Postgraduate research students

Over the past four decades, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (hereafter referred to as HIV) has been positioned as a global epidemic, affecting an estimated 40 million people worldwide (UNAIDS, 2024). Significant progress has been made in reducing new HIV infections, mortality, and morbidity; however, gender disparities in HIV incidence persist and vary by region. In South Africa particularly, rates of new HIV infections among young women (aged 15 and above) are alarmingly high—nearly twice that of their male counterparts in 2023 (USAIDS, 2024). This stark gender-based health inequality is closely tied to South Africa’s historical context—particularly the apartheid era (1948–1994) (Ataguba and Alaba, 2012)—which continues to constrain the personhood of Young South African Women (YSAW). These women remain disproportionately vulnerable to HIV infection due to power structures that intersect across their various identities, including age, race, class, gender, sexuality, and health status (Tladi, 2006).
Despite these interconnected factors in HIV management—from sexuality awareness to treatment adherenece in both physical and psychological wellbeing, previous HIV research in global public health has often been shaped by modernist, rationalist, individualist, and neoliberal paradigms (Francis and Webster, 2019). While these frameworks have contributed significantly to advancements in medical treatment, they may overlook the historical, structural, cultural, and relational forces that become embedded in everyday life constructed through offline and online interactions. Particularly, it is notable that digital usage increasingly informs personal narratives and everyday decision-making. As such, digital engagement is emerging as a potential avenue for fostering identity development (Turkle, 1995), emotional support (Hargreaves, 2018), and digital sociality (Wessels, 2010), especially among marginalised populations. Although this digital potential may help reconfigure young women’s vulnerability in HIV management for those who experience socially or digitally marginalised contexts, it seems evident that previous HIV research have not fully captured the underlying factors driving young women’s heightened vulnerability and sexual agency in relation to HIV management in South African both realms.
To investigate this persistent gendered inequality in South Africa, this thesis has been developed with interdisciplinary perspectives, primarily drawing on sociologists specialising in illness identity management—including Smart (2007), Goffman (1969), and Butler (1991)—; anthropologists—Douglas (1966) and Farmer (2020) in global public health—and digital sociologists—Turkle (1995) and Wessels (2010) in digital engagements for mitigating the socially marginalised experiences or improving HIV and sexuality awareness—. The main aim of this thesis responds to critiques of previous research’s approaches to HIV management for YSAW. By adopting sociologically, interpretively, and digitally grounded methods, this research employs a more expansive notion of personhood and relationality—aligning with Smart’s (2007) concept—in HIV management. It thereby offers a nuanced understanding of how YSAW navigate challenges related to HIV, including poverty, social disparities in education and digital access, social misrecognition or stigma, relational or communication difficulties, and emotional turmoil arising from multiple intersecting dynamics.
After obtaining ethical approval in September 2021, narrative data collection and generation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021-2022) through online mixed methods: conducting 1) content analysis on Springster (a digital platform run by the UK NGO Girl Effect) online comments (n=12,763) written by South African girls and young women aged 13-24 years, and 2) thematic analysis on in-depth interviews with 21 young women aged 16-28 years, living with or without HIV, recruited in three cities, Cape Town (n=9), Pretoria (n=9), Johannesburg (n=3). Aligning with this thesis’s methodological underpinnings, including interpretivism, decolonial feminism and pragmatism, this thesis examines the implication of both narrative data. Initially, the Springster data were coded manually through an iterative process, which then informed the development of a codebook for the interview transcripts. Both data sets were categorised within a socio-ecological framework, encompassing structural, socio-cultural, relational, and psychological dimensions. Psychological factors were treated as the outcome of the interplay among the other dimensions, consistent with sociological principles. NVivo software was used to facilitate systematic data management and analysis.
Among three findings chapters, the first explores how YSAW’s personhood and sexual agency are differently shaped or constrained by intersecting power structures tied to their social identities and statuses. Except for two White women in priviliged households, an iterative theme among Black young women livnig with or without HIV is that communication difficulties regarding gender roles, sexuality, and HIV status stem from interwoven socio-economic factors—such as limited sexuality education and digital access—and heteropatriarchal norms, which often render these topics taboo. These constraints manifest in offline intimate relationships with peers, sexual partners, and parents. Yet, interview participants highlight their contrasting strategies of seeking online information and engaging in digital sociality to mitigate some of the relational and emotional challenges linked to gender, sexuality, and HIV management.
The second articulates how these offline challenges unfold in digital contexts, focusing specifically on YSAW’s use of the Springster platform for sexual health management. Online comments on Springster reveal various “digital practices,” conceptualised here as processes of digital personhood construction—drawing on Goffman’s (1969) performative and Butler’s (1991) reflexive notions of illness identity management. These practices help compensate for offline gaps by offering relevant information, as well as relational and emotional support. While these digital engagements can broaden relationality and personhood in HIV care, the thesis also contends that their potential may be curtailed by structural power imbalances within digital spaces—such as neoliberal influences, commercialised exploitation, and inadequate digital literacy.
The third focuses on the sociological implications of emotions, exploring how interview participants navigate emotional turmoil connected to their sexuality and HIV journeys. A common phenomenon emerges among YSAW, both living with and without HIV: many prefer solitude as a means of managing their emotions and relational conflicts. During these solitary periods, they engage in reflective practices—such as searching for online information and journalling—understood as processes of sexual agency construction and illness management. However, this thesis contends that individual emotional vulnerabilities vary according to the available offline and online support systems, positing that YSAW’s solitary reflexivity can be a symbol of resistance to an imposed outcome of systemic deficits or power structures, ultimately compelling them to shoulder a narrowed sense of personhood or privacy alone.
In conclusion, this thesis recognises that multi-dimensional barriers to open communication about HIV-related issues extend beyond narrowly defined relationality and personhood; they are products of intersectional power dynamics in South Africa. Absent a sociologically informed understanding of personhood and relationality, YSAW’s sexuality and HIV management risk being placed solely on their individual shoulders, already burdened by gender-based marginalisation and violence across offline and online spaces. Given the deep-seated historical, structural, and cultural forces shaping YSAW’s personhood—differentially influenced by age, race, class, gender, sexuality, and HIV status—systemic interventions should carefully address intersectional marginalisations in households or among young women throughout South Africa. These implications may serve as a valuable reference for future research in similar contexts across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the broader Global South.

