Condom Semiotics: Meaning and Condom Use in Rural Malawi

Autor/inn/en	Tavory, Iddo; Swidler, Ann
Titel	Condom Semiotics: Meaning and Condom Use in Rural Malawi
Quelle	In: American Sociological Review, 74 (2009) 2, S.171-189 (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0003-1224
DOI	10.1177/000312240907400201
Schlagwörter	Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Diaries; Foreign Countries; Semiotics; Rural Areas; Contraception; Health Promotion; Health Behavior; Cultural Influences; Resistance (Psychology); Sexuality; Intimacy; At Risk Persons; Interpersonal Communication; Language Usage; Figurative Language; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Trust (Psychology); Gender Differences; Malawi + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sexual transmitted disease; Geschlechtskrankheit; Diary; Tagebuch; Ausland; Semiotik; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Empfängnisverhütung; Gesundheitsfürsorge; Gesundheitshilfe; Reihenuntersuchung; Health behaviour; Gesundheitsverhalten; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Resistenz; Sexualität; Intimität; Risikogruppe; Interpersonale Kommunikation; Sprachgebrauch; Geschlechterkonflikt
Abstract	This article examines the widespread resistance to condom use in sub-Saharan Africa by describing the major semiotic axes that organize how people talk about condoms and condom use. These axes include the "sweetness" of sex, trust and love between sexual partners, and assessments of risk and danger. Using data from rural Malawi, we show that framing the meaning of condoms as a simple choice between risky behavior and rational attempts to protect one's health ignores the complex semiotic space that Malawians navigate. Based on data from more than 600 diaries that record rural Malawians' everyday conversations, our analysis charts the semiotic axes related to condom use. Semiotic constraints operate most powerfully at the level of relationships. Condom use signifies a risky, less serious, and less intimate partner. Even when people believe that condom use is appropriate, wise, or even a matter of life and death, the statement that condom use makes about a relationship usually trumps all other meanings. We call for a more nuanced analysis of culture, one that is attentive to the ways agents navigate multiple, contested meanings, and that demonstrates how specific semiotic axes are brought to bear in particular interactional contexts. (Contains 21 footnotes and 1 figure.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10