Ancestors and HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS has negative social and economic consequences to individuals and families in Akan society and in Ghana generally. This book seeks to highlight the devastating nature of HIV/AIDS in Akan society in regards to financial losses and the burden of care for AIDS patients and to produce information of practical relevance for Ghana s health policy planning and for the agencies who work in the field. It forms part of the studies of health, illness and death. Previously published as a doctoral dissertation Death, Ancestors, and HIV/AIDS among the Akan of Ghana this book focuses upon the social, cultural, political and economic consequences of HIV/AIDS in Akan society. It is also important to consider how people translate state-planned projects and policies for the community s welfare. Even relevant is the role of chiefs (traditional authority), the kinship structure (extended family) and other cosmological systems for continuity and change. This book should have international appeal to medical anthropologists and other scholars, students, and stakeholders on the social and cultural issues about HIV/AIDS.

Autorentext

The Author is currently a researcher at the Social and Cultural Anthropology unit, University of Helsinki, Finland.