Religious Affiliation and Aids-Based Discrimination in Sub-Saharan Africa
Considerable stigma is attached to HIV/AIDS in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa, in spite of high seroprevalence rates. Stigma, in turn, often fosters discriminatory actions toward HIV-positive persons. Some of the blame for perpetuating stigma and failing to curb discrimination continues to fall...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publications
2007
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 2007, Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 385-400 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Considerable stigma is attached to HIV/AIDS in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa, in spite of high seroprevalence rates. Stigma, in turn, often fosters discriminatory actions toward HIV-positive persons. Some of the blame for perpetuating stigma and failing to curb discrimination continues to fall upon organized religion (Christianity and Islam), which remains a central institution in many Africans' lives and tends to advocate sexual conservatism. However, little systematic empirical evidence exists to support the suggestion that religion breeds discrimination and stigma about HIV/AIDS. Drawing upon Demographic and Health Survey data from six sub-Saharan countries with elevated HIV infection rates, we evaluate the effect of religious affiliation on different forms of AIDS-based discrimination, paying close attention to possible confounding effects. In most analyses, religious affiliation is unrelated to discriminating against persons-with-AIDS after accounting for ethnicity--a far more robust predictor of discrimination than is religion. Where affiliation does remain significant, Muslims and people who practice other non-Christian religious traditions tend to report more discriminatory attitudes. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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