AIDS and risk: The handling of uncertainty in northern Tanzania

Abstract

Studies of sexual risk behaviour in the context of HIV/AIDS often utilize theories of risk which are predicated on the idea of the rational actor making choices, and thus operate with a strong notion of the autonomous individual. The underlying assumption is that a well‐informed individual would strive to reduce risk and therefore choose not to engage in risky behaviour in sexual encounters. Drawing on longitudinal fieldwork in Arusha town and the surrounding districts in northern Tanzania, this paper explores how people draw on a complexity of knowledge and experience when they try to reduce the likelihood of contracting HIV. It shows how the embeddedness of social relationships, and the constraints of culture restrict the possible range of options, particularly for women. The paper examines the paired concepts of risk and trust, arguing that trust in a sexual relationship is gendered in particular ways. Gender hierarchies often place women in a subordinate position to men as a result of which women have to make compromises which put their health at risk.

Notes

Liv Haram works at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.

In Meru notions of personhood, there are two central concepts, namely: a person's tabia, i.e., ‘nature’ or ‘behaviour’, and a person's tamaa, i.e., ‘desire’ or ‘ambitions’. These concepts are complex and also gender specific. They impinge upon the notion of a moral person as well as on sexual behaviour (Haram 1995, 1999).

According to Johnson's A Standard Swahili‐English Dictionary, malaya means: ‘a prostitute, either male or female’ (Johnson 1989: 257). Although malaya at times is used synonymously with ‘prostitute’, among the Meru it refers to a sexually loose woman, a woman with numerous partners, and is commonly used as a synonym for a promiscuous woman. The term malaya is seldom used to describe promiscuous behaviour in men.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Liv Haram

Liv Haram works at the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden.