Transforming Hiv Prevention & Care for Marginalised Populations

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Transforming Hiv Prevention & Care for Marginalised Populations TRANSFORMING HIV PREVENTION & CARE FOR MARGINALISED POPULATIONS Using information & communication technologies (ICTs) in community-based & led approaches ____________________________________________________________________________ Edited by Christopher S Walsh 2015 Published by Digital Culture & Education (DCE) Transforming HIV Prevention and Care for Marginalized Populations: Using information & communication technologies (ICTs) in community-based & led approaches by Christopher S Walsh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to: • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. Under the following terms: • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. • NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modifed material. Original cover artwork by Liam Kenny All chapters have been double blind peer-reviewed by members of the Digital Culture & Education (DCE) Editorial Board Contents Preface i Kevin Osborne Forward ii Susannah Allison Introduction 1 Christopher S Walsh, Darrin Adams, Kent Klindera and R. Cameron Wolf Part 1 1 The HIVe: Harnessing digital technologies to challenge the dominant HIV and AIDS 14 paradigm Judith D. Auerbach, PhD 2 Local languages, global exchange: Digital networking, communication and 20 collaboration for the health and human rights of men who have sex with men Jack Beck, Lily May Catanes, Pato Hebert, Goldie Negelev & George Ayala 3 The use of the Internet in male sexual encounters by men who have sex with men 40 in Cameroon Emilie Henry, Yves Yomb, Lionel Fugon & Bruno Spire 4 ICT & HIV prevention: Experiences from a biomedical HIV prevention trial among 53 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Cape Town, South Africa Andrew Scheibe, Ben Brown & Linda-Gail Bekker 5 Digital media and the Internet for HIV prevention, capacity building and advocacy 65 among gay, other men who have sex with men (MSM), and transgender (TG): Perspectives from Kolkata, India Rohit K. Dasgupta 6 Innovative digital HIV and AIDS education and prevention for marginalised 89 communities: Philadelphia’s Frontline TEACH Val Sowell, Juliet Fink & Jane Shull 7 The social technographics of gay men and other men who have sex with men 106 (MSM) in Canada: Implications for HIV research, outreach and prevention Dan Allman,Ted Myers, Kunyong Xu & Sarah Jane Steele 8 Sexperts! Disrupting injustice with digital community-led HIV prevention and legal 126 rights education in Thailand Nada Chaiyajit & Christopher S Walsh 9 When in Ghana, do as sexual minorities do: Using Facebook to connect gay men 148 and other men who have sex with men(MSM) to HIV Benjamin Eveslage 10 YouTube viral videos and HIV prevention among African-Americans: Implications 174 for HIV prevention Jocelyn D. Patterson & Khiya J. Marshall 11 Variations in recruitment yield, costs, speed and participant diversity across 186 Internet platforms in a global study examining the efficacy of an HIV/AIDS and HIV testing animated and live-action video among English- or Spanish-speaking Internet or social media users Winnie Shao, Wentao Guan, Melissa A. Clark, Tao Liu, Claudia C. Santelices, Dharma E. Cortés& Roland C. Merchant Part 2 12 Achieving HIV risk reduction through HealthMpowerment.org, a user-driven 211 eHealth intervention for young Black men who have sex with men and transgender women who have sex with men Kathryn E. Muessig, Nina B. Baltierra, Emily C. Pike, Sara LeGrand & Lisa B. HIghtow-Weidman 13 Assessing needs and capabilities: Towards an ICT resource to support HIV- 231 positive gay men and other MSM in Southeast Asia Benjamin Hanckel, Laurindo Garcia, Glenn-Milo Santos & Eric Julian Manalastas 14 “Hidden on the social media”: HIV Education on MSM through Cyber-educators in 246 Central America Jorge Rivas, Jennifer Wheeler, Marcos Rodas & Susan Lungo 15 Reaching men who have sex with men in Ghana through social media: A pilot 259 intervention Kimberly Green, Phillip Girault, Samuel Wambugu, Nana Fosua Clement, & Bashiru Adams 16 Two internet-based approaches to promoting HIV counselling and testing for MSM 266 in China Matt Avery, Gang Meng & Stephen Mills 17 Resistance to the Swedish model through LGBTQ and sex work community 281 collaboration and online intervention Nicklas Dennermalm 18. Bambucha media: Using social media to build social capital and health Seeking 295 behaviour among key populations Collins M. Kahema, John Kashiha, David Kuria Mbote & Michael R. Mhando 19 Silueta X: Lobbying to establish a LGBTI counseling and medical Center in 309 Ecuador Diane Maria Zambrano Rodríguez 20 Interview with Carl Sandler, CEO of MISTER ® 323 Interview with Carl Sandler Author Biographies 329 Preface Introducing Transforming HIV prevention & care for marginalised populations: Using information & communication technologies (ICTs) in community-based & led approaches