Representation, identification, and meaning making: A symbolic interaction analysis of visiting the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt

The research in this dissertation was driven by two grand tour questions: What meanings do visitors to the Quilt create about the Quilt, and, how does the process of visiting the Quilt create those meanings? The research used focus group research methodology. Transcripts from the focus groups were analyzed for reoccurring themes. Symbolic interaction was chosen as the theoretical framework to analyze the findings. The thematic analysis was used to address five Research Questions: RQ1. What are the meanings that visitors to the Quilt create about the Quilt? RQ2. What are the meanings that visitors to the Quilt create about HIV/AIDS? RQ3. What are the meanings that visitors to the Quilt create about people with HIV/AIDS? RQ4. How does the process of visiting the Quilt create those meanings? RQ5. To what extent does visiting the Quilt trigger changes in meanings about HIV/AIDS or people with HIV/AIDS?; The thematic analysis revealed focus group members created meanings about the Quilt of a (1) cemetery, (2) a testimonial, and (3) a memorial. The focus group members created two meanings for HIV/AIDS: terminal illness and the clinical. Additionally, the meanings the focus group members made about people with HIV/AIDS included: sorrow for the person who has/had the disease, a specific person who has/had the disease, who contracts the HIV/AIDS, and the transmission of the disease.; The results from RQ4 found that the meanings the visitors created about the Quilt were created by addressing issues of stereotypes and statistics about HIV/AIDS, that the Quilt inspired an emotional response, and that the various pictures and artifacts found on the Quilt panels provided a vehicle through which the visitor might identify with the person represented on the Quilt panel.; The analysis of the focus group conversations revealed that these focus group members addressed issues of lifestyles of the individuals with HIV/AIDS, respect for those who had died, and thankfulness for the opportunity to visit the Quilt when addressing to what extent visiting the Quilt triggered changes in meanings about HIV/AIDS and people with HIV/AIDS.