Description
Worldwide, civil society has been a key actor in fighting for universal access to health. In Brazil, the AIDS movement was fundamental in shaping the internationally recognized AIDS policy. Within the movement, non-governmental organizations were not only fundamental in guaranteeing universal access to antiretroviral therapy, but also served as examples to other movements and patient associations on how to mobilize and advocate for universal access to treatment of other diseases. However, Brazil’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic lacked any organized societal answer and exposed the movement’s demobilization. This study seeks to understand how, despite representing such a strong and politically articulate organized movement, has the AIDS movement become so demobilized, or, as one of the activists put it, ‘lapsed into a state of inertia’. Drawing on the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu, and on more than 30 interviews with activists and participant observations of networks and NGOs meetings, this study aims to offer a better understanding of the dynamics of demobilization of the AIDS movement by characterizing the movement and its main NGOs, the dynamics and struggles between them and by considering how interactions with other fields (including but not limited to the state) affect the movement’s demobilization and/or mobilization. Finally, the study also aims to understand how demobilization affected policymaking, the conditions of possibility for the AIDS movement to act, and the broader implications of my findings for other movements of universal access to treatment, not only in Brazil but worldwide. This may offer insights to both civil society and policymakers on the dynamics of demobilization which may help inform more robust strategies of mobilization and engagement with governments. The literature on social movements has thoroughly analyzed why and how social movements emerge and mobilize, but little attention has been paid to the process of demobilization. This study aims to contribute to understanding demobilization, which remains largely undertheorized. As in many parts of the developing world, in Brazil, HIV/AIDS remains a major public health concern, with the number of deaths remaining stable, but the number of new infections amongst the youth and the more vulnerable populations rising.
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