Stigmatization, disclosure and the social Space of the camp: reflections on ARV provision to the displaced in Northern Uganda

This paper is part of a study of the social effects of antiretroviral provision to displaced communities in northern Uganda. It focuses on the effects of antiretroviral provision, and associated care and support on stigmatization. It argues that while antiretrovirals have helped reduce forms of stigmatization, particularly linked with visible signs of illness, new forms of stigmatization have emerged, linked to the invisibility of illness. These changes should be understood as linked to the changes is the disease trajectory, and the social context in which they emerge. In the context of the displacement camp, where secrecy is low, there are high levels of non-verbal disclosure, which I term socio-spatial disclosure. In addition, the language of stigmatization is embedded in the experiences of social suffering in the camps, and particularly linked to lack of productivity, perceived immorality, and militarization. This paper aims to contribute to the theory of stigmatization by linking an analysis of the disease trajectory to that of 'social space'