Narratives of Structural and Cultural Violence in the Context of the Stateless Hill Tribes Living with HIV/ AIDS in Chiang Rai, Thailand

• Main Authors: Wongnuch, Pilasinee, Ruanjai, Thapakorn, Mee-inta, Anongnad, Inta, Chadaporn, Apidechkul, Tawatchai, Tamornpark, Rattipark, Upala, Panupong, Chomchoei, Chalitar, Thutsanti, Phitnaree
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: structural and cultural violence; stateless hill tribes; HIV/AIDS; stigma; access to healthcare
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/apssr/vol22/iss1/3; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/apssr/article/1432/viewcontent/RA_202.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Stateless hill tribes living with HIV/AIDS are the most vulnerable population in Thailand. This article adopts the issue of the structural and cultural violence of Johan Galtung as a conceptual framework and analytical tool to narrate their experiences. Data encompassing the experiences of structural and cultural violence were collected from the 53 eligible stateless hill tribes living with HIV/AIDS recruited from 10 district hospitals and 15 communities in Chiang Rai, Thailand, using a combination of the snowball technique and purposive sampling. The present authors argue that the stateless hill tribes living with HIV/AIDS mainly experienced the following two dimensions of violence: 1) statelessness as a structural violence practice and 2) stigma as a cultural violence practice. This study revealed the subjective experiences of stateless hill tribes living with HIV/AIDS in Chiang Rai, Thailand, while engaging with the violence sphere.