Activism Against AIDS: At the Intersections of Sexuality, Race, Gender and Class [Hardcover]

Brett C. Stockdill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2002

Based on interviews with AIDS activists in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, this brief study describes the political mobilization around the AIDS issue, inequalities and divisions in the movement and in the communities affected, the relationships between AIDS activism and people of color, prisoners with AIDS, and state repression of the movement. Stockdill was himself an activist with ACT-UP.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner Pub (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588261115
• ISBN-13: 978-1588261113
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,989,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Resistance and Oppression: A Path-Breaking Approach, November 6, 2003

By 

David N. Pellow (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Activism Against AIDS: At the Intersections of Sexuality, Race, Gender and Class (Hardcover)

Stockdill has produced a highly original, groundbreaking study of the AIDS movement in the United States. Based on several years of ethnographic and archival research, this study makes a number of fundamental and original contributions to social movement theory. Stockdill's theory of oppositional consciousness offers invaluable insights into the ways in which social movements work themselves out on the ground and in people's lives. While survey researchers have published countless articles and books on factors that (poorly) predict social movement activity and levels of commitment, Stockdill provides extraordinary depth and insight into the ways in which collective action actually occurs or, in many cases, how it is repressed. This data-rich and theoretically sophisticated research reveals that movement activists across lines of sexuality, race, gender, and class experience multiple oppressions, formulate collective action strategies, and draw on collective memory all in vastly different ways. Moreover, and perhaps most disturbing, Stockdill finds that there is a great deal of oppression occurring within oppressed communities, and that this is a major impediment to successful movement building. Activism Against AIDS is one of the few books I have ever encountered that achieves a near perfect balance between a data-rich presentation of evidence and a solid theoretical analysis throughout. The contributions Stockdill makes to our understanding of social movements among vulnerable populations is profound. Scholars who wish to prioritize one form of social oppression over others (privileging class or race over gender or sexuality, for example) will be challenged by this controversial--yet compassionate and humanistic--examination of multiple forms of inequality within communities engaged in struggles for dignity, respect, justice, and for life itself. ACTIVISM AGAINST AIDS truly is a work of outstanding quality. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, December 29, 2003

By 

M.M. (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Activism Against AIDS: At the Intersections of Sexuality, Race, Gender and Class (Hardcover)

This book is clearly written and provides powerful insight and analysis for researchers, teachers, activists and general audiences. I have chosen to use this book as a text for my college courses Introduction to Sociology and also Social Inequality. Helps us better understand social movements, organizing strategies, and the interconnections of different forms of oppression. This book will fascinate you if you are interested in learning more about how the world works and the tactics social movements use to make it work better. Everyone can and should read this book!