A Reason to Live: HIV and Animal Companions

Author:   Vicki Hutton
Publisher:   Purdue University Press
ISBN:  

9781557538437


Pages:   264
Publication Date:   30 June 2019
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
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A Reason to Live: HIV and Animal Companions


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Overview

"A Reason to Live explores the human-animal relationship through the narratives of eleven people living with HIV and their animal companions. The narratives, based on a series of interviews with HIV-positive individuals and their animal companions in Australia, span the entirety of the HIV epidemic, from public awareness and discrimination in the 1980s and 1990s to survival and hope in the twenty-first century. Each narrative is explored within the context of theory (for example, attachment theory, the """"biophilia hypothesis,"""" neurochemical and neurophysiological effects, laughter, play, death anxiety, and stigma) in order to understand the unique bond between human and animal during an """"epidemic of stigma."""" A consistent theme is that these animals provided their human companions with """"a reason to live"""" throughout the epidemic. Long-term survivors describe past animal companions who intuitively understood their needs and offered unconditional love and support during this turbulent period. More recently diagnosed HIV-positive narrators describe animal companions within the context of hope and the wellness narrative of living and aging with HIV in the twenty-first century. Bringing together these narratives offers insight into one aspect of the multifaceted HIV epidemic when human turned against human, and helps explain why it was frequently left to the animals to support their human companions. Importantly, it recognizes the enduring bond between human and animal within the context of theory and narrative, thus creating a cultural memory in a way that has never been done before."

Full Product Details

Author:   Vicki Hutton
Publisher:   Purdue University Press
Imprint:   Purdue University Press
Weight:   0.425kg
ISBN:  

9781557538437


ISBN 10:   1557538433
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   30 June 2019
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand   Availability explained
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Contents Abbreviations Introduction Part 1: The 1980s 1. An epidemic of stigma: A brief history of HIV/AIDS and companion animals 2. Dawn of an epidemic: Drew and Caesar 3. Grief and hope: Charlie, Wolf, and Brandy Part 2: The 1990s Interlude 4. The power of nature: Vince, Cat, and company 5. The Lazarus phenomenon: Carl and Rosa 6. Loneliness in an epidemic: Robbie and Bellamy Part 3: 2000 onward Interlude 7. Life after death: Drew and Digger 8. Connections in a new life: Ben, Tiger, Ember, and Flash 9. Death anxiety: Dylan, Gus, Sunny, and Celia 10. A need to play: Brenton and Tom 11. Size doesn't matter: Joe and Feathers 12. A room with a tank: Mick, Axl Rose, and fish friends 13. A future postponed: Simon and Sheila Conclusion: The future References Index

Reviews

A must-read for anyone interested in the health professions, veterinary medicine, sociology, psychology, gerontology, or human relationships. The volume includes well-documented, detailed interviews that outline the reality of disease as illness progresses and caretaking becomes more taxing. The author provides brilliant insights into the agonies of grief and compassion fatigue, while at the same time presenting poignant moments of understanding, empathy, and hope. So riveting, the book reads like a novel. ' --Sandra Bertman PhD, Scholar: Arts & Health Institute, Lesley University


Author Information

Vicki Hutton is an Australia-based writer and academic, specializing in the areas of the human-animal relationship, health psychology, and HIV. Animals have always been an important part of her life, and remain a key focus in her work and family activities. Hutton's recent research project allowed her to combine all areas of interest and create a unique narrative history of the human-animal relationship during the HIV/AIDS-epidemic in Australia and the United States. She currently is a lecturer at an Australian university, and she spends as much time as possible with her many animal companions.

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