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). Despite notable reductions in new infections, mortality, and morbidity, young South African women (YSAW) remain disproportionately vulnerable: in 2023, new HIV infections in women aged 15 and above were nearly twice those of their male counterparts (USAIDS, 2024). Prompted by a fundamental curiosity about why YSAW continue to experience this gendered health disparity, this thesis adopts a holistic, culturally sensitive approach to HIV management within the South African context of global public health. This aligns with the critiques of colonial legacies in global public health (Medeiros et al., 2022), which have been shaped by modernist, reductionist, individualist, essentialist, and neoliberal ideologies.

Building on critical studies in global public health, this thesis adopts Smart’s (2007) sociological concept of personhood and relationality. These concepts facilitate examination of how YSAW navigate HIV-related challenges that intersect with their social and personal identities. In particular, digital engagement increasingly shapes personal and social narratives, significantly influencing everyday decision-making and identity formation. However, despite this growing influence, previous HIV research has not sufficiently captured the intersectional dynamics between online and offline environments, especially for YSAW navigating simultaneous social and digital marginalisation. To address these complexities, the study draws on interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology (Smart, 2007; Goffman, 1969; Butler, 1991), anthropology (Douglas, 1966; Farmer, 2020), and digital sociology (Turkle, 1995; Wessels, 2010). By illuminating historical, structural, and socio-cultural power dynamics, the study articulates intersectional processes directly or indirectly shaping YSAW’s differentiated experiences of identity formation across dimensions of age, race, class, gender, sexuality, and health status, spanning both offline and online realms.

After obtaining ethical approval in September 2021, narrative data were collected and generated online during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021–2022) using mixed methods: 1) content analysis of 12,763 online comments from Springster (a digital platform operated by the UK NPO Girl Effect), authored by South African girls and young women aged 13–24; and 2) thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 21 young women aged 16–28, living with or without HIV, recruited from Cape Town (n=9), Pretoria (n=9), and Johannesburg (n=3). Guided by interpretivism, decolonial postfeminism, and pragmatism, this thesis examines the implications of both narrative datasets. Springster data were initially coded manually through an iterative process, informing the development of a codebook for the interview transcripts. Fifteen themes were identified and categorised into four overarching frameworks—structural, cultural, relational, and personal—using a socio-ecological lens. Psychological factors were conceptualised as outcomes arising from interactions among these dimensions, aligning with sociological principles. NVivo software facilitated systematic data management and analysis.

Themes from both narrative datasets reveal how structural and cultural hegemonies, shaped by apartheid legacies, reinforce communication barriers around HIV-related issues. This phenomenon appears stratified by race and class disparities. Specifically, most Black young South African women—both HIV-positive and HIV-negative—frequently encountered difficulties discussing gender, sexuality, and HIV status in face-to-face settings, including within households and communities. These challenges arose from intertwined systemic and socio-economic constraints (e.g., limited sexuality education and restricted digital access), as well as religious and patriarchal norms linking ‘feminine virtue’ to silence. In contrast, the experiences of two White women from privileged households reflected open communication, supported by economic advantages such as higher education, digital access, and literacy. Such race- and class-based disparities in communication underscore the historical legacies influencing South African society, shaping the landscape of sexual citizenship and HIV management for young women.

Unlike offline settings, digital spaces serve as crucial—albeit imperfect—sites for relational expansion, identity exploration, and the amplification of reflexive and resistant voices. Echoing Goffman’s (1969) and Butler’s (1991) emphases on performative and reflexive practices as a (re)constructive process of identity/ies, participants described how online forums, such as Springster, allow young women at risk of HIV to access culturally sensitive topics about sexuality, relational trouble, and HIV prevention. Similar findings emerged among interviewees living with HIV who sought empathetic connections with online peers regarding their illness journeys. However, given that platforms like Springster exemplify highly managed digital environments, they are neither universally accessible nor free from ideological influences affecting young women's realities. Neoliberal logics, algorithmic gender biases (Banet Weiser et.al., 2020), and heteronormative power structures and moralities (Carter et al., 2021)—such as anti-choice positions on women’s reproductive rights, misogyny, and anti-feminist rhetoric—(Clark, 2025)—continue to constrain women's sexual citizenship even online.

In conclusion, this thesis highlights the urgent need for the consideration of intersectional barriers to open communication about HIV extend beyond narrowly defined notions of relationality and personhood, especially in the digital context of South African women. Without a sociologically and decolonal feminist-informed understanding of these concepts, young South African women's sexual citizenship and HIV management risk becoming individualised burdens, intensified by intersectional marginalisations across offline and online contexts. Its insights can inform future research across sub-Saharan Africa 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). 