The very notion of the ‘end of AIDS’ is an ideal that many people—communities, researchers, policymakers and programmers—have tirelessly strived for over many years. Turning this into a living reality is predicated on applying lessons creatively with ‘out of the box’ thinking and ensuring that communities at the forefront of the epidemic are a key part of the response. This is especially true with rapidly evolving online environments where populations most affected by HIV and AIDS now frequently connect and communicate, from reaching key populations who meet partners and clients online to ensuring that prevention and care messages and services meet the demands of today’s online reality. We are only 20 years into the digital revolution, but now is the time to "upload" our HIV research, service delivery, and programming approaches to this virtual environment. This open-access and online book edited by Christopher S Walsh is highly welcomed and timely. Its contributors address in succinct and practical ways, the challenges and opportunities of using information communication technologies (ICTs) to improve HIV outcomes among especially marginalised communities. Any researcher, programmer or practitioner working towards an “AIDS-free generation” should read this agenda-setting book, for in equal measure this resource enlightens and educates. It also instigates and inspires. Kevin Osborne Project Director LINKAGES FHI360 i Forward Powerful tools to reach and engage marginalized individuals in HIV prevention and care Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer powerful tools to reach and engage marginalised individuals in HIV prevention and care. This book provides a compilation of strategies for how best to reach and engage gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender persons around the world, people who have historically been excluded from many of these efforts. It has been almost 20 years since I started work as a clinical psychologist with children and families affected by HIV and AIDS. It was a different time in the HIV epidemic. The early and mid-1990s had brought a number of strides in HIV prevention and treatment that were literally life-saving, for example the discovery of the ability of antiretrovirals (ARV) to prevent mother to child transmission (PMTCT; Connor, Sperling, Gelber et al., 1994) and the advent of triple ARV drug therapy to effectively treat individuals living with HIV (Hammer, Squires, Hughes, et al., 1997; Gulick, Mellors, Havlir et al., 1996). Individuals living with HIV now had access to treatments that worked, at least in the United States, and HIV began to shift from a lethal disease to a chronic illness. This new era, however, brought new challenges. While we knew how to treat HIV and prevent MTCT, we struggled with determining when individuals should start treatment, how to help them stay on therapy and we still had only a limited number of strategies to prevent new HIV infections. We had few tools at our disposal to address these challenges, but we used what we had. I handed out numerous pillboxes, saw families for therapy to address the challenges in their lives that hampered medication adherence, purchased and programmed countless watches with alarms, and printed charts that I handed out with stickers. I even had a colleague who called a family every day to make sure that they had given their son his medication. Not only were there limited tools at our disposal but also limited ways in which we could reach and work with families. Appointments took place at the clinic or hospital, requiring families to come to us during clinic hours outreach services were available but the demand far exceeded the supply forcing outreach workers to focus on families in crisis, not those struggling with maintaining adherence. The last few years have brought yet another set of life-saving advances in both HIV treatment and prevention. We now have confirmation that HIV treatment should start immediately after diagnosis (The INSIGHT START Study Group, 2015) and we know about the power of ARVs to prevent the onward transmission of HIV among those living with HIV (Cohen, Chen, McCauley et al., 2011) and prevent acquisition among those who are HIV- but exposed (pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP; Grant et al., 2010). In addition to all of this new knowledge, we have more tools at our disposal to reach those not traditionally engaged in HIV prevention and care. Mobile technologies are growing exponentially all over the world helping to overcome barriers due to weak infrastructure. In 2013 there were 778 million mobile subscriptions in Africa and that number is projected to reach 1 billion during 2015 (Informa Telecoms & Media, 2013). Technology breaks down boundaries that distance imposes and increases our ability to reach and connect with people. This growth in information and communication technologies over the past decade has produced a wealth of new tools for working with MSM and transgender persons.
