamined, conservative assumptions about sexual identity and sexual difference.

Synopsis:

Catherine Waldby's informative study draws on feminist theory, cultural studies, the philosophy of science and gay and lesbian studies to problematise the factual scientific discourse about AIDS and interpret it as a political discourse. Waldby argues that much AIDS discourse relies on an implicit and unconscious equation between sexual health and heterosexual masculinity. In this equation between women, bisexual and gay men are the targets of preventative programmes, while heterosexual men tend to remain unaddressed by such programmes. Drawing upon examples of preventative policies from Australia, Britain and the USA, Waldby investigates the concept of public health and questions whose interests are represented in a healthy society'. AIDS and the Body Politic demonstrates the extent to which established ideas about the virus, the immune system, the HIV test and the epidemiology of the disease rely upon unexamined, conservative assumptions about sexual identity and sexual difference.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0415141303
• ISBN 13: 9780415141307
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184