Synopses & Reviews
"Any historian studying this period would do well to read Jennifer Brier's
Infectious Ideas, which uses AIDS as a lens through which to view the period."
-History News Network "This important book provides a rich history of the AIDS pandemic and its place in U.S. politics. Brier uncovers curious alliances--and furious debates--among activists, policy makers, and philanthropists, and along the way she reshapes our understanding of the 1980s, conservatism and left-liberalism, poverty and public health, and feminist and gay liberation movements. Highly recommended."--Joanne Meyerowitz, author of How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States "Brier's careful research into the 1980-2000 period contests the popularized history of the AIDS epidemic that has helped justify a neoliberal policy frame for AIDS in the U.S. She adds to the historical record by explicitly treating the relationship between early AIDS activism and gay liberation, by drawing out the influence of (and backlash against) the reproductive rights movement on AIDS policy, and by showing the inter-relationship and transformation of local AIDS politics and global anti-AIDS efforts. The book is very well researched and beautifully written."--Cindy Patton, Simon Fraser University "Brier's exploration of the AIDS crisis disrupts conventional historical narratives and demonstrates how the history of sexuality is always a history of politics, the economy, and culture. Her brilliant approach places this book on the cutting edge of American history work that seeks to place the U.S. in a global context."--Leisa D. Meyer, College of William and Mary
Review
"Any historian studying this period would do well to read Jennifer Brier's
Infectious Ideas, which uses AIDS as a lens through which to view the period."
-History News Network
Review
"This important book provides a rich history of the AIDS pandemic and its place in U.S. politics. Brier uncovers curious alliances--and furious debates--among activists, policy makers, and philanthropists, and along the way she reshapes our understanding of the 1980s, conservatism and left-liberalism, poverty and public health, and feminist and gay liberation movements. Highly recommended."--Joanne Meyerowitz, author of How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States
Review
"Brier's careful research into the 1980-2000 period contests the popularized history of the AIDS epidemic that has helped justify a neoliberal policy frame for AIDS in the U.S. She adds to the historical record by explicitly treating the relationship between early AIDS activism and gay liberation, by drawing out the influence of (and backlash against) the reproductive rights movement on AIDS policy, and by showing the inter-relationship and transformation of local AIDS politics and global anti-AIDS efforts. The book is very well researched and beautifully written."--Cindy Patton, Simon Fraser University
Review
"Brier's exploration of the AIDS crisis disrupts conventional historical narratives and demonstrates how the history of sexuality is always a history of politics, the economy, and culture. Her brilliant approach places this book on the cutting edge of American history work that seeks to place the U.S. in a global context."--Leisa D. Meyer, College of William and Mary
Review
"
Infectious ideas is a compelling history of health politics in a critical decade. . . . It seeks to understand the past with a keen awareness of the need to change the present and envision new futures."
-Global Public Health
Synopsis
Viewing contemporary history from the perspective of the AIDS crisis, Brier provides new understandings of the complex social and political trends of the post-1960s era. She describes how AIDS workers--in groups as disparate as the gay and lesbian press, AIDS service organizations, private philanthropies, and the State Department--influenced American politics, especially on issues such as gay and lesbian rights, reproductive health, racial justice, and health care policy.
About the Author
Jennifer Brier is assistant professor of gender and women's studies and history at the University of Illinois at Chicago.