P. Chomczyński SOME METHODOLOGICAL INSIGHTS FROM DOING FIELD STUDY IN MEXICO

Abstract

This case study focuses on my personal experiences of doing ethnography of Mexican community members dealing with drug trafficking. The case contains chiefly methodological reflections over a half-year postdoctoral ethnographic study, as well as my previous ethnographic projects carried out in the Ecuadorian com-munity of Limoncocha and in Polish juvenile detention centers. I discuss the prob-lem of some of the ethical issues connected with researcher involvement in daily activities with participants. Researcher actions undertaken in a field environment may require considerable effort in adjusting one’s image (auto-presentation work) to an audience’s assumptions and expectations. I also discuss my direct experiences with collecting and analyzing qualitative data to better understand the social condi-tions and drug-trafficking activities of community members. Data for the case study were collected using in-depth interviews, overt participant observations, and visual data.