Treatment Action Campaign 10th Anniversary Conference and Edited Volume Cape Town, 8-9 December 2008 [provisional dates]

Call for papers

Conference theme: TAC's impact in its first decade and challenges for the
future

Authors are invited to submit abstracts (maximum 300 words) on any topic
related to the conference theme. The organisers intend publishing a volume
of the best papers from the conference during the first half of 2009.
Abstracts should be emailed to history@tac.org.za

* *

Deadline for submission: 31 August 2008

Overview

During the ten years since the Treatment Action Campaign's founding in
December 1998, a global movement for access to anti-retroviral treatment has
emerged. In South Africa, official denialism and resistance to
evidence-based interventions gave way to a slow but steady roll-out of
treatment across the country. As one of the developing worlds most
recognised HIV/AIDS activist groups, the TAC is frequently credited with
using legal advocacy and grassroots mass-mobilization to successfully lobby
for public access to anti-retroviral therapy, cheaper generic drugs, and an
end to state sponsored denialism. It is also often argued that the TAC can
serve as a model for civil society and community-based movements throughout
the world in order to encourage better policy formulation and programme
implementation. However, the relationship between civil society advocacy and
the societal and governmental responses to HIV/AIDS is complex and
under-theorised.

The TAC is organising a conference at the end of 2008 to mark ten years
since it's establishment, both to celebrate its achievements and to
encourage critical reflection on its past and future. Members, civil society
partners and independent scholars are invited to attend and to present
papers at the conference.

Possible topics for consideration:
- Political history of South African AIDS activism (relationship with the
state, civil society alliances, social mobilisation, the response to state
denialism, etc.);
- Cultural aspects of AIDS activism in South Africa;
- Oral histories and experiences of activism;
- Science and AIDS activism (alliances with scientists, science
education, knowledge contestation);
- Organisational aspects (membership, governance, structures, programmes)
- The history of litigation and legal activism
- Gender and sexuality in the TAC
- Economics, Social Security and HV
- A future role for TAC?

Further details of the conference, such as final dates and venue, keynote
speakers, etc. will be announced by the end of July 2008. Conference
attendees will also have the chance to participate in other activities
organised as part of TAC's anniversary celebrations.

Schedule

Abstracts of papers must be submitted by 31 August 2008. Authors will be
notified of the acceptance of papers by the end of August. Registration for
the conference will open from September to October 2008. Papers selected for
inclusion in the edited volume will be announced in January 2009 after which
final revisions and editing will take place with a view to publication by
mid-2009.

All queries may be addressed to the organisers at history@tac.org.za