AIDS mobilisation in Zambia and Vietnam: explaining the differences

Abstract

This article compares AIDS mobilisation in Zambia and Vietnam. It looks specifically at the goals of AIDS movements in the two countries, arguing that the Vietnamese movement has been more singular in its focus with its major objective being to achieve representation of people living with HIV (PLHIVs) in AIDS decision-making. In Zambia, the movement has had multiple agendas: human rights protection, biomedical interventions, and economic development for PLHIVs. Instead of assessing how well the two movements have met these goals, the authors use insights from the scholarship on AIDS mobilisation to analyse why these different objectives exist. They argue that epidemic type, movement identity, political culture, and economic, political, and external structures lead to this variation. Through its cross-regional examination of significantly different countries, this comparative case study contributes to knowledge of AIDS mobilisation.