Morality, Discrimination, and Silence: Understanding HIV Stigma in the Sociocultural Context of China

Stigma associated with HIV/AIDS in China has largely shaped by the sociocultural meanings of this disease. Based on an empirical study of the daily experiences of Chinese people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), this chapter explores the ways in which HIV stigma is constructed, experienced, understood, and responded from the perspectives of those individuals. The actual interactions between PLWHA and others reveal that the sociocultural meanings of this disease are not fixed, but ongoingly co-constructed by the various participants (such as PLWHA and their families, friends, and health workers) in such interactions. Despite people’s mastery of knowledge, prejudices toward HIV/AIDS and PLWHA can be generated, spread, and, perhaps, made worse through interpersonal interactions. To effectively fight HIV stigma in the Chinese context, I argue that the non-biomedical and interactive dimensions of stigma and discrimination associated with this disease must also be taken into account.