Burdened with a Second Sight: Double Consciousness and the Social Construction of HIV+ Experience

• In Event: 322 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Theory on the social construction of illness has existed in medical sociology for well over 50 years, but little research has critically explored how the tension between the biological effects of disease and the social construction of the disease as illness manifests itself. This work contends that employing theories derived from critical race studies may provide insight into the dynamics of chronic disease, as well as social constructions of illness derived from them. By using the theory of double consciousness to explore the disconnect between the biological processes of HIV/AIDS and the social construction of HIV/AIDS as an illness, this presentation will attempt to illuminate the increased burden put upon HIV+ individuals from a social perspective.

Author

• Alexandre White, Boston University