ABSTRACT

The impetus for this volume came from our participation in two research residencies: “Speculative Globalities” (Irvine, spring 2009) and “Risk@Humanities” (Ithaca, 2012–2013). 1 During our stint at Cornell, two visiting senior scholars from two distinct disciplinary formations caught our attention with their presentations on risks associated with the HIV–AIDS crisis: William Leiss et al.’s, one of the foremost experts on risk communication and policy, and Michael Warner, known for his seminal work on queer theory and the public sphere. Prior to their visits, we read Leiss’ (2008) co-authored study of the Canadian policy debates around blood donation from MSM (Men Who have Sex With Men) groups, and Warner’s (1995) controversial first-person piece in The Village Voice on negotiating risky sexual practices in the pre-antiretroviral era. 2 While both addressed individual and social entanglements, there were clear differences in the way they approached questions of moral responsibility and ethical obligations in handling risk. In many ways, these differences brought us to this project.