Current History
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Current History is the oldest United States-based publication devoted exclusively to contemporary world affairs. The magazine was founded in 1914 by George Washington Ochs Oakes, brother of New York Times publisher Adolph Ochs, in order to provide detailed coverage of World War I. Current History was published by The New York Times Company from its founding until 1936. Since 1942 it has been owned
05/11/2026
In our annual Africa issue, Basile Ndjio examines the pervasive structures of legal and medical discrimination against LGBTIQ people in Cameroon. “The prevailing medical order approaches suspected or identified homosexual patients with moral preconceptions that adversely impact their lives,” often denying them care, writes Ndjio, a professor of anthropology at the University of Douala. Anti-LGBTIQ bias in Cameroon (and elsewhere) stems from the colonial-era imposition of European moral frameworks, criminalization by the postcolonial state, and contemporary conspiracy theories and moral panics. In the face of violence and marginalization, “LGBTIQ Cameroonians have devised varied tactics to cope with stigma and institutional neglect,” including underground clinics, digital networks, and partnerships with international NGOs.
https://online.ucpress.edu/currenthistory/article/125/871/180/217947/Medical-Discrimination-Moral-Panic-and-the
Ndjio’s essay, “Medical Discrimination, Moral Panic, and the Politics of Sexuality in Cameroon,” is available along with the rest of our May issue in print and on our website.
https://online.ucpress.edu/currenthistory/issue/125/871
Medical Discrimination, Moral Panic, and the Politics of Sexuality in Cameroon This article examines the complex dynamics of medical discrimination and anti-LGBTIQ exclusion in Cameroon. It uses Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics and Achille Mbembe’s idea of necropolitics to demonstrate how same-sex sexuality has been framed as a moral, medical, and political issue f...
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