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The present study aims at examining some of the stigmatizing aspects of HIV/AIDS in contemporary ... more The present study aims at examining some of the stigmatizing aspects of HIV/AIDS in contemporary
Greece. Based on qualitative methodology the article casts light upon the social dynamics that
significantly influence the lived experiences of the individuals infected by HIV/AIDS, as well as their
partners, family, friends and social relations. Stigma, albeit a social construction, is perceived as a
changing and emerging feature over the course of HIV/AIDS. The primary purpose is to conceptualize
how individuals with this particular illness experience social stigmatization. Besides, it demonstrates the
multiple ways they copy with the disease and its consequences over their identities, bodies and
biographies. Three phases of the HIV/AIDS stigma trajectory are described: (1) ambivalent compliance: a
contradictory and struggling acceptance of the HIV-related stigma, (2) negative normalization: bodily
strategies of coping, and (3) reflexive management: relativization to social stigmatization. The social
procedures through which participants personalize HIV/AIDS and the strategies they employ to avoid or
relativize the AIDS-related stigma, to re-negotiate interpersonal relations, to re-construct biographies and
to re-conceptualize and adapt to an HIV identity are deemed through the stigma trajectory.
ABSTRACT This study attempts to provide a concrete understanding to the embodied experience of HI... more ABSTRACT
This study attempts to provide a concrete understanding to the embodied experience of HIV/AIDS.
PLWHA have to cope with physical changes, especially lipodystrophy, caused by HIV and its
treatment. These clinical manifestations make the disease socially visible and form a potential
source of stigmatization. Visibility seems to transform the personal experience of this particular
illness into a collective one. The changing body image and the stigma, which is often
internalized by individuals, along with other consequences of chronic illness, such as alteration
of life plans and social relationships, constitute new elements that appear in their life after
diagnosis. These new experiences can break one’s biographical continuity, especially in cases like
HIV/AIDS. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 HIV-positive
individuals (13 men, 5 women) with lipodystrophy. Their ages ranged from 36 to 65 years. The
analysis of data revealed three main themes: loss of control over the body, ambivalence about
visibility of HIV/AIDS, attributing positive meaning to HIV/AIDS. Physical changes caused by
lipodystrophy are a source of dysphoria for PLWHA. This dissatisfaction was closely associated
with the absence of control over their own body, due to the virus and the side effects of
medication. Furthermore, it became evident that there was ambivalence among participants
about the visibility of HIV, as it was in parallel a source of stigmatization, but also a part of their
identity and biography. Results indicate that individuals were in search of meaning and
constitute strategies in order to “answer” to the disruptive aspects of HIV. These were the
normalization of illness, the integration into personal identity and the recognition of positive
effects of HIV in their lives (e.g., stopping drug and alcohol abuse). Further research is required
to identify the factors that determine the selection of each “answer” by these particular
individuals who belong to broader social groups.
The main purpose of this article is to critically complete the economic perspective regarding bre... more The main purpose of this article is to critically complete the economic perspective regarding breast cancer offering a more spherical understanding of the disease as well focusing on its socio-psychological effects. The contribution presents some specific socio-economic features of this particular illness in contemporary Greece, emphasizing on some of the core strategies these diagnosed women apply in respect with their professional re-orientation. It as well analyses the inter-subjective experience of breast cancer in as much as participants record it as a turning point regarding their economic status, socio-psychological state, biographies and overall relationships.
The paper is based both on qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical interviews with Greek women, experiencing breast cancer and mastectomy and on quantitative data provided by secondary inquiry. In an integrated view, it is possible to formulate some preliminary conceptual tools that can account for the economic dimensions and socio-psychological implications of the disease. Besides, we present the energetic strategies these women employ to mitigate personal suffering and transform their “harmed” body to an energetic source of professional re-orientations and biographical re-constitutions.
Keywords - Economic dimensions, Socio-Psychological effects, Applied sociological research, Mix methods, Breast cancer.
Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 2015
ABSTRACT The present study investigates on the learning impact of utilizing Wikipedia's c... more ABSTRACT The present study investigates on the learning impact of utilizing Wikipedia's community in education. Today, many instructors assign their students editing Wikipedia's articles as part of their coursework. Participation in a cyber-community during an educational assignment exposes students to a brand new culture and netiquette, to a set of explicit and tacit rules and cultural norms. This requires students to internalize the embedded online culture in order to join the community—a form of acculturation which may cause stress, but which can lead to opportunities for growth, learning and development. By taking advantage of a virtual community, educators can literally bring a whole thriving community into their classrooms. The acculturation of the educational group into the culture of a hosting virtual community, through collaborative actions, conflicts and disturbances, results to the formation of a collective zone of proximal development: what the students' group manages to perform today with the aid of the community's members will be performed independently tomorrow. The formation of a virtual learning community through the procedural and structural coupling of two discrete activity systems opens a new space for participatory learning.
Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 2012
The aim of this work is to study the information-seeking behavior of the hospital staff in a larg... more The aim of this work is to study the information-seeking behavior of the hospital staff in a large public hospital, the METAXA Cancer Hospital in Greece. An empirical research was conducted through the development of a specially designed questionnaire. The survey was based on a stratified random sampling covering 20% of the total hospital staff (medical, nursing, and administration/technical). The
This paper is based on a disciplinary qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical-nar... more This paper is based on a disciplinary qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical-narrative interviews with Greek women, experiencing breast cancer and mastectomy. These women have eventually participated in solidarity groups of self-help and voluntary action and describe the multiple ways they have coped with this new “alarm situation’ that emerged in their biographies. The main purpose of the article is to understand and interpret the practises they employed, in as much as they record breast cancer as a turning point with respect to emotions, social relationships and activities. The main results of the research reveal that these particular women, members of a larger social group, tend to produce a special form of embodiment and politicization. This results in a complex, painful and struggling renegotiation of a social identity and a rather new form of relationships with the self and the significant others. The management of the disease – and the potential social stigma or everyday negativity - ultimately leads to a redefinition of the basic life values, within the framework of an energetic and combative, self-reflective project with an often contradictory content.
Keywords: Qualitative Health Research, Breast Cancer, Biographic Strategies, Politicization, Embodiment
The present study aims at examining some of the stigmatizing aspects of HIV/AIDS in contemporary ... more The present study aims at examining some of the stigmatizing aspects of HIV/AIDS in contemporary
Greece. Based on qualitative methodology the article casts light upon the social dynamics that
significantly influence the lived experiences of the individuals infected by HIV/AIDS, as well as their
partners, family, friends and social relations. Stigma, albeit a social construction, is perceived as a
changing and emerging feature over the course of HIV/AIDS. The primary purpose is to conceptualize
how individuals with this particular illness experience social stigmatization. Besides, it demonstrates the
multiple ways they copy with the disease and its consequences over their identities, bodies and
biographies. Three phases of the HIV/AIDS stigma trajectory are described: (1) ambivalent compliance: a
contradictory and struggling acceptance of the HIV-related stigma, (2) negative normalization: bodily
strategies of coping, and (3) reflexive management: relativization to social stigmatization. The social
procedures through which participants personalize HIV/AIDS and the strategies they employ to avoid or
relativize the AIDS-related stigma, to re-negotiate interpersonal relations, to re-construct biographies and
to re-conceptualize and adapt to an HIV identity are deemed through the stigma trajectory.
ABSTRACT This study attempts to provide a concrete understanding to the embodied experience of HI... more ABSTRACT
This study attempts to provide a concrete understanding to the embodied experience of HIV/AIDS.
