Notes from the workshop on field work in the 
former USSR, AATSEEL Conference, 1997 

(These informal notes, provided thanks to 
Natalie Kononenko, outline the issues discussed 
at the workshop in Toronto in December.) 

Practical considerations come at 2 levels: 
1) It is different 
2) What you need may not exist 

Equipment you are likely to need for fieldwork: 
> voltage plugs, phone jack 
> tapes — expense may determine whether you buy 
there or here 
> film, video tape (European and American systems) 
> your own computer, printer (and paper), scanner, 
e-mail access — it is sometimes possible to buy e-
mail access for a limited period 
> consider comfort — the weight of your computer, 
etc. and carrying it about to villages, on buses and 
other transportation 
> shoes — standing waiting for bus, standing on the 
bus 
> other clothes and necessities of comfort flexibility 
— lots of things don't work 
> buses, trains may not run, or may be too full 
> many people have not been paid * may show up at 
archives and may not 
> this uncertainty necessitates flexibility or 
alternative research plans * or the ability to be on 
the look-out for good data 

Working with your colleagues: 
> be aware of different understandings of the field: 
what it is; what the important questions are 

H SEEFA Journal 1998, Vol. III No. 1



folklore examples of such an issue: 
> viewing folklore as necessarily old (archaic, and a 
province of old people) and rural 
> therefore i t s hard to get data on contemporary 
practices — they try to get you old people who will 
tell you about the past 
> they steer you away from urban sources 

There are nationalist considerations * especially 
outside Russia, in the republics of the Russian 
Federation, and in former republics of the USSR: 
> Here, as well as in Russian Russia, you may be 
directed not to straight data, but to data that will 
give you the impression they want you to have 
> Often they will try to make their country appear 
more advanced than it is, or more like the West, or 
more nationalistic, independent, anti-Communist. 
> This is in fact a relic of the Communist mentality 
(folklore viewed as evidence to prove one thesis or 
another, people can't be trusted to produce folklore 
properly by themselves). 

Anti-Soviet driver 
> Many folklorists tend to want to do away with all 
Soviet folklore, unless it's a folklore of camps and 
repression, not realizing that they're using almost 
Soviet cultural engineering practices to do so. They 
see it as a bad practice when the Soviets did it, but 
not when they themselves do it: Soviet influence 
must be undone! 
> It is therefore very difficult to collect Soviet data 
(unless it demonstrates some fault with the Soviet 
system), even though this is legitimate data too and 
needs to be collected ASAP. 
> There is a strong drive to do away with Soviet 
things in Russia, too; not just in the former republics 

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as they reinstate national language, culture, 
whatever, outside Russia. 
> An example: the orthographic debates in Ukraine. 

Working on-site — as in the village: 
> culture and courtesy — how to behave 
> dress — what to wear where and when (men as 
well as women) — be aware of different ideas of 
decency: sleeping with 3 guys in a train compart­
ment is okay (there are techiques for changing 
clothes without being an exhibitionist), but showing 
up in shorts in a village is not 
> recall the comfort question from before, but also 
considerations of age, gender — how can you find out 
what is considered appropriate? 
> It's a delicate balance — do it their way and still 
admit that you are, after all, different 
> Being different is NOT disadvantageous; it can 
create a context where you get very good material. 

The question of payment also raises gender issues: 
> paying informants, paying colleagues who 
accompany you or provide contacts 
> there are various systems of ALTERNATE pay 
> gifts, esp. for someone other than the informant, a 
helpful colleague 
> providing work opportunities for colleagues or 
their students 
> pay for their trip, for equipment, for wanted 
books; buy needed supplies 
> help with publishing opportunities 

Practical issues to consider as you are planning: 
> food, lodging 
> daily life (like hygiene) 
> choose clothing from the practical point of view — 
washing and drying 

ib SEEFA Journal 1998, Vol. III No. 1



Photography — what you can and cannot photograph: 
> different restrictions than in US 
> the use and the etiquette of still camera, of a video 
camera 

Ethical issues: 
> telling the truth can become much more thorny 
than you are used to — never lie; but in some cases 
explaining exactly how it is in the US may create 
more confusion than it is worth 
> intimacy — the kinds of questions you can ask your 
informants 
> what kinds of questions they are likely to ask you 
> continuing the relationship after you leave the 
country 

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