14 Publications: Book Chapters (1), Co-authored Book (2), and Policy Reports (11)

Book Chapter (1)
1. SunHa Ahn (2026) 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. New York.

Co-authored Books (2)
1. SunHa Ahn et al. (2025) Seven Korean Scholars: Navigating Doctoral Life in Britain. Book Lab. South Korea. Book Lab. ISBN: 9791172246402
2. The Mosaic Korea (2019) 2019-2029 Scenario Planning for 2 Koreas in the Korean Peninsula (Korea@2030), South Korea. Sam & Parkers. ISBN: 9788965707547

Policy Reports (11) * I hold sole authorship for all submitted work, except for items 9, 10, and 11.
1. [Confidential] Exploring the trends of hate crime (racism-based) in the UK and the Greater London Authority’s key policies for social inclusion, The Seoul Institute, 03 September 2023 (Written in Korean, Ko)
2. Global Agribusiness Annual Report: Sugar and Bio-Ethanol Industries, Korea Rural Economic Institute, April 2017 (Ko)
3. The Case Study of Urban Agriculture in Singapore, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 16 June 2016 (Ko)
4. Overview of Agriculture Policy in Myanmar and its Outlooks, Korea Rural Economic Institute, 15 April 2016 (Ko)
5. The Abstract and its Implications of the Philippines’ National Budget, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 17 February 2015 (Ko)
6. The Repercussions and Overall Prospects after the Myanmar General Elections, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 18 November 2015 (Ko)
7. The Backgrounds and Prospects of the New Notification of the Minimum Wages Act in Myanmar, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 23 September 2015 (Ko)
8. The Results and Their Significance of Myanmar Population and Housing Census for Myanmar’s Future and Political and Economic Transition Process, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, 06 August 2015 (Ko)
9. [Confidential Policy Report] Vietnam’s Economic Transition and its Implications on North Korea, Korea Development Institute and Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, 30 April 2015 (En/Ko)
10. [Confidential Policy Report] Korean DMZ World Ecological Peace Park Accompanied with People, Korea Development Institute and Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea, 19 December 2014 (En/Ko)
11. Joint Consulting with IOs: Policy Instruction to Support Green Growth, Korea Development Institute and Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea (published by World Bank), 31 December 2013 (En/Ko)

Papers Under peer-reviewing (4) * I hold sole authorship for all submitted work

1. “Digital commentary activities for managing mental health and identities among young South African women and girls (16–24) living with HIV: a sociologically informed content and thematic analysis” SAGE Journal of Digital Health. 
2. “Digital Strategies for Navigating Emotional HIV Journeys of Young South African Women Aged 16-28 years”, Journal of Global Public Health.
3. “Radical Empathy as Pedagogical Praxis: An Intersectional Feminist Approach to Building Inclusive Curricula and Integral Societies”, Frontiers in Political Sciences.
4. “South African Sexuality Education as a Contentious Site of Reproduction of Legacies or Resistance to the Crisis of Liberal International Order” , Journal of Globalisation, Societies and Education, the Special Issue: Education and the crisis of the 'liberal' world order.

• 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.

18 Conferences Proceedings: Papers (16) & Posters (2); I hold sole authorship for all submitted work  

1. [Accepted] “The Enduring Legacies of Apartheid: Young South African Women’s Livelihoods, HIV Care, and Digital Resistance” Conference: Reparations and Restitution: Legal Redress, Historical Justice, and Corporate Accountability in the Post-Colonial Present, The Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics (CAPPE), University of Brighton, UK, 14 November 2025.
2. [Accepted] “Structured Silence and the Reproduction of Colonial Views in the context of South Korean Youth” at the GO SOUTH 2025 Annual Convention: 70 Years Bandung Spirit: Re-invigorating Decolonial Struggle amidst Geopolitical Turbulence. Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, 1-2nd October 2025
3. [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
4. "Radical Empathy as Pedagogical Praxis: An Intersectional Feminist Approach to Building Inclusive Societies" The Workshop of Teaching Contentious Material: Challenges, Opportunities, Solutions, University of Glasgow, UK, 16th May 2025 
5. “Understanding Intersectional Identities in Young South African Women’s Emotions around HIV-related Issues as Sexual Agency Voices on the Springster Platform: A Sociological Qualitative Study.” Gender and Social Justice: Global Intersectional Perspectives, Nottingham, UK, 24-27th April. 2025. 
6. "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. 
7. “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 August 2024.
8. “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.
9. “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.
10. “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.
11. “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.
12. “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.
13. “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.
14. “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.
15. [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.
16. [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.
17. “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.
18. “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 Relation, Services, and 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.