Paper short abstract:

A goal of fieldwork is the production of texts that evoke interest among ethnographers as well as in the studied communities. To achieve this goal, a collaborative and dialogic fieldwork and writing process is crucial. I draw on my fieldwork in Siberia and Poland to support this contestation.

Paper long abstract:

Translated texts from western ethnographers as well as texts from Polish ethnographers influence the perception of Polish ethnographers regarding what constitutes a "good" ethnography, subsequently shaping their own ethnographies. A typical example of such influential texts is Jacek Oledzki's ethnography of the village of Murzynowo. This monograph describes not only the village but also tells much about the intended readership of the text: other ethnographers and the villagers who were studied. In Murzynowo the text stirred up a controversy. While some villagers valued the monograph, others took Oledzki to court. I argue in this paper that a central goal of fieldwork is the production of texts that evoke interest among ethnographers as well as in the studied communities. To achieve this goal, collaborative and dialogic fieldwork and writing process are crucial. I draw on my fieldwork-experience in West Siberia and in Poland to support this contestation.