Recommended publications
  • Malawi 2020 HIV Index and Exhibits
    [NAME] [FIRM] [ADDRESS] [PHONE NUMBER] [FAX NUMBER] UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW IMMIGRATION COURT [CITY, STATE] __________________________________________ ) In the Matter of: ) ) File No.: A __________ __________ ) ) In removal proceedings ) __________________________________________) INDEX TO DOCUMENTATION OF COUNTRY CONDITIONS REGARDING PERSECUTION OF HIV-POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS IN MALAWI TAB SUMMARY GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES 1. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Dep’t of State, 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Malawi (Mar. 11, 2020), available at: https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/malawi/. • “Societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS remained a problem, especially in rural areas. Many individuals preferred to keep silent regarding their health conditions rather than seek help and risk being ostracized. The National AIDS Commission maintained that discrimination was a problem in both the public and private sectors.” (p. 22) • “The 2012 People Living with HIV Sigma Index for Malawi indicated that of 2,272 persons with HIV interviewed, significant percentages reporting having been verbally insulted, harassed, and threatened (35 percent) and excluded from social gatherings (33 percent).” (p. 22) DC: 7412009-2 TAB SUMMARY 2. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Dep’t of State, 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Malawi (Mar. 13, 2019), available at: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Malawi-2018.pdf. • “Societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS remained a problem, especially in rural areas. Many individuals preferred to keep silent regarding their health conditions rather than seek help and risk being ostracized.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of Public Attitudes to Homosexuality and Gender Non-Conformity in Malawi Under Wraps
    under wraps a survey of public attitudes to homosexuality and gender non-conformity in Malawi under wraps This report is called Under Wraps because it shows that Malawi has a A survey of public attitudes comparatively high LGBTI population that is known by a significant number to homosexuality and gender of ordinary Malawians to be socially vulnerable – but this reality remains non-conformity in Malawi hidden in Malawi’s social consciousness. Despite strong social values and aspirations of equality, non-violence, and belonging in a community, the majority of Malawians restrict LGBTI © The Other Foundation 2019 people from being openly recognized and safely included in families, communities, Postnet Suite 209, Private Bag X31, workplaces, cultural practices, and Saxonworld, 2132, public policies. However, a large number Johannesburg, South Africa of Malawians are thinking differently about discrimination, even the majority in www.theotherfoundation.org Africascope is a market research firm which provides decision-makers relation to recognition of intersex people with strategic information for market and socio-economic development and violence towards LGBTI people. of people in Africa. Follow us on Twitter @OtherFoundation contents 1 Summary.......................................................................................................... 12 2 Introduction..................................................................................................... 16 3 Background to study......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Global State of Lgbtiq Organizing
    THE GLOBAL STATE OF LGBTIQ ORGANIZING THE RIGHT TO REGISTER Written by Felicity Daly DrPH Every day around the world, LGBTIQ people’s human rights and dignity are abused in ways that shock the conscience. The stories of their struggles and their resilience are astounding, yet remain unknown—or willfully ignored—by those with the power to make change. OutRight Action International, founded in 1990 as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, works alongside LGBTIQ people in the Global South, with offices in six countries, to help identify community-focused solutions to promote policy for lasting change. We vigilantly monitor and document human rights abuses to spur action when they occur. We train partners to expose abuses and advocate for themselves. Headquartered in New York City, OutRight is the only global LGBTIQ-specific organization with a permanent presence at the United Nations in New York that advocates for human rights progress for LGBTIQ people. [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/outrightintl http://twitter.com/outrightintl http://www.youtube.com/lgbthumanrights http://OutRightInternational.org/iran OutRight Action International 80 Maiden Lane, Suite 1505, New York, NY 10038 U.S.A. P: +1 (212) 430.6054 • F: +1 (212) 430.6060 This work may be reproduced and redistributed, in whole or in part, without alteration and without prior written permission, solely for nonprofit administrative or educational purposes provided all copies contain the following statement: © 2018 OutRight Action International. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of OutRight Action International. No other use is permitted without the express prior written permission of OutRight Action International.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identi
