Folklore, Gender, and AIDS in Malawi

Informal folk narrative genres such as gossip, advice, rumor, and urban legends provide a unique lens through which to discern popular formations of gender conflict and AIDS beliefs. This is the first book on AIDS and gender in Africa to draw primarily on such narratives. By exploring tales of love medicine, gossip about romantic rivalries, rumors of mysterious new diseases, marital advice, and stories of rape, among others, it provides rich, personally grounded insights into the everyday struggles of people living in an era marked by social upheaval.

“Anika Wilson has assembled an impressive presentation of the power of informal discourse, often fed by media, in a time of catastrophic threat to women. Folklore, Gender, and AIDS in Malawi is an important contribution to the literature of women’s studies, as well as a valuable cautionary reminder to healthcare activists, that women’s voices in time of crisis deeply matter–they are trivialized at great risk.” (Erika Brady, Western Folklore, Vol. 74.3 (4), Summer-Fall, 2015)

Anika Wilson is Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. She received her PhD in Folklore and Folklife at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work on informal narratives, gender conflict, and health beliefs has been presented at numerous conferences and published in Western Folklore.