This collective volume draws its inspiration from the need to bring field research back into focus – which requires the physical presence of the researcher – and to expose facets of the research endeavor that usually do not become the subject of scientific discussion.
Focusing on the researcher, this "unknown" of field research, the volume attempts to remind us how necessary reflection is for the research process and the ways of producing and analyzing data, as well as for the final product of the research.
The published texts constitute reflective deposits of personal research experiences from distinguished researchers who "returned" mentally to the field and reconsidered their presence and trajectory there. Activating their individual memory, these researchers revisited examples from their personal inquiries, explored "invisible" aspects of their research lives, and conducted evaluations in light of their distance from the field and the passage of time.
They boldly and astutely exposed aspects of the research endeavor viewed from the perspective of the researcher, this "stranger" who attempts to penetrate societies and social groups while usually being uninvited.
The volume presents the research process as a living process that is accompanied, at all stages of the research, by uncertainties, vividly revealing how vulnerable the researcher themselves is, even when studying socially vulnerable populations.
The authors' willingness to reflectively expose the usual "by-products" of the research process, drawing concerns from their personal research experiences, makes the undertaking of the collective volume original and interesting.
