Love Money & Hiv Becoming A Modern African Woman In The Age Of Aids

“Love, Money, and HIV offers a compelling account of the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Mojola advances a fascinating sociological understanding of the transmission of this disease and makes a forceful case that to stem the epidemic, public policy should focus on [young women], using a combination of biomedical, behavioral, social, and ecological approaches. The work humanizes the victims of the AIDS epidemic and explains why the current intervention strategies have not been effective at stopping the disease.”

—Christine Williams, Professor of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin

“Mojola weaves an in-depth story of young Kenyan women caught between the desire to become beautiful, modern women; the need for consumer goods to demonstrate their transformations; and gendered social structures that limit their own sources of income. This enlightening book is a necessary read for academics, policymakers, and anyone interested in uncovering the complexities of HIV/AIDS in Africa.”

—Nancy Luke, Associate Professor of Sociology and Demography, Pennsylvania State University

How do modern women in developing countries experience sexuality and love? Drawing on a rich array of interview, ethnographic, and survey data from her native country of Kenya, Sanyu A. Mojola examines how young African women, who suffer disproportionate rates of HIV infection compared to young African men, navigate their relationships, schooling, employment, and finances in the context of economic inequality and a devastating HIV epidemic. Writing from a unique outsider-insider perspective, Mojola argues that the entanglement of love, money, and the transformation of girls into “consuming women” lies at the heart of womens coming-of-age and health crises. At once engaging and compassionate, this text is an incisive analysis of gender, sexuality, and health in Africa.

Sanyu A. Mojola is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

List of Illustrations

Preface

1. A Stubborn Disparity

2. Consuming Women, Modernity, and HIV Risk

3. Historical and Cultural Context

4. Love, Money, and HIV Prevention

5. School and the Production of Consuming Women

6. Gendered Economies and the Role of Ecology in HIV Risk

7. “To Stem HIV in Africa, Prevent Transmission to Young Women”

Epilogue: The Magic Bullet

Notes

Appendix

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

Index