Research Interests
Robert's research lies at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and social change. His current research focuses on how gender relations have affected the progression of the AIDS epidemic in Africa and how the AIDS epidemic is now reshaping gender relations.
His doctoral dissertation examined these issues through the lens of masculinity. Robert conducted a year-long ethnographic study of a community called Bwaise in the Ugandan capital Kampala. His research illuminates how Ugandan conceptions of masculinity are tied to AIDS in this context. It also indicates that what it means to be a man is changing in urban Uganda, and the AIDS epidemic is playing an important role in these social transformations.
In 2009, Robert returned to the Bwaise community to conduct several months of follow-up research, including in-depth research with married couples. This fieldwork provided an unique longitudinal perspective on intimate relationships in this community.