Confounding Conventional Wisdom

This chapter examines how HIV/AIDS has impacted Ju/'hoansi, a traditional foraging community in Namibia. It suggests that gender equality among the Ju/'hoansi may be a factor in the lower HIV rates within that population. The chapter attempts to answer questions concerning the reasons behind the rapid growth in HIV/AIDS rate in the period between 2002 and 2004 and the possibilities for turning the situation around so that a worst-case scenario can be avoided.

This chapter examines how HIV/AIDS has impacted Ju/'hoansi, a traditional foraging community in Namibia. It suggests that gender equality among the Ju/'hoansi may be a factor in the lower HIV rates within that population. The chapter attempts to answer questions concerning the reasons behind the rapid growth in HIV/AIDS rate in the period between 2002 and 2004 and the possibilities for turning the situation around so that a worst-case scenario can be avoided.