Sexual Consumption in the Time of AIDS: A Study of Prostitute Patronage in Thailand

Abstract

On the basis of short-term, qualitative fieldwork, the authors provide a culturally embedded portrait of AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and risk-taking behaviors in prostitute patronage by students and tourists in the most heavily HIV-infected region of Thailand. The authors find that the mix of cultural values, rituals, sex roles, and emotions in this Thai context challenge the underlying assumptions of belief-based Western models of behavior. This may help explain the limited effectiveness of prior research and prevention efforts in stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS. Although the findings are preliminary, they pose provocative challenges to consumer information processing models and existing public policy efforts in this milieu of sex and death.