AIDS before AIDS. An introduction

This issue of «Quaderni storici» aims to examine the history of AIDS, focusing on the initial phase of the epidemic, which began with the collection of the first data in California and New York in 1981. This marked the start of a period of transition during which the infection emerged and manifested itself, causing illness and death without yet being understood in terms of its pathological characteristics, etiology, or treatments. As scientific and biomedical knowledge became more defined and consolidated during this phase, it became clear that the pace of scientific knowledge production, social management, and political intervention differed, creating tension between them. This issue explores the asynchronies and tensions of these processes in order to understand the social practices – including institutional practices in their contextual genesis – that were at work during this historical juncture.