SUMMER FIELDWORK 2012
On July 3 – 17, 2012, Sociology of Education and Science Laboratory (HSE) was conducting a field study in the Ruza district of the Moscow region.
On July 3 – 17, 2012, Sociology of Education and Science Laboratory (HSE) was conducting a field study in the Ruza district of the Moscow region. This field practice was the seventh expedition in the history of SESL. Students, researchers and invited scholars studied social organization of the local community, took interviews, wrote diaries and field reports, read theoretical articles and discussed findings.
Summer fieldwork of Sociology of Education and Science Laboratory is the annual event that takes place in different parts of Leningrad and Moscow regions. Objectives of this project are not only to collect data, but, first of all, to involve undergraduate students in real research. Students get the opportunity to try hand in practical sociology, learn how to interview people, work in a team, collect and analyze data, write field diaries and then research articles.
This expedition differs from the previous ones, because this one was prepared very carefully. Researchers who constantly work for SESL and students, for whom it was the first experience, were preparing for this fieldwork together. A few weeks before the departure, those who held a competition to take part in the practice have been invited to the Laboratory to discuss the work plan. Everyone was assigned to collect information of different kind about Ruza district. Some researchers have already developed certain scientific interests, such as studies of schools, libraries, or the role of cultural institutions in the community, while others have decided that they would like to study during preparatory stages. As a result, interest groups were formed before the arrival. However, the participants collected information about everything that was interesting, not only information in their narrow area.
The expedition settled in a nice mansion, which is located in the heart of the Ruza district, so it was easy to get to any village. Conditions were very comfortable; the expedition occupied a separate house with a common room for seminars and kitchen. Every day two people were responsible for preparing food and organizing life of this small scientific community. All the participants did their best, so every day people surprised each other with their culinary talents. At the beginning, this responsibility seemed to be a punishment, because everyone wanted to get to the field and talk to the informants. By the end of the first week debts (unfinished field diaries) accumulated, and it became clear that while staying at home and preparing food one can finish this work.
At the first stage the whole expedition visited major settlements in the region in order to map them. “To map” means to mark all institutions, shops, markets, rich and poor streets, clean and dirty areas. This stage was important from a scientific point of view, as it helps to understand the social structure of communities. During “mapping” members of the expedition became better acquainted with each other and got used to work in a team.
The next step was to collect interviews. A few people were interested in the features of local government. They interviewed authorities as well as opposition. Most researchers paid particular attention to interviews in schools and kindergartens, since education studies is one of the priorities of the Laboratory. Research interests of the third group were related to migration and integration of migrants in the local community. Social role of cultural institutions such as libraries and recreational centers in rural and urban areas was also of interest. Another group of people surveyed medical institutions and unusual functions that they have in small communities. There was a special agreement about some interviews with people who in some way affect the lives of the entire community. Often, however, students and researchers just started talking to people on the streets to learn how people live in a particular village, where they go in their free time, where they work, why their children go to a certain school or kindergarten, etc.
In the evenings all the members of the expedition wrote detailed diaries. It was important to do it immediately after the fieldwork in order not to forgot or miss anything. In the middle of the practice it became clear that writing a detailed diary is essential not to repeat the same work twice, as well as to be able to begin a preliminary analysis of the data during the expedition. Another important part of the practice was the evening workshops, during which participants shared their impressions and observations, collated data, decide whether to gather material additionally on a particular topic. Joint discussions were a key stage of teamwork because thanks to them scattered information began to emerge in the big picture. A few days were devoted to seminars. Participants did not go to the interview, and read and discuss the article to be able to compare their experiences with the world practice of learning communities on those days.
Now, when the expedition is over, the work continues. Every participant is involved in data analysis according to his/her research interest. They prepare reports to present them at the conference in Moscow in October 2012.
Television was interested in SESL fieldwork. "Podmoskov’e" channel shot a story, which you can see here.
Participants’ impressions:
- I am grateful to the organizers, and especially to Evgeny Varshaver because he invited me to this expedition. I think it is very successful, but this is my first experience. People here are really interested in what they are doing. It turned out that no one had as its theme alone: 2-3 people interested in local politics, 4-5 in migration, the other guys - schools and kindergartens. So we always had the opportunity to discuss. Such a collective effort, I think, very productive. Separately, I would like to mention that the area was very beautiful. It is a great experience when after Moscow you wake up in the morning here because you hear cuckoo out of the window. I think that everything was great. (Anna Rocheva)
- I got into the expedition thanks to my friend Eugeny