1. Rethinking the Complexities of AIDS Impacts: A Call for InterdisciplinarityBy
May Chazan [1,2],
Mike Brklacich[1], Alan Whiteside [2]
[1] Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
[2] HEARD, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
XVI International AIDS Conference, Toronto, August 2006

2. Context AIDS and Climatic Change: 2 major issues of past 25 years
Substantive body of research with conceptual overlap
Social vulnerability emerging as key theme
Some similarities in research evolution and in current limitations
Growing dialogue between AIDS and climate change researchers:
Southern Africa Vulnerability Initiative (SAVI)
Regional Network on HIV/ AIDS, Rural Livelihoods and Food Security (RENEWAL)
CIDA Urban Food Security and HIV/ AIDS in Southern Africa (upcoming)
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

3. Presentation Outline:
Purpose
To examine the parallels and divergences within the two areas in order to address current limitations in AIDS research.
Presentation Outline:
Review evolution of 2 fields of study
Examine parallels and divergences in AIDS and CC research
Explore opportunities to advance HIV/ AIDS research
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

4. HIV/ AIDS: Dominant Research Themes
Human rights & causes
Public health response
Treatment & ‘global threats’
Science & search for cause
Re-medicalization & costs
Adapted from Illiffe 2006, Gill 2006
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

5. HIV/ AIDS: Current Themes
Re-medicalization
Focus on crisis intervention
Polarization of debates
‘Global’ framing of epidemic
FROM AIDS ANALYSIS:
“In this fanciful world, we’re somehow all bobbing in ‘the same boat’, if not exactly equally than all equally-at-peril...” Marais 2005, p 7
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

6. Trends in Climatic Change Research
Social Vulnerability
Equity
Human Adaptation
Mitigation
Future Impacts
Climate Science
Based on Four Assessment Reports: IPCC
Adapted from Banuri et al 2001, Najam et al 2003
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

7. Climate Change: Current Themes
Questioning science
‘Global’ issue vs uneven impacts
Techno-fixes vs social change
Forward-looking
FROM CLIMATE CHANGE ANALYSIS:
“The specifically global scaling of climate change …tend[s] to steer attention away from the difficult politics that result from … different interests.” Demeritt 2001, p313
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

8. Climate Change and HIV/ AIDS: Parallels
Getting and keeping root causes and uneven implications at the forefront of the agenda has proven difficult in both research areas
WHY?
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

9. Climate Change and HIV/ AIDS: Parallels
‘Global’ framing
Depoliticized discourses
Data debates & polarization
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

10. Climate Change and HIV/ AIDS: Divergence – Preventive vs Reactive
Present-day capacity to respond to future stress
Past impact
FROM CLIMATE CHANGE ANALYSIS:
“The vulnerability of any individual or social grouping … is determined primarily by their existent state… rather than by what may or may not happen in the future” Kelly & Adger 2002
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

11. Emerging Challenges for AIDS Research
FROM AIDS ANALYSIS:
NOW 30
I) Unevenness/ inequity?
II) Root causes? 25
HIV Infection
Impacts
AIDS
Percentage 20 15
Prevalence
Change 1st curve to swazi 10
III) Prevention vs Treatment vs Impact mitigation?
IV) Future? 5
1990
1991
Time
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Adapted from Whiteside 2004
2002
2003
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

12. Challenges and Implications for Future AIDS Research I
Uneven and differentiated epidemics BUT global responsibility
‘Global’ framing of epidemic
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

13. Challenges and Implications for Future AIDS Research II
Social justice orientation
Focus on what causes inequalities in HIV prevalence, impact, capacity for response, access to treatment
Re-medicalization
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

14. Challenges and Implications for Future AIDS Research III
What underlying issues crosscut unequal access to treatment, risk of infection and likelihood of bearing impacts?
Acknowledging uncertainty but acting now to reduce present-day vulnerabilities
Polarization of debates
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

15. Challenges and Implications for Future AIDS Research IV
From reactive to proactive approaches
Understanding and reducing present day vulnerabilities in order to reduce future tragedies
Focus on crisis intervention
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’

16. Conclusions
Opportunities to address AIDS within interdisciplinary social science context
AIDS & CC – parallels and divergences provide hints
Emerging AIDS social science agenda:
Differentiation in risk and responsibility
Social justice approach, inequalities in root causes
Beyond polarization to crosscutting drivers
Forward-looking proactive approach
XVI International AIDS Conference Chazan et al, ‘Rethinking AIDS Impacts’