Now that the initial panic surrounding the predicted AIDS epidemic has abated slightly, it is time to take stock of the body of knowledge and theoretical frameworks developed through AIDS research. The applied nature of this work and its separation from mainstream social science disciplines has meant that much of the data collected remained unmined. Such data, however, is crucial to understanding the ways in which research contributes to the social construction of knowledge. Meddling with Mythology offers a perspective on the politically, historically and socially situated nature of research and examines its role in the construction of the modern mythology surrounding AIDS. The collection is framed within theories of story-telling and narrative exchanges. Issues discussed include: * power; * representation; * the politics of text; * understanding research relationships; * impact of research on researchers and responders; * potential for change. Meddling with Mythology explores representations of AIDS, taking the reader from the theoretical to the practical and from the public to the personal.
The issues raised here have significance for everyone who is interested in the social construction of knowledge, theory building and the research process more generally.