LINKING 'WHITE OPPRESSION ' AND HIV/AIDS IN AMERICAN INDIAN ETIOLOGY: CONSPIRACY BELIEFS AMONG AI MSMS AND THEIR PEERS

Abstract: This article presents the results of a pilot study on the use of conspiracy beliefs by American Indian (AI) men who have sex with men and their peers to explain the origins of HIV/AIDS. We found that one-third (N = 15) of the individuals surveyed believed that HIV/AIDS was intentionally created by "Whites, White Christians, or the Federal government " and purposely spread among minority populations. Conspiracy beliefs, we argue, should be looked at as a potential form of power recognition where AIs draw on their experiences of oppression to explain the presence of HIV/AIDS within their communities, at the same time that they draw on public health knowledge to explain how humans get HIV/AIDS. We advocate further research to better ascertain the eff ect that conspiracy beliefs have on HIV prevention and the treatment of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The circulation of conspiracy etiologies for HIV/AIDS among U.S. minorities and their potential eff ects have been documented in recent studies primarily focusing on African Americans (Ross, Essien, &amp