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Amour à risques: A Reworking of Risk in the PrEP Era in France

Troth, Brian Jonathan

Abstract Details

2019, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, French and Italian.
At the crossroads of French Studies, Visual Studies, and Queer theory, my dissertation seeks to confront notions of risk and responsibility to argue that society’s perceptions of risk have changed in relation to a pre-AIDS world and the onset of AIDS and that contemporary treatments such as PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) continue to refine our definition of risk. While much recent scholarship has been written about AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s, I would like to address contemporary AIDS narratives that respond to advances in medication and a shift in our understanding of AIDS from a death sentence, to a chronic disease, and now to a preventable illness. In order to explore how gay men’s relationship with risk has been articulated in artistic production and has evolved with the availability of PrEP in France, my dissertation confronts cultural production throughout the epidemic. Film and literature analysis of Herve Guibert’s work establishes a relationship between taking risks with one’s health and the feelings of shame often felt in the early days of the epidemic, while a critical look at Cyril Collard’s Les Nuits fauves in tandem with public health campaigns demonstrate how beauty is manipulated in times of epidemic. Engaging with Erik Remes’s allows for further nuancing of the question of responsibility, and suggest that the epidemic resulted in a vilification of behavior that was not only deemed risky, but also irresponsible. Finally, I explore contemporary notions of risk through a study of prevention campaigns, film, newspaper articles, and interviews. The HIV/AIDS narrative in contemporary France is one that is marked by new modes of communication, the creation of a digital queer space, and a revisiting of the trauma of AIDS. The first three chapters are in the tradition of medical humanities and film studies approach, and the fourth chapter requires a shift methodology to one that emphasizes cultural studies and oral testimonies, necessitating onsite research with local activists.
Lucille Toth (Advisor)
Margaret Flinn (Advisor)
Dana Renga (Committee Member)
245 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Troth, B. J. (2019). Amour à risques: A Reworking of Risk in the PrEP Era in France [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1562092704692905

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Troth, Brian. Amour à risques: A Reworking of Risk in the PrEP Era in France. 2019. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1562092704692905.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Troth, Brian. "Amour à risques: A Reworking of Risk in the PrEP Era in France." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1562092704692905

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)