Research Catalog

Title

A fraught embrace : the romance & reality of AIDS altruism in Africa / Ann Swidler, Susan Cotts Watkins.

Author

Swidler, Ann, 1944-

Publication

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

Watkins, Susan Cotts, 1938-

Description

xvi, 280 pages : illustrations; 25 cm

Summary

In the wake of the AIDS pandemic, legions of organizations and compassionate individuals descended on Africa from faraway places to offer their help and save lives. A Fraught Embrace shows how the dreams of these altruists became entangled with complex institutional and human relationships. Ann Swidler and Susan Cotts Watkins vividly describe the often mismatched expectations and fantasies of those who seek to help, of the villagers who desperately seek help, and of the brokers on whom both Western altruists and impoverished villagers must rely. Based on years of fieldwork in the heavily AIDS-affected country of Malawi, this powerful book digs into the sprawling AIDS enterprise and unravels the paradoxes of AIDS policy and practice. All who want to do good--from idealistic volunteers to world-weary development professionals--depend on brokers as guides, fixers, and cultural translators. These irreplaceable but frequently unseen local middlemen are the human connection between altruists' dreams and the realities of global philanthropy. The mutual misunderstandings among donors, brokers, and villagers--each with their own desires and moral imaginations--create all the drama of a romance: longing, exhilaration, disappointment, heartache, and sometimes an enduring connection. Personal stories, public scandals, and intersecting, sometimes clashing fantasies bring the lofty intentions of AIDS altruism firmly down to earth. Swidler and Watkins ultimately argue that altruists could accomplish more good, not by seeking to transform African lives but by helping Africans achieve their own goals. A Fraught Embrace unveils the tangled relations of those involved in the collective struggle to contain an epidemic.

Series Statement

Princeton studies in cultural sociology

Uniform Title

Princeton studies in cultural sociology.

Subject

• AIDS (Disease) > Malawi
• AIDS (Disease) > Patients > Services for > Malawi
• HIV infections > Social aspects > Malawi
• Non-governmental organizations > Malawi
• Antiretroviral agents > Malawi
• Voluntarism > Malawi
• AIDS (Disease)
• AIDS (Disease) > Patients > Services for
• Antiretroviral agents
• HIV infections > Social aspects
• Non-governmental organizations
• Voluntarism
• Malawi

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-267) and index.

Contents

Introduction : altruism from afar -- Fevered imaginations -- Lumbering behemoths and fluttering butterflies : altruists in the global AIDS enterprise -- Cultural production : a riot of color -- Getting to know brokers -- Brokers' careers : merit, miracles, and malice -- Themes that make everyone happy : fighting stigma and helping orphans -- Themes that make everyone anxious : vulnerable women and harmful cultural practices -- A practice that makes everyone happy : training -- Creating success -- Conclusions : doing good better.

Call Number

Sc E 17-721

ISBN

• 9780691173924
• 0691173923

LCCN

2016039899

OCLC

957705178

Author

Swidler, Ann, 1944- author.

Title

A fraught embrace : the romance & reality of AIDS altruism in Africa / Ann Swidler, Susan Cotts Watkins.

Publisher

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2017]

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Princeton studies in cultural sociology

Princeton studies in cultural sociology.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-267) and index.

Added Author

Watkins, Susan Cotts, 1938- author.

Research Call Number

Sc E 17-721