title: A tale of two "cultures": HIV risk narratives in South Africa.
abstract: There has been a tendency for many researchers and health professionals examining HIV transmission in South Africa to focus on explanations that specifically implicate culture as a primary vector affecting the prevalence of high-risk sexual behavior, such as multiple partners, unprotected sex, and dry sex. In contrast, the residents of Orange Farm, a former informal settlement south of Soweto, portray culture as seldom, if ever, motivating actions that are associated with HIV transmission or prevention in the community. Comparing and contrasting these differing conceptions, we comment critically on the use of ideas regarding culture in explanations addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA. saethre@hawaii.edu
authors.forename: Eirik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saethre
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stadler
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D017280:Condoms; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D033262:Narration; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D013019:South Africa; D014505:Urban Population