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Men Managing Uncertainty: The Political Economy of HIV in Urban Uganda

Schmidt-Sane, Megan M
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3669-7527
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1586773970545217

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Anthropology.
This research investigates political and economic issues of inequality and unemployment in Uganda, as manifested in one informal settlement in Kabalagala, and the effect of these issues on HIV. Uganda is one important site to study the intersections of inequality, formal sector unemployment, urbanization, and HIV/AIDS. Contemporary inequality and formal sector unemployment are driven by colonial policies that shaped urban stratification, and postcolonial policies that privileged economic growth over job creation. A central goal was to understand men’s risk of HIV in the context of these and other structural and social drivers of risk. This research used an explanatory sequential mixed methods study design, including a pilot study (2016), survey pre-test (2017), and 12 months of fieldwork that began with survey data collection (N = 292) and ended with in-depth interviews (n = 54, a subset of the survey sample). Survey data were analyzed using multiple linear regression, and interview data and field notes were analyzed through thematic analysis. Quantitative data described the patterning of risky sexual behavior (e.g. HIV risk), while qualitative data expanded on these relationships and helped to clarify areas of contention. Men in this study have lower rates of HIV testing, compared to national averages. Men also frequently report defaulting on ART, once they do receive a positive diagnosis and begin treatment. Inequality and unemployment impact their daily lives through experiences of uncertainty that must be managed. Economic instability is important, and when men cannot access resources, they are likely to engage in a variety of strategies to improve their economic status. Men also face myriad vulnerabilities driven by the political-economic context, from housing instability to incarceration. This work contributes to the anthropological literature on the political economy of health, HIV, vulnerability, and social resilience. Men’s experiences of HIV and uncertainty in Kampala are shaped by global processes, local politics, social norms, and sexual relationships.
Janet McGrath, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Lee Hoffer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jill Korbin, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Aloen Townsend, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
310 p.
Cultural Anthropology; Public Health
Political economy; HIV; Vulnerability; Risk Environment; Social Resilience; Uncertainty; Men; Informal Settlement; Informal Economy; Precarity; Uganda; East Africa; Inequality; Unemployment; Sex Work; Male Partners of Sex Workers; HIV Risk; Alcohol

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Schmidt-Sane, M. M. (2020). Men Managing Uncertainty: The Political Economy of HIV in Urban Uganda [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1586773970545217

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Schmidt-Sane, Megan. Men Managing Uncertainty: The Political Economy of HIV in Urban Uganda. 2020. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1586773970545217.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Schmidt-Sane, Megan. "Men Managing Uncertainty: The Political Economy of HIV in Urban Uganda." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1586773970545217

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1586773970545217
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© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.