    www.arc-international.net Addressing human rights violations based on sexual orientation & gender identity at the 27th session of the Human Rights Council - September 2014 There are a number of opportunities to raise awareness of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the upcoming 27th session of the Human Rights Council. These include general debate following the update by the High Commissioner, interactive dialogue with relevant Special Procedures (e.g. on water and sanitation, and arbitrary detention), relevant panels, UPR report adoptions and general debate under items 3, 4 or 8, as well as the opportunity for a resolution addressing ongoing violence and discrimination against LGBTI persons. This document provides a summary of these opportunities. In addition: − Annex I excerpts the references to sexual orientation and gender identity in the reports of the Special Procedures and other reports to the Council; − Annex II highlights UPR recommendations relating to sexual orientation and gender identity in the reports of the States under review; − Annex III outlines civil society expectations from the Human Rights Council in protecting the human rights of LGBTI persons through a resolution. OVERVIEW OF THE SESSION Opportunities to raise awareness of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the 27th session of the Human Rights Council include: General Debate following the High Commissioner’s update This will be Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s first presentation to the Human Rights Council in his new capacity as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Under Navi Pillay, the OHCHR played an active role in calling for an end to violence, discrimination and criminalisation based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
    [Show full text]
  • Paralegal Support Network
    The Paralegal’s Handbook Paralegal Support Network Table of Contents Chapter 1: How to Use this Handbook Chapter 2: The Role of the Paralegal Worker Chapter 3: Law and Society Chapter 4: Institutions for the Implementation of the Law Chapter 5: The Constitution Chapter 6: Human Rights Chapter 7: Democracy Chapter 8: Elections Chapter 9: Governance Chapter 10: Gender and Development Chapter 11: Gender-based Violence Chapter 12: Employment and Labour Relations Chapter 13: Claims Arising from Personal Harm Chapter 14: Business Relations and Contracts Chapter 15: Land Law Chapter 16: Family Relations and Succession Chapter 17: Crimes Chapter 18: Court Procedures Chapter 19: Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management Chapter 20: Community Mobilization Chapter 21: Children and the Law Chapter 22: Environment and Natural Resource Management Chapter 23: Human Rights Institution Building Chapter 1 How to Use This Handbook Why the Handbook? This handbook has been developed by the Paralegal Support Network (PASUNE). The handbook was developed in fulfillment of the mandate of PASUNE. PASUNE as a network of leading human rights organizations involved in paralegal training has been working towards standardizing the content and methods of training paralegals in Kenya. As part of that process in the year 2003 it developed a curriculum for community paralegal workers. The curriculum has been very useful in ensuring that all organizations involved in paralegal training cover an agreed set of issues in the process of training and that the eventual trainees are of a certain quality. The curriculum however only highlights the areas to be covered. The substance is to be filled during the actual training.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Malawi – Researched and Compiled by the Refugee Documentation
    Malawi – Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on 29 November 2016 Whether state protection is available and actually provided for LGBT people in Malawi, particularly for instances where people have been forced to hide their sexuality. An opinion piece published by the Inter Press Service states: “In May 2012, in her state of the nation address, President Joyce Banda asserted that the provisions of the penal code that criminalise homosexual acts should be repealed. In November 2012, during a public debate, the justice minister announced the suspension of sodomy laws. Since then, some political parties have indicated they would oppose any move to decriminalise homosexuality, and a number of religious and traditional leaders have expressed similar sentiments. Interestingly, the Malawi Human Rights Commission has not made its position clear on homosexuality as a human rights matter.” (Inter Press Service (17 November 2013) OP-ED: Malawi’s Constitution Clear on Gay Rights but Politicians Aren’t) This document also states: “Section 20 of the constitution affirms the equality of all persons before the law. It also prohibits ‘[d]iscrimination of persons in any form is prohibited and all persons are, under any law, guaranteed equal and effective protection against discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, property, birth or other status’. Therefore, any legal provisions that violate human rights, as is the case with those that criminalise homosexuality, must be repealed by the relevant authorities, irrespective of whether the majority of Malawians support such a move or not.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Gender Norms in Economic Empowerment Projects
