LOLS@stigma: comedy as activism in the changing times of the HIV epidemic

Article


Mulubale, S., Rohleder, P. and Squire, C. 2020. LOLS@stigma: comedy as activism in the changing times of the HIV epidemic. Critical Public Health. 31 (3), pp. 255-267. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1838445
AuthorsMulubale, S., Rohleder, P. and Squire, C.
Abstract

This paper examines how, in the midst of changing political times, some characteristics of HIV activism are changing, and suggests the relevance of these shifts for other fields of health activism. Despite the UK achieving UNAIDS’s ‘90–90-90ʹ testing and treatment goals, many in the UK lack up-to-date HIV knowledge and retain stigmatising attitudes, and some areas of testing failure remain. In response, people with HIV and HIV organisations are generating imaginative, collaborative projects that indicate effective contemporary forms of health activism may, as other critical health research suggests, be decentred, participatory, multimodal, affective, and implicit. The paper describes a 2016 HIV NGO-run comedy event directed at HIV awareness which was researched via qualitative pre- and post-measures, and two-month follow-up interviews. Findings pointed to strong effects of comedy, as enjoyment and ‘break’ in HIV thinking, feeling, and action; of a one-off event’s emotionality and particularity; and of performance in generating collectivity and HIV citizenship. The paper discusses the potential transferability of these findings to other health activisms, particularly around stigmatised conditions. It argues that such strategies of emotionality, multi-modality, and solidarity in a performance event can work as implicit activism for changing times, generating social change via a doubled politics of resistance and alterity.

JournalCritical Public Health
Journal citation31 (3), pp. 255-267
ISSN0958-1596
Year2020
PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
Accepted author manuscript
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Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2020.1838445
Publication dates
Online28 Oct 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted07 Oct 2020
Deposited28 Jan 2021
Copyright holder© 2020 Taylor & Francis
Copyright informationThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Critical Public Health on 28/10/2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09581596.2020.1838445.
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