ABSTRACT
When people expressed their suspicions to me that someone was instrumental in the spread of HIV/AIDS, a sorcerer or a conspirator, they frequently referred to historic and current events or conditions that negatively shaped the course of the country’s fate and individuals’ lives. This became particularly apparent when they discussed AIDS conspiracy theories. To understand why, we need to know more about the conditions at the research site, the specifics of the Zimbabwean AIDS epidemic, and the politico-economic climate in the country. These are familiar configurations within which HIV/AIDS became established. I believe the Zimbabwean case study likely exemplifies processes that are occurring globally in a diversity of settings.