Research Interests: 
Sociology in Global Public Health, Multiple Identities, Decolonial Feminism, HIV Young Voices, South Africa, Qualitative Research, Interactionism, Interdisciplinary Approaches(Anthropology, Sociology and Digital Interventions for Illness Management). 

Academic Journal (1), Book Chapters (1), Book (1), and Policy Reports (11)

1. [A Journal Under the review] “Digital Commentary Activities to Manage Mental Health and Identities among Young South African Women and Girls (13-24) Living with(out) HIV: Content and Thematic Analysis with Sociological Frameworks". Elsevier  
2. [Book Chapter] “Silence as a Source of Poverty among Young South African Women aged 16- 28 around HIV”. [Ed] Rajendra Baikady. The Oxford Handbook of Power Politics and Poverty. Oxford University Press. NewYork. 2025
3. [Policy Report] Exploring the trends of hate crime (racism-based) in the UK and the Great London Authority’s key policies for social inclusion, Policy Report, The Seoul Institute. 2023.
4. [Book] Scenario Planning for 2 Koreas in the Korean Peninsula 2019- 2029, Book, 2019.
5. Global Agribusiness Annual Report: Sugar and Bio-Ethanol Industries, Policy Report, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 2017.
6. The Cases Study of Urban Agriculture in Singapore, Policy Report, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 2016.
7. Overview of Agriculture Policy in Myanmar and its Outlooks, Policy Report, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 2016.
8. The Abstract and its Implications of the Philippines’ National Budget, Policy Report, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 2016.
9. The Repercussions and Overall Prospects after the Myanmar General Elections. Policy Report, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 2015.
10. The Results and its Significance of Myanmar Population and Housing Census for Myanmar’s Future and Political and Economic Transition Process, Policy Report, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 2015.
11. The Backgrounds and Prospects of the New Notification of the Minimum Wages Act in Myanmar, Policy Report, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 2015.
12. Vietnam's Economic Transition and its Implication on North Korea, Policy Report, Korea Development Institute and Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, 2015.
13. Korean DMZ World Ecological Peace Park Accompanying with People, Policy Report, Korea Development Institute and Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, 2014.
14. Joint Consulting Project; Policy Instruction for Green Growth (Case studies: Bangladesh, Indonesia, and South Korea), Policy Report, Korea Development Institute, Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, and World Bank, 2013.

