Abstract
Increasing attention has been paid to bugchasing, the practice of eroticizing and/or seeking HIV infection. The available research has focused exclusively on quantitative analyses of dating profiles and readings of pornography. However, no academic piece has been produced containing qualitative or ethnographic accounts of bugchasing in the form of observation or interviews. Relying solely on internet sources to describe a behaviour may disregard the multitude of ways in which gay men employ/resist online technologies and blur the online-offline divide.This presentation problematizes the existing literature to reveal its underlying assumptions and biases. In so doing, I examine the actual extent and solidity of our knowledge about bugchasing. I make particular emphasis on how research attributes meanings to bugchasers’ online interactions without considering the idiosyncrasies of users’ intentions and the websites analysed. I also propose new methodological outlooks to critically assess these online sources as a valid means to enter the bugchasing imagery. Although focusing on bug chasing, this presentation is relevant for the study of other sexual fetishes and stigmatized practices, which suffer from the same accessibility issues. This research is a first step in my PhD and provides groundwork for ethnographically engaging with bugchasing.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 2 Mar 2018 |