To shed light on the complex structure of risk-related thought, in this chapter I examine responses to one mass crisis at a particular point in time. I focus on representations of AIDS in the first decade of its advent. I examine the themes that dominate interview talk on the origin, spread and risk of AIDS in Britain and South Africa. Out-groups and in-groups are sampled in both cultures, and I reflect upon the commonality and differences in their representations. The analysis of interview data is set against a backdrop of a thematic analysis of the concurrent medical scientific and mass-mediated ideas. I interweave the findings with the vast literature on early responses to AIDS.

Responses to AIDS in the early years – a depth study of two cultures

Early lay and medical scientific responses to the potential AIDS pandemic provide a fascinating illustration of the link made between mass risk and ‘the other’. The lay representations presented in this chapter were gleaned by way of semi-structured interviews with sixty Britons and South Africans. The sample was chosen in accordance with a matched set of criteria to ensure comparability across cultures and groups. A basic criterion for selection was that respondents were urban, young adults with a high level of education. Half of the respondents were British and half South African. They were drawn from three major urban centres in the two countries: London, Johannesburg and Soweto.