2006

Tom Boellstorff

  • Assistant Professor
  • University of California, Irvine
Picture of Tom Boellstorff

Project

Cultures of Prevention: HIV/AIDS, Islam, and Warias (male transvestites) in Indonesia

Program

ACLS Fellowship Program

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

This research proposes to examine how Muslim warias (male-to-female transgenders) in Indonesia are responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The focus is on emerging “cultures of prevention” in relation to discourses of the nation, religion, gender, risk, and social belonging. As the fourth most populous nation and home to more Muslims than any other, Indonesia can provide important insights into how the still-worsening HIV/AIDS global epidemic is understood and addressed in specific cultural contexts.