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inherent “differences” of those who were affected by HIV/AIDS. The first wave of organizations
struggled to gather and disseminate knowledge, among themselves and beyond. Most of this
work may be considered the “pre-network” phase, out of which the subsequent
interorganizational field emerged. Although the early activists organized volunteer care giving,
and invented the “buddy system” that is now part of the standard of community care for people
living with HIV/AIDS, their most lasting accomplishments were definitional. Early community
organizers changed the language of HIV/AIDS, and established the social and political agenda
that would dominate for the next decade and a half. They brought a new organizational field into
being, and defined the kinds of work that would be necessary in this field.
In the words of informants who were involved, AIDS work was a “blank slate in the early
80s.” The earliest groups mobilized “anyone who was doing anything about AIDS.” This was a
small group, but it created and relied upon connections across personal, professional, and sub-
cultural boundaries, explicitly forming the base of what would become a vast network. As the
field differentiated into more focused, more formally organized efforts, these early links created
overlaps of interests, history, culture, and information exchange that lasted the lifespan of the
network.
Once a field of work had been established, other organizers could define their goals in
terms of the existing groups. The buyers’ club DAAIR, for example, sought to add a new voice
and a new perspective to the variety of community-based HIV/AIDS work. Their development
and integration into the existing network is an example of enrollment, as they strategically
established connections with organizations in the empowerment arm of the field and formed a
complementary relationship with the buyers’ club PWA Health Group. A more explicit example
Convention