Kate Wood

A comparative analysis of communication about sex, health and sexual health in India and South Africa: Implications for HIV prevention

This paper provides a comparative analysis of modes of dialogue, non‐verbal communication and embodied action relating to sex and health in two contrasting countries—India and South Africa—which have the worlds two most heavily HIV‐affected populations (in terms of numbers of people living with HIV). Drawing on material derived from multiple studies, including ethnographic and other forms of qualitative and multi‐disciplinary research, the paper identifies commonalities as well as differences in communication relating to sex and sexual health in these diverse settings. The paper considers: first, how and by whom sex is and is not talked about, in public discourse and private conversation; second, how sexual intention and desire are communicated through indirect, non‐verbal means in everyday life; and third, how references to sexuality and the sexual body re‐enter within a more explicit set of indigenous discourses about health (rather than ‘sexual health’ per se), such as semen loss in India and womb ‘dirtiness’ in South Africa. The concluding section reflects on the implications of a comparative analysis such as this for current policy emphases on the importance of promoting verbal communication skills as part of ‘life skills’ for HIV prevention.

Using social network analysis to evaluate a complex policy network

There are many challenges in evaluating international networks within the fields of health and international development. Use of conventional tools is not only difficult but may fail to provide the kind of information that is developmentally useful. Social network analysis tools offer many benefits for network evaluators. In particular, they allow documentation and analysis of inter-relationships between individuals and organizations, pointing to potential gaps as well as areas of development. This article describes the use of such tools in the evaluation of Sexuality Policy Watch (SPW), a global forum of organizations and individuals active within the field of sexuality, health and rights. It highlights the potential of these tools to provide visual representations of complex relationships within networks. In this case, the tools enabled the representation of SPW as a complex but ordered network, focused on sexual and reproductive rights, composed of individuals with a multiplicity of organizational affiliations.