LOLS@stigma: comedy as activism in the changing times of the HIV epidemic.
Date
2020-10-28
Authors
Mulubale, S.
Rohleder, Poul
Squire, Corinne
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor and Francis, Routledge
Abstract
This paper examines how, in the midst of changing political times, some
characteristics of HIV activism are changing, and suggests the relevance of
these shifts for other fields of health activism. Despite the UK achieving
UNAIDS’s ‘90–90-90ʹ testing and treatment goals, many in the UK lack upto-
date HIV knowledge and retain stigmatising attitudes, and some areas
of testing failure remain. In response, people with HIV and HIV organisations
are generating imaginative, collaborative projects that indicate
effective contemporary forms of health activism may, as other critical
health research suggests, be decentred, participatory, multimodal, affective,
and implicit. The paper describes a 2016 HIV NGO-run comedy event
directed at HIV awareness which was researched via qualitative pre- and
post-measures, and two-month follow-up interviews. Findings pointed to
strong effects of comedy, as enjoyment and ‘break’ in HIV thinking, feeling,
and action; of a one-off event’s emotionality and particularity; and of
performance in generating collectivity and HIV citizenship. The paper
discusses the potential transferability of these findings to other health
activisms, particularly around stigmatised conditions. It argues that such
strategies of emotionality, multi-modality, and solidarity in a performance
event can work as implicit activism for changing times, generating social
change via a doubled politics of resistance and alterity.
Description
Keywords
HIV. , Comedy , Stigma , , BAME.