Date of Award

12-1994

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Anthropology

First Advisor

Dr. Erika Loeffler

Second Advisor

Alan Jacobs

Third Advisor

Arthur Helwig

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

This study addresses the need for AIDS research that goes beyond quantitative in formation to deal with the complexities of local context. Sociocultural analyses have been frequently lost in a sea of research that is rooted in a biomedical/quantitative paradigm. As a result of this, issues of political economy, culture, and human agency are often handled at best, tangentially-this to the detriment of prevention and control programs. This study underscores the factors involved in the spread of HIV that lie outside the realm of physiology and medical "fact." The perception and responses of Zambian nurses at a governmental training hospital reflect the complex way in which various socio-cultural factors influence attitude and behavior. Forces at the workplace and household levels impact individual constructions of HIV and shaped responses to the threat of HIV infection. Brief case studies of five nurses demonstrate that knowledge and education are not necessarily sufficient for motivating risk reducing behavior change.

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