Plague of Paradoxes: AIDS, Culture, and Demography in Northern Tanzania

Plague of Paradoxes: AIDS, Culture, and Demography in Northern Tanzania

University of Chicago Press, 5801 S. Ellis Ave, 4th Fl, Chicago, IL 60637. 308p., bibliog., index. (Worlds of Desire). ISBN 0-226-74885-5, 0-226-74886-3pbk. $42.00, $19.00pbk.
Philip W. Setel. 1999.

"This is a book about an epidemic and the cultural and demographic circumstances out of which it emerged." The first case of AIDS in Tanzania was recorded in 1983 and since then it has been growing more than any other country in Africa. "More than ever before there is a need to reassess what we know about this disease and how to mitigate its impact." It is the aim of this book to provide and opportunity to reflect on what has happened and prompt some constructive action and dialougue to fight this dreaded disease in this beautiful Kilimanjaro country. Setel has done a great job in doing just this. His first chapter centers on a song about AIDS in Tanzania where AIDS is called UKIMWI. The song is "Hey, Listen!" The next 5 chapters cover: "Not a Promised Land: Historical Instabilities in Social Reproduction," "Population, Men, and Movement: (M)oral Demographies of Desire and Risk," "Personhood and the Pragmatics of Desire," "The Acquired Income Deficiency Syndrome," and "An Epidemic of Clarity, a Disease of Confusion: Professional and Popular Epidemiologies of AIDS."

In his concluding chapter Setel states: "I have argued that AIDS has been a plague of paradoxes, of concentric catastrophes, of disordered relations of power from the interpersonal to the international, the productive to the reproductive, the societal to the sexual." The people of Kilimanjaro have suffered, are suffering, and will continue to suffer so long as we look the other way. However, they are beginning to help themselves with a complete awareness of what they are up against. This is an excellent account of their struggle and a recommended book for all academic libraries.

Keywords: Tanzania; Chaga (African People
010310
BK011060

Copyright © 2001 - The University of Illinois at Chicago. All materials in the journal are subject to copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educational advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting, redistribution, or translation, address requests to H. Robert Malinowsky, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, PO Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680 or electronically to hrm@uic.edu.

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .