Institutional and behavioural patterns of drug abuse and HIV infection: Drug abuse and HIV/Aids in Central Asia

Muyassar Turaeva

Outline of the project:
The project will aim to do the institutional analysis of HIV/AIDS epidemics related to drug abuse and gain in-depth data on the behavioural patterns of drug users. The similar study I have conducted in the framework of my doctoral thesis which is based on the data from Uzbekistan and partly on Turkmenistan. The proposed study is going to do similar research as a comparative one to cover Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Theoretically the research will be driven by Foucauldian approach to studying biopolitics and medical establishments in the field of controlling risky behaviour through Soviet style of biopolitics (force, violence and control). Using Foucauldian genealogical method to chronologically trace the establishment of the institutions of Uchyot offers important insights into the current biopolitics in post-Soviet space. The main argument to be advanced in the future research is that Soviet style of (mis)management of diseases and iron-hand approach to the group in risk pushes the members of this group into the shadow of survival and contributes to additional risks. Additional risks include drug injections in unsanitary conditions using used equipment secretly. Information sharing takes place in form of peer to peer without willingness or avoidance of state or other sponsored official sources for information. Secrecy and fear of being found and being listed in state semi-official registers (Uchyot) are the major problems besides other factors contributing to the epidemics in these countries. I show in my thesis that other factors such as social status and gender, as well as economic situation and mobility are as well important in determining behaviour of drug users. The research questions formulated for this study are the following:

1. What is the institutional infrastructure managing of the HIV/AIDS epidemics related to drug abuse in Central Asia?
2. How are these epidemics evolved and how is it now governed (biopolitics)?
3. What are the behavioral patterns of drug abuse and what is the role of these patterns in the dynamics of the epidemics?
4. What is the link between HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and mobility? Do these interdependencies influence the general dynamics of the epidemic?
5. What are the factors contributing to the risky behavior of drug users?