Mission & Goals
AARG’s mission is to support anthropological research in the fight against HIV and AIDS. This type of research is valuable for improving longstanding efforts to understand and address the complex set of biomedical, cultural, economic, historical, political, social, and structural factors and circumstances that shape and sustain HIV/AIDS epidemics varyingly across the globe.
Our organization was founded in 1987 as an interest group of the Society for Medical Anthropology (SMA), which is a section within the American Anthropological Association (AAA). We are a membership organization of approximately two hundred scholars, activists, and practitioners. Our membership includes faculty, students, and professionals who have completed their education. The majority, but not all, of our members are anthropologists. However, all interested individuals are welcome to join AARG. We only ask that you have an interest in anthropological approaches for combating HIV/AIDS.
AARG is guided by the following goals.
- Work to use anthropological research in the fight against HIV and AIDS,
- Advocate for HIV/AIDS research within anthropology,
- Promote HIV/AIDS research by anthropologists within the broader HIV and AIDS research community, and
- Provide a forum for anthropologists working on HIV/AIDS to meet and communicate about their work.
