Fostering a healthy public for men and HIV: a case study of the Movement for Change and Social Justice (MCSJ)

This paper examines the Movement for Change and Social Justice (MCSJ) in Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa. MCSJ, a health and social justice movement, leverages the principles and strategies of South African AIDS activism, inspired by but also critical of contemporary public health activism. A University of Cape Town (UCT) research partnership catalyzed its formation, focusing on innovative health information use to spur community and health system action regarding men, masculinity, and HIV. The paper synthesizes findings from participant observation, qualitative process evaluations, and researcher reflections to highlight challenges and opportunities in fostering a healthy public concerning men and HIV. MCSJ's approach builds upon existing public health models while advocating for more responsive, inclusive, sustained, and locally rooted practices. The paper identifies enabling conditions for MCSJ's work, describes its balancing acts, and outlines key community-university partnership strategies. Lessons learned offer guidance for similar collaborations aimed at creating healthy publics.

Christopher J. Colvin, Myrna van Pinxteren, Mandla Majola, Natalie Leon, Alison Swartz, Nonzuzo Mbokazi, Mark Lurie