ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the implications of reviews of the social anthropo-logical and macrosociological perspective on human sexuality. Our analysis relates essentially to the approach offered by Ira L.Reiss as it has evolved from his 1986b study, Journey into Sexuality.1 Reiss’s work (and critical reactions to it) is of particular interest because his societal-level explanation of human sexuality combines comparative and interactionist sociology and cultural anthropology in describing how sexuality knits into the social fabric. These disciplines are seen as very much alike in their macro-level approach and within this context offer insights into sexual behaviours and attitudes related to the risk of HIV/AIDS. This approach must be able to provide a detailed account of the risk behaviour of European youth while not losing touch with the epidemiological reality of HIV transmission, which is transcontinental and is likely to be increasingly related to the contact between modern and traditional societies in transition.
