Constructing a Crisis: The Role of Symbolic and Structural Violence in Ireland’s HIV Epidemic

Ireland’s HIV rate has increased substantially since 2014. ‘Common sense’ explanations for these rising rates in the media and elsewhere have attributed the growing problem to ‘lifestyle’ choices, emphasizing increased risk-taking, complacency and a lack of personal responsibility, particularly among young people and gay men. Rather than a lack of individual responsibility however, it is systemic and institutional deficits that have given rise to Ireland’s sexual health crisis. This article briefly explores how processes of symbolic and structural violence have worked in tandem to contribute to this situation. Analysis of these processes starts with an exploration of early media representations of AIDS and how these helped to shape present representations of HIV. Examples are provided of contemporary Irish print media coverage of HIV, showing how this tends to responsibilize those living with HIV for acquiring the virus. By way of a counter argument, the article shows how the capacity of people to take responsibility for their health is diminished by inequalities embedded in the structure of the health system.