This article has two goals. First, using events that took place during fieldwork in rural Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1993, it argues that an unanticipated strength of participant observation is the way in which it forces us, as field-workers, to step into potentially alienating situations. Second, it highlights how important it is for us to share the challenges of fieldwork (and even the disasters that occur) with our students as we teach them the skills they will need to effectively conduct research.
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