Bram Mellink (1985) is assistant professor of Dutch History at the University of Amsterdam. His research interests include the history of hiv and aids since the 1980s, the history of neoliberalism and the (political) history of individualisation.
This project examines how the self-appreciation of (male) homosexual minorities in the Netherlands has been shaped by the HIV/AIDS-crisis of the 1980s. Recent literature on ‘minority stress’ demonstrates high (and rising) levels of mental health issues and suicide attempts among LGBTQ+ people despite improving social conditions. Through archival research and interviews with long-time HIV/AIDS survivors, this project will investigate how the collective experience of HIV/AIDS has affected homosexual men’s self-appreciation from the 1980s to present.