• Professor Jude Robinson
• Professor Bridgette Wessels

Annette Lawson Charitable Trust 2024 (Sociology: Gender Health Inequalities)

I received funding from The AL Charitable Trust, around 1500 pounds

This funding is allocated for the production of digital materials as a strategy for disseminating my PhD research.

ASR (The Association of Sociology of Religion) Gallagher Grant 2024

I received this grant including a $500 stipend plus two nights of hotel (approx. $420 value).

PGR Conference Fund 2024

I received funding from the school for the conferences' presentations, around 800 pounds.

PGR Conference Fund 2023

I received funding from the school for the conferences' presentations, around 750 pounds.

PGR Fieldwork Fund 2022

I gained a PGR fund for the data collection from the school, around 500 pounds.

14 Academic Conferences Proceedings, Papers (12) & Posters (2) with Interdisciplinary topics on 

1. [Accepted] "Racial Disparities in Comprehensive Sexuality Education among Young South African Women aged 16-28 years.” Cambridge University Press and Assessment's Racial Equality and Ethnicity Balance Network (REEBN), UK, August 2025  
2. "Digitalised Voices of Young South African Women and Girls (aged 13-24) about Social Taboos on the Springster Platform”. 2024 World Anthropological Union Congress. Johannesburg South Africa 11-15th. Nov. 2024. 
3. “Religion and Identities’ Intersectionality in the Context of Young South African Women (16-28) Around HIV” Annual Conference hosted by the Association for the Sociology of Religion. Montreal, Canada. 9-11th of August 2024.
4. “Understanding Anthropological Perspectives of Emotions as a Strategy to Address Intergenerational Conflicts”, Royal Anthropology Institute. Panel, P45: Anthropology and Education, in Senate House, London, 25-28 June 2024.
5. “Conceptualising an Indigenous Knowledge-Based Model for A Co-existing Pathway of the Global North and South” at the Conference of Utopia and the Return of History at the University of Manchester, 29-30 April 2024.
6. “Invisible Young Women’s Voices by Intergenerational Conflicts on Femininity in the South African context.’ at the Conference of CIVIS Blended Intensive Programmes: ‘Making visible the invisible’ Research on inequalities and injustices in cities and urban environments, Brussels, Belgium, 27-29 of September 2023.
7. “Intergenerational different memories of HIV/AIDS based on Young South African women and girls (16-28) voices” at the 11th International Health Humanities Conference-History and Practice of Human Care, in Derby, UK, 21-23 September 2023.
8. “A Sociological Qualitative Study: Intimate Relationships as a Social Pressure Around HIV-Related Issues Among Young South African Women and Girls (16-28)” at ICAIDS 2023: International Conference on HIV, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Malaga, Spain. 04-05 September, 2023.
9. “Pragmatist Approaches to Intergenerational Conflicts on Sexual Health and Rights in the Context of Young South African Women and Girls (16-28)” at the Annual Conference of British Association for International & Comparative Education (BAICE), University of Cambridge, UK, 5-6 August 2023.
10. “HIV stigma as a Legacy of Apartheid in the Context of Young South African Women and Girls” at (De)colonial care workshop: place, practice, politics by the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of St Andrews, UK, 28 June 2023.
11. [Poster] “Social Identity Reconstruction via Digital Interactions among South African Youths (16-28) living with HIV” in the session of social-political consideration at the Trustworthy Digital Identity International Conference held by the Alan Turing Institute, London, UK, 16 September 2022.
12. [Poster] “A Conceptual Framework: Social Mental Health with Multiple Identities Reconstruction”, awarded the People’s Choice prize at the Annual Scientific Conference of NHS Research Scotland Mental Health: ‘Adaption and Renewal: Navigating our Recovery’, Edinburgh, UK, 2 November 2021.
13. “Decolonising Sexual Health Choices and Rights in the Context of Young South African Women and Girls (16-28)”: ‘Decolonising Gender, Sexuality and Health at the Conference of Moving the Centre 2021: Toward Radical Futures, Cross-Disciplinary Research Conference on Post/Decolonial and Global Studies, Glasgow, UK, 4-6 August 2021.
14. “Indigenous Women’s Knowledge Value Development for Sustainable Development with Tajikistan Practices”, awarded the 1st prize for excellent thesis presentation at the Spring Academic Conference of the Korea Society of Environment Impact Assessment (KSEIA) at Seoul National University, South Korea, 15 May 2015.

