| A Fraught Embrace: The Romance and Reality of AIDS Altruism in Africa Contributor(s): Swidler, Ann (Author), Watkins, Susan Cotts (Author) |
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ISBN: 0691183201 ISBN-13: 9780691183206 Publisher: Princeton University Press OUR PRICE: $25.60 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2018 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Sociology - General - Social Science | Disease & Health Issues - Social Science | Developing & Emerging Countries |
| Dewey: 362.196 |
| Physical Information: 0.8" H x 5.7" W x 8.9" (0.90 lbs) 304 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - East Africa - Cultural Region - Southern Africa - Topical - AIDS |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In the wake of the AIDS pandemic, legions of organizations and compassionate individuals from faraway places descended on Africa to offer help and save lives. Ann Swidler and Susan Cotts Watkins vividly describe the often mismatched expectations and fantasies of altruists who dream of transforming lives, 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 incisive, irreverent book digs into the sprawling AIDS enterprise and unravels the paradoxes of 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. The mutual misunderstandings among these players create all the drama of a romance: longing, exhilaration, disappointment, heartache, and sometimes an enduring connection. A Fraught Embrace unveils the tangled relations of those involved in the collective struggle to contain an epidemic. |