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important in the Greek context to be forthcoming, but ultimately I refer them to others
within the organization should they wish to pursue an official working partnership. If a
professional partnership is formed between the contact and MERIA, the research
relationship changes.
Once an informal contact (in this case, one referred to me by a formal contact)
enters a formal partnership with MERIA, my dual academic∕professional identity
becomes more difficult to manage as the issues with complicity and power mentioned
above become more pronounced and direct. This is unfamiliar territory for many
anthropologists in the field. In my case it has been important to recognize the following:
once a formal relationship has been formed, it will always be professional and even “off-
the-record” exchanges are likely to reflect the particular interests of the contact's
organization. Thus, the main difficulty in managing the dual identity is to realize that, in
fact, one has a single identity as far as the contact is concerned, that the range of data
available is dictated by the formal corporate relationship, and that the interpretation of
this data must be sensitive to that fact. The research relationship has been formalized, as
has the individualistic ethic of gain.8
Conducting interviews with Roma as a private researcher∕NGO representative has
also been challenging, although very rewarding. I had an already established
relationship with the majority of people living at Alpha compound as a researcher, and
my return in summer 2006 as a representative of MERlA was not unexpected by the local
population as I had discussed this possibility with them during my prior visit. Today I am
s The contact will be mindful of professional advantages and disadvantages presented by the
researcher∕professional. Data collected and contacts gained will typically be determined on this reality.