ABSTRACT
Contributions to a recent issue of the journal Anthropologie et sociétés on AIDS clearly illustrate the variety of analytical angles adopted in social scientific discourse on the disease. With a slant towards African case studies, the emphasis centres on representations of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), stigmatizations, and values regarding sexuality. A central research question raisedand one which demands a nuanced analysis-is the transformation of the socio-economic and ethnic composition of those affected (Bibeau and Murbach 1991:5).