    Tanzania Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 18 No. 2, 2020: 42 - 69 Integrating Gender Norms in Economic Empowerment Projects Jacqueline Halima Mgumia1 Abstract This article employs a critical gender empowerment framework to unpack the bearing of discriminatory gender norms on economic empowerment developmental projects that target young women. Informed by feminist theory, it shows how, being embedded in institutions, which carry particular social relations, cultural values, and power differentials, gendered norms around marriage, femininity/masculinity, and division of labour prevent young women from fully engaging in the projects. By drawing from ethnographic observation of two such projects in Mwanza and Dar es Salaam regions in Tanzania, the article also shows how gender norms can be enablers in achieving gender equality. As such, it argues that, for these projects to achieve their objectives of empowering young women to foster equitable development, they must integrate the critical gender empowerment framework in their overall design, implementation, and evaluation. Key words: Gender, Economic Empowerment, Development, Interventions, Young Women, Norms and Division of Labour Introduction The most prominent features of economies around the world, particularly in Africa, are gender inequalities in terms of income and division of labour as well as gender differences in property ownership, access to employment, and remunerations (Asongu, Nnanna, & Acha-Anyi, 2020; Asongu & Odhiambo, 2020; Azuh, Amodu, Azuh, Oresanya, & Matthew, 2017;
    [Show full text]
  • LGBT Rights in Malawi: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward? the Case of R V Steven Monjeza Soko and Tiwonge Chimbalanga Kachepa
    Journal of African Law, 60, 3 (2016), 365–387 © SOAS, University of London, 2016. doi:10.1017/S0021855316000127 LGBT Rights in Malawi: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward? The Case of R v Steven Monjeza Soko and Tiwonge Chimbalanga Kachepa Bradley Demone* Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario, Canada [email protected] Abstract In late 2009 two Malawians, a man and a transgender woman, united in an engagement ceremony. Police charged both under Malawi’s anti-sodomy provi- sions. The case captured the nation’s attention and drew scrutiny from foreign gov- ernments and human rights organizations. Several western nations threatened to withdraw aid unless the prosecution was discontinued. Nevertheless, the defen- dants were convicted and sentenced. Following a visit from the UN secretary gen- eral, Malawi’s president pardoned the couple, but emphasized that the “two gay boys” had offended Malawi and its people. This article examines this case (Rv Soko and Kachepa) and its impact on Malawi’s LGBT rights movement. Using Thomas Stoddard’s “rule-shifting, culture-shifting” paradigm, it considers the efficacy of international and domestic advocacy efforts and concludes that aid con- ditionality is, in many ways, counter productive. Conversely, multi-dimensional do- mestic advocacy is a promising strategy to change the relevant law and public attitudes associated with the Malawian LGBT community. Keywords Malawi, human rights, advocacy, LGBT rights, “rule-shifting, culture-shifting” INTRODUCTION “Kali kokha nkanyama, tili awiri ntiwanthu.” This phrase, in Malawi’s native language, Chichewa, translates as: “[w]hen you are on your own you are as good as an animal of the wild; when there are two * Assistant crown attorney, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario, Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • Cmi Report May 2019
    NUMBER 04 CMI REPORT MAY 2019 Photo: Harsha K R on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) Gendercide AUTHORS Magnus Hatlebakk and marginalisation Ottar Mæstad Kari Telle Liv Tønnessen An initial review of Vibeke Wang the knowledge base Gendercide and marginalisation: An initial review of the knowledge base CMI report, number 4, May 2019 Authors Magnus Hatlebakk Ottar Mæstad Kari Telle Liv Tønnessen Vibeke Wang ISSN 0805-505X (print) ISSN 1890-503X (PDF) ISBN 978-82-8062-733-9 (print) ISBN 978-82-8062-732-2 (PDF) Cover photo Harsha K R Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Preventing gendercide ................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 The extent of gendercide .................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Causes ................................................................................................................................................. 9 2.3 Policy responses ................................................................................................................................ 10 3. Marginalisation and “leave no one behind” .................................................................................. 15 3.1 What is a marginalised group? .......................................................................................................... 15
    [Show full text]
  • Landscape Analysis of the Human Rights of Sex Workers & LGBTI
