Sex, Power, and Taboo: Gender and HIV in the Caribbean and Beyond

In the Caribbean sexuality has never been a topic for public discussion. Previously relegated to theatrical innuendo, musical lyrics and other popular forms of cultural expression, the HIV and AIDS pandemic have now thrown this taboo subject centrestage. The discourse on gender and sexuality is however, still being shaped and this book sets the platform for that discussion. Proceeding from a premise that gender influences sexuality and sexual behaviour, Sex, Power and Taboo provides an interdisciplinary approach to the exploration of how gender affects HIV risk and prevention. The paradigm of HIV and AIDS research is shifted by illuminating the influence of gender ideologies, norms and power relationships on sexuality, and the impact of gender to HIV risk and prevention within and outside of the Caribbean. The contributors are Caribbean and international, and discuss gender and sexuality for the academic, for those in the public health service as well as social policymakers. Sex, Power and Taboo contributes to the research-based interventions to aid the prevention of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases and will assist in the design, implementation and evaluation of programmes addressing the AIDS epidemic