title: Dutiful daughters: HIV/AIDS, moral pragmatics, female citizenship and structural violence among Devadasis in northern Karnataka, India.
abstract: Decades of research have documented how sex workers worldwide, particularly female sex workers (FSWs), shoulder a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic. In India, although a substantial progress has been made in controlling the epidemic, its prevalence among FSWs and the Devadasis (also called traditional sex workers) in northern Karnataka is still significantly high. On the other hand, much of the HIV prevention research has focused on their mapping and size estimation, typologies, bio-behavioural surveillance, condom use and other prevention technologies. In this article, drawing on critical theoretical perspectives, secondary historical sources and in-depth interviews, we unravel wider social, cultural and political economic complexities surrounding the lives of Devadasis, and specifically illuminate the moral pragmatics that shed light on their entry into sex trade and vulnerability to HIV. Findings from this research are extremely important since while much is known about Devadasis in social sciences and humanities, relatively little is known about the complexities of their lives within public health discourses related to HIV. Our work has direct implications for ongoing HIV prevention and health promotion efforts in the region and beyond.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Communication , University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Shamshad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: b Center for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Canada.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorway
authors.affiliation: b Center for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Canada.
authors.forename: Claudyne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chevrier
authors.affiliation: c Department of Sociology , Dr. K. N. Modi University , Niwai , Rajasthan , India.
authors.forename: Sumit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dutta
authors.affiliation: d Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research , Dharwad , India.|f Karnataka Health Promotion Trust , Bengaluru , India.
authors.forename: Satyanarayana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramanaik
authors.affiliation: e Independent Consultant , Stanford , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: f Karnataka Health Promotion Trust , Bengaluru , India.
authors.forename: Parinita
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhattacharjee
authors.affiliation: g Department of Medicine , St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada.
authors.forename: Sharmistha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: b Center for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Canada.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moses
authors.affiliation: b Center for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Canada.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blanchard
authors.affiliation: b Center for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences , University of Manitoba , Winnipeg , Canada.
authors.forename: Marissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006293:Health Promotion; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009014:Morals; D036301:Qualitative Research; D060386:Sex Workers; D014754:Violence; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Devadasi; HIV/AIDS; citizenship; female sex workers; structural violence