Thesis--University of Bombay. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--University of Bombay. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.(Religion))--University of South Australia, 2001. / Title taken from PDF title screen (viewed July 1, 2009).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Since the nineteen-eighties, HIV prevention programs around the world have continuously expanded in attempts to meet challenges in the fight against HIV/AIDS. These programs are generally based on primary prevention, which uses Information Education and Communication (IEC) to modify individual behavior. In Africa, as in many underdeveloped countries, various country-specific studies report that a majority of the population is knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent transmission. Yet while studies show a relatively strong link between education and behavior modification in developed countries, that link appears to be much weaker in less developed regions, including Africa. The literature identifies social and economic factors, especially gender inequalities and poverty, as significant obstacles to behavior change. This thesis assesses the impact of these factors in the Copperbelt region in Zambia, finding significant evidence that both social and economic factors operate as fundamental obstacles to behavior change. These findings suggest that HIV interventions need to go beyond IEC to deal with broader community development challenges. Gender imbalances play a particularly large role, and the findings suggest a desperate need for gender specific interventions targeting men.

This thesis reviews the practice of female circumcision in Islamic Africa. I chose this geographical location for my study because of the high incidence of female circumcision in Africa. The majority of female circumcision in Africa is practiced in cultures that follow the religion of Islam. The general consensus of contemporary literature in this field of study argues that female circumcision has no religious basis for the practice. This is based on the fact that the Quran contains no explicit, or implicit, command for the practice. I disagree with this approach and believe my thesis fills a gap that exists in current literature. I argue that there are two main perspectives within Islam which I define as Quranic Islam and traditional Islam. Quranic Islam is defined in this thesis as the Muslim faith that accepts only the Quran as the basis and sole authority for its beliefs and practices. Traditional Islam is defined as the Muslim faith that accepts the Quran, and extra-Quranic sources - such as, but not limited to, the Haddith, Sharia, Sunna, and fatwas - as the basis for its belief structure. I argue that the basis for accepting the practice of female circumcision as a religious rite in Islamic Africa is found in traditional Islam. / thesis (MA(Religion))--University of South Australia, 2001.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Political Science, August 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1968. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.