Appendix 1
178
contacts, corporate contacts, and Romani contacts. The following will describe the
research methodology I am currently employing and, first, the advantages and
disadvantages this has offered in terms of conducting research among my Roma and non-
Roma Athenian contacts, and secondly I will discuss the interesting analytical perspective
this strategy has offered and the resulting expanded concept work it has facilitated while
in the field.
MERIA, Access, and other Practical Considerations
In July 2006, the not-for-profit organization Minority Equality Research in Action
(MERIA) was awarded its Letters Patent from the government of Canada. The purpose
of this organization is to aid minority groups in Europe to achieve conditions of equality
with the rest of society by building capacity for change through the provision of medical
aid, education, and other programming. I со-founded MERIA with a healthcare
professional passionate about the cause and assembled a group of advisors from various
relevant areas including anthropology, healthcare, and development to help guide the
organization. Currently, and at the Romani community’s behest, MERIA works with
several Athens-area healthcare NGOs and state health offices to provide basic medical
services to the Alpha compound in a drive to both explore new outreach models and
provide better care for Romani patients, and is also working with Greek education experts
to design a tailored curriculum which will be rolled out in the Alpha compound at the
time this article goes to press. My time in the field has therefore been spent working for
MERIA, while conducting interviews and collecting other data as a private researcher. It
is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy.