The Social Construction of AIDS Issues

Description

This book explores AIDS from a relatively macro perspective rather than concrete operational methods and focuses on the social construction of AIDS issues instead of its transmission level in the context of China. First, it begins with the theoretical analysis and the social significance of AIDS, which is different from the simple conflict between different schools of thought. Second, it analyses the contest of various social powers in the process of AIDS construction and conclusion, rather than making different explanations of policies. Last but not least, it elaborates on the central proposition, i.e., the “AIDS issue” is a symbol of China’s social restructuring process. Only in an effort to advance such a process can we be more likely to find the best problem-solving mode, rather than clamouring repeatedly or giving countermeasures alone. Contents 1 The Social Construction of AIDS Issue and Its Significance 1.1 Why AIDS Becomes an “Issue”? 1.1.1 Conflicting Conceptions on AIDS and Its Social and Cultural Significance 1.1.2 The Game Behind the “Highest Political Positioning” 1.1.3 “AIDS Issue”: A Symbol of Social Restructuring in China 1.1.4 Prospects for Solving the Problem: Promoting the Process of Social Restructuring in China 1.2 Fear of AIDS: The Ultimate Weapon Against the Sexual Morality 1.2.1 Illnesses Are Always Reduced to Political Tools 1.2.2 Panic is Bound to Aggravate the Spread 1.2.3 Argument Against Our Present Understandings of AIDS Patients 1.2.4 The Proper Understanding 1.2.5 The Social Significance of the Fight Against AIDS: A Responsibility for the Lives of Citizens 1.3 The Values of AIDS Prevention and Control in China 1.3.1 Political Values: From “Defense” to “Taking Responsibility” and then to “Rights Protection” 1.3.2 Social Concepts: From “Departmental Cooperation” to “Social Mobilization” and then to “Community as the Main Body” 1.3.3 Cultural Concepts: From “High-Risk Groups” to “De-stigamatization” and then to “Individual Rights Assertion” 1.3.4 Life Notions: From “Keep Your Integrity” to “Participate in the Society” and then to “Take Civic Responsibility” 1.3.5 Core Concepts: From “National Salvation” to “Health” and then to “Happiness” 2 The Cause of AIDS Prevention and Control—A Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2.1 Bi-Directional Conflict of Action Logic: Tripartite Construction of AIDS Patients’ Orientation Towards the Response 2.1.1 Why Do Infected People React Negatively? 2.1.2 Self-Positioning of Infected Persons and the Conflict of Their Action Logic 2.1.3 Different Action Logic Between Policy Makers and Infected People 2.1.4 The Conflict of Logic Action Between Doctors and Patients 2.1.5 Individual Belonging: Different Action Logic Among Three Parties 2.1.6 Enlightenment from Research Perspective: The Co-Construction of Multiple Subjects 2.2 Infected People’s Subjective Cognition of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” 2.2.1 How Can We Let Infected People Tell Their True Feelings? 2.2.2 Who Discriminates Against the Infected? What Has Been Discriminated Against? 2.2.3 What Do Infected People Think of the CDC’s Work? 2.2.4 How Do Infected People Evaluate the Work of Hospitals? 2.2.5 Volunteers’ Service for Others and Themselves 2.3 The Prevention and Control of AIDS: From “The Tripartite Cooperation” to “The Trinity” 2.3.1 What Do We Want to Discuss? 2.3.2 How is “The Trinity” Progressing in Volunteers’ View? 2.3.3 CDC’s View of “The Trinity” 2.3.4 The Hospital’s View of “The Trinity” 2.3.5 Key to Solidarity: Interests in Coordination 2.3.6 Policy Supports for “The Trinity” 2.3.7 Criticisms to Broaden the Way 2.4 Computerized Quesstionnaires, Interview Outline with the Three Sides, and Summary of the Qualitative Interview 2.4.1 Computerized Questionnaires 2.4.2 Outline of the “Tripartite” Interview 2.4.3 Frame of Qualitative Interview 3 Sexual Transmission of AIDS 3.1 The Risk of Sexual Transmission: The “Matthew Effect” of Men 3.1.1 Why Do We Study This Question? 3.1.2 How to Make Hypotheses and Tests? 3.1.3 Test Four Perspectives Separately, What Did They Find? 3.1.4 The Sociology of Sex’s Explanation to Matthew Effect 3.2 The Risk of Sexual Transmission: Women’s Multiple Sexual Partners 3.2.1 The Sex of Women in Social Networks 3.2.2 Hypothesis and Testing: What Factors Have a Greater Effect? 3.2.3 Multi-Factor Choices of Female Subjects 3.3 Sexual Transmission Risk: Multiple Sex Behavior 3.3.1 The Status Quo and Analysis of Exchanging Sexual Partners 3.3.2 Who is Doing Group Sex? 3.3.3 What is the Possibility of Sexual Transmission? 3.4 New Risks of Sexual Transmission: New Type of Drugs 3.4.1 Current Situation of New Drugs 3.4.2 New Drugs Endanger Overall Health 3.4.3 New Drugs Severely Increase Sexual Transmission 3.5 Theoretical Discussion: Sociological Solutions on Sexual Transmission 3.5.1 Sexual Communication of AIDS is Networked 3.5.2 “Bridge Population” for the Spread of AIDS 3.5.3 Sexual Transmission Depends on the Social Structure 3.5.4 Risks Come More from the Illegal “Sex Industry” 3.5.5 How Do We Get to Know Them? 3.5.6 They Are the Primary Subjects, While We Are the Secondary Auxiliaries 3.5.7 The Concept and Model of AIDS Sociology References 4 The Methodology of AIDS Sociology 4.1 “Process Control” of AIDS 4.1.1 Living Environment Control: Comprehensive Study of Point 4.1.2 The Control of Situation: Stimulating Subject to Present Themselves Fully 4.1.3 The Control of Data Quality: Collecting “The Performance of Subject Construction” 4.1.4 Moving Towards Integration: The Methodological Significance of Process Control 4.1.5 A Spectral Understanding of Sociological Methods 4.2 The Overall Authenticity of the AIDS Survey—A New Method to Verify the Quality of the Questionnaire 4.2.1 The Difficulty for the Existing Inspection Methods to Verify Authenticity 4.2.2 Respondents’ Self-Answer Design 4.2.3 On-Scene Investigator Monitoring Design 4.2.4 Design for Answer-Time-Based Testification 4.2.5 The Determination and Significance of Overall Authenticity 4.3 Combination of Sociology and Public Health: Discussion of Incidence of AIDS 4.3.1 Why to Need Self-Reported Incidence 4.3.2 The of the Commonalities of Each Historical 4.3.3 Interrelation Between Historical Development and Social Class 4.3.4 Which Sexual Behaviors Are at Higher Risk of STD Infection? 4.3.5 Revelation: Objective Measurement is Compatible with the Perspective of Subject Construction 4.4 New Perspective AIDS Has Brought to Sociology 4.4.1 How Individuals Organized to Exist and Participate in Society? 4.4.2 For the Division Standard and Concept System of Marriage, We Need to Add the Perspective of “Sex” 4.4.3 Small Social Behaviors of Individuals Should Be Applied to Falsify Theories 4.4.4 AIDS Gives Us a Push on Empirical Methods 4.5 The Enlightenment of AIDS Research on Interdisciplinary Perspective 4.5.1 How is Interdiscipline Possible? 4.5.2 How Can Interdisciplinary Claims Become Traps? 4.5.3 Three Levels of Conditions to Realize Interdiscipline 4.5.4 What is the Feasibility of Interdiscipline? Postscript Appendix Fieldwork and Insights into Sexual Transmission