Taje a úskalí terénního výzkumu na Balkáně

This article considers the factors that influence the course of field research, and the collection and recording of ethnographic data, especially the figure of the researcher, and how he or she is perceived by the group under study. It describes the author's personal field experience in the course of short-term research projects in a particular locality, a small village community in Macedonia. In looking back on the field research, a number of issues seem problematic: getting into the field during the initial phase of the research – gaining trust, the status of the researcher, reciprocal giftgiving; the work in the field itself – the figure of the researcher as seen by the family she lived with, and other members of the local community – the pitfalls of communication with participants, the role of key participants and their personal relationship with the researcher, and various difficulties with the collection of data. It introduces topics that the local villagers talked about easily, and others that remain concealed and for which long-term field research in the given locality would have to be done. She concludes by reflecting on the writing of field notes.