    Landscape analysis of the human rights of Sex Workers & LGBTI communities in Tanzania 2015–2016 This report is dedicated to the many Tanzanian activists who live the realities this report aspires to highlight and those who lost their lives under circumstances that should never have been. Publisher: UHAI EASHRI The East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative P.O. Box 7144 - 00300, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 (020) 233 0050 / (020) 812 7535 Tel: +254 (737) 920 920 / (702) 931 911 Email: [email protected] Website: www.uhai-eashri.org Author: Roselyn Odoyo Editor: Wanja Muguongo Field Assistants: Geofrey Mashala and Hamil Suleiman Design & Production: Black Butterfly Ltd. Printed in Nairobi, Kenya ISBN: 978–9966–1875–3–6 Copyright © UHAI EASHRI, 2015 This report is published by UHAI EASHRI. All rights reserved. While every attempt has been made to verify all facts, instructions and procedures, the publisher claims indemnity against results of any nature whatsoever arising from the applications thereof. Table of contents List of acronyms 6 Glossary of terms 7 Introduction and background 8 Methodology 10 Summary 11 LGBTI 15 Legal and policy context 16 Landscape of LGBTI organising in Tanzania 29 Lived realities 42 Public discourse 51 Overall recommendations 56 HEALTH 59 Access to healthcare for LGBTI and Sex Workers 60 Key findings on the Challenges to access to health 61 Recommendations on health 72 SEX WORKERS 75 Legal and policy 76 Sex Worker orgranising 87 Lived realities 96 Public discourse 100 Overall recommendations 102 6 THE OTHER
    [Show full text]
  • Social Studies Teachers' Perceptions and Practices
    SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS‘ PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF EDUCATING CITIZENS IN A DEMOCRACY IN UPPER CLASSES IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN BOTSWANA DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program of The Ohio State University By Mavis B. Mhlauli, M.Ed. College of Education and Human Ecology The Ohio State University 2010 Doctoral Examination Committee: Dr Merry M. Merryfield, Advisor Dr Binaya Subedi Dr Antoinette Errante COPYRIGHTED BY: Mavis B. Mhlauli 2010 ABSTRACT The purpose of my study was to explore the social studies teachers‘ conceptualizations, experiences, ideas, beliefs and practices of developing citizens in a democracy in upper classes in primary schools in Botswana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and employed the naturalistic paradigm. The study was undertaken in six primary school settings in one of the major villages in the central district in Botswana for a period of three months. Data were collected through the use of multiple methods including; individual interviews, participant observation, focus groups and document analysis for triangulation purposes. The study adopted a grounded theory to data analysis by using the constant comparative data analysis technique for purposes of theory generation. The findings of this study have revealed a gloomy picture on citizenship education as perceived, interpreted and enacted within primary schools investigated hence leading to the conclusion that citizenship education remains an illusion rather than a reality. The teachers conceptualize citizenship in multiple ways indicating that citizenship in Botswana is complex, fluid and not homogeneous. The findings have also shown tremendous contradictions, paradoxes and challenges in citizenship development in a democracy like Botswana.
    [Show full text]
  • Menstrual Cycle Tracking As Body Politics
    The Cyclic Self: Menstrual Cycle Tracking as Body Politics Laetitia Della Bianca University of Lausanne [email protected] Abstract This article explores to what extent, and under what conditions, practices of fertility self-tracking shape and are shaped by particular power relations. Drawing on twenty-six interviews with users of a specific fertility tracker, I argue that through these self-tracking practices, users shape a relationship with their body that I call “cyclic self-fashioning”—a process through which the datafied body becomes a catalyst for understanding and intervening on the self. The article analyzes the ways these technologies contribute to users’ relationships with what emerges as the “fertile female body” and what comes to count as axiomatic about it. While at first glance the process of cyclic self-fashioning can be perceived as a reinforcement of biologism, it nonetheless challenges the appropriation by users of their biosociodigital body in everyday life. By focusing on practices that have received little attention so far in the self-tracking literature, the article shows how normative expectations in/of/from Western biomedicine about the fertile female body are used, challenged, or resisted by users in the pursuit of various purposes that extend beyond the optimization of an idealized reproductive body. Della Bianca, Laetitia. 2021. “The Cyclic Self: Menstrual Cycle Tracking as Body Politics.” Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience 7 (1): 1–21. http://www.catalystjournal.org | ISSN: 2380-3312 © Laetitia Della Bianca, 2021 | Licensed to the Catalyst Project under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license Special Section: Self-Tracking, Embodied Differences, and the Politics and Ethics of Health Technology is never simply just technology.
    [Show full text]