PLWHA have to cope with physical changes, especially lipodystrophy, caused by HIV and its
treatment. These clinical manifestations make the disease socially visible and form a potential
source of stigmatization. Visibility seems to transform the personal experience of this particular
illness into a collective one. The changing body image and the stigma, which is often
internalized by individuals, along with other consequences of chronic illness, such as alteration
of life plans and social relationships, constitute new elements that appear in their life after
diagnosis. These new experiences can break one’s biographical continuity, especially in cases like
HIV/AIDS. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 HIV-positive
individuals (13 men, 5 women) with lipodystrophy. Their ages ranged from 36 to 65 years. The
analysis of data revealed three main themes: loss of control over the body, ambivalence about
visibility of HIV/AIDS, attributing positive meaning to HIV/AIDS. Physical changes caused by
lipodystrophy are a source of dysphoria for PLWHA. This dissatisfaction was closely associated
with the absence of control over their own body, due to the virus and the side effects of
medication. Furthermore, it became evident that there was ambivalence among participants
about the visibility of HIV, as it was in parallel a source of stigmatization, but also a part of their
identity and biography. Results indicate that individuals were in search of meaning and
constitute strategies in order to “answer” to the disruptive aspects of HIV. These were the
normalization of illness, the integration into personal identity and the recognition of positive
effects of HIV in their lives (e.g., stopping drug and alcohol abuse). Further research is required
to identify the factors that determine the selection of each “answer” by these particular
individuals who belong to broader social groups.
The main purpose of this article is to critically complete the economic perspective regarding bre... more The main purpose of this article is to critically complete the economic perspective regarding breast cancer offering a more spherical understanding of the disease as well focusing on its socio-psychological effects. The contribution presents some specific socio-economic features of this particular illness in contemporary Greece, emphasizing on some of the core strategies these diagnosed women apply in respect with their professional re-orientation. It as well analyses the inter-subjective experience of breast cancer in as much as participants record it as a turning point regarding their economic status, socio-psychological state, biographies and overall relationships.
The paper is based both on qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical interviews with Greek women, experiencing breast cancer and mastectomy and on quantitative data provided by secondary inquiry. In an integrated view, it is possible to formulate some preliminary conceptual tools that can account for the economic dimensions and socio-psychological implications of the disease. Besides, we present the energetic strategies these women employ to mitigate personal suffering and transform their “harmed” body to an energetic source of professional re-orientations and biographical re-constitutions.
Keywords - Economic dimensions, Socio-Psychological effects, Applied sociological research, Mix methods, Breast cancer.
Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 2015
ABSTRACT The present study investigates on the learning impact of utilizing Wikipedia's c... more ABSTRACT The present study investigates on the learning impact of utilizing Wikipedia's community in education. Today, many instructors assign their students editing Wikipedia's articles as part of their coursework. Participation in a cyber-community during an educational assignment exposes students to a brand new culture and netiquette, to a set of explicit and tacit rules and cultural norms. This requires students to internalize the embedded online culture in order to join the community—a form of acculturation which may cause stress, but which can lead to opportunities for growth, learning and development. By taking advantage of a virtual community, educators can literally bring a whole thriving community into their classrooms. The acculturation of the educational group into the culture of a hosting virtual community, through collaborative actions, conflicts and disturbances, results to the formation of a collective zone of proximal development: what the students' group manages to perform today with the aid of the community's members will be performed independently tomorrow. The formation of a virtual learning community through the procedural and structural coupling of two discrete activity systems opens a new space for participatory learning.
Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 2012
The aim of this work is to study the information-seeking behavior of the hospital staff in a larg... more The aim of this work is to study the information-seeking behavior of the hospital staff in a large public hospital, the METAXA Cancer Hospital in Greece. An empirical research was conducted through the development of a specially designed questionnaire. The survey was based on a stratified random sampling covering 20% of the total hospital staff (medical, nursing, and administration/technical). The
This paper is based on a disciplinary qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical-nar... more This paper is based on a disciplinary qualitative research, grounded on fourteen biographical-narrative interviews with Greek women, experiencing breast cancer and mastectomy. These women have eventually participated in solidarity groups of self-help and voluntary action and describe the multiple ways they have coped with this new “alarm situation’ that emerged in their biographies. The main purpose of the article is to understand and interpret the practises they employed, in as much as they record breast cancer as a turning point with respect to emotions, social relationships and activities. The main results of the research reveal that these particular women, members of a larger social group, tend to produce a special form of embodiment and politicization. This results in a complex, painful and struggling renegotiation of a social identity and a rather new form of relationships with the self and the significant others. The management of the disease – and the potential social stigma or everyday negativity - ultimately leads to a redefinition of the basic life values, within the framework of an energetic and combative, self-reflective project with an often contradictory content.
Keywords: Qualitative Health Research, Breast Cancer, Biographic Strategies, Politicization, Embodiment