• GTA in Qualitative Methods at the University of Glasgow in the second term 2021/22 and 2022/2023.
• Twice, Special lectures on health communication in public health with youths' case studies of the UK and South Africa. It was part of the course, namely, Modern Society and Public Health Environment at the Graduate School of Public Policy and Civic Engagement and the Graduate school of International studies at the University of Kyung Hee in South. Korea in April and May respectively, in 2022. 
• Twice, Invited Seminars on Policy experiences sharing strategy (web-based) of the Seoul Metropolitan Government for the cooperation with overseas governments and international organisations at the Seoul National University in 2017 & the University of Daegu, South Korea, 2018.
• An Invited Seminar on: Communication Skills for CEOs at the MBA School of the University of Yeung-nam, South Korea 2013.
• Twice, Mentorship Seminars on How to build my careers at the Catholic University of Korea in 2016 & the Sinsu Secondary School in 2015.

Awards

• ASR (the Association for the Sociology of Religion) Gallagher Grant 2024
• PGRs Funds from the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, 2021/2022 & 2022/2023
• The People’s Choice Prize for Poster Presentation, the Annual Conference of NHS Research Scotland Mental Health, 2021
• The Recognition Award: Excellent Researcher for The Year, The Seoul Institute, 2016
• The 1st Prize Award for Thesis Presentation, The Korea Society of Environment Impact Assessment (KSEIA), 2015
• Scholarship of Academic Excellence, KDI School, 2013-2015
• The New Artist Award, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 2008

Public Activities & Memberships

• A Journalist role as the weekly UK correspondent working with the Korea Economic TV: 'Global Market' since Oct 2021.
• The 2021/22 President and the 2020/21 Vice President of the UK Association of Korean PhD Students and Researchers.
• A member of the Digital and Social Change Group, University of Glasgow.
• A member of the Social Scientists in Health Research Group, University of Glasgow.
• A member of the PhD society's Social and Wellbeing Committee in 2020/2021.

I have worked in both media communication fields for roughly 7 years and later development policy research for around 5 years as a broadcaster and a researcher, respectively. As a policy researcher affiliated with the Korean government institutes, my main research topics concentrated on development challenges in the least-developed countries economically, socially, and environmentally, suggesting governance services and relevant digital platforms based upon Korean development experiences. In this course, I have experienced working with multi-stakeholders and international organisations and overseas governments.

My academic backgrounds include international relationships and economics in BA (the Catholic University of Korea), development policy in MA (Korea Development Institute School), and political communication in MA (University of Leeds, UK). I hope my PhD journey would be the essence of what I have learned and experienced, in turn, to contribute to making a better world for the marginalised who was treated as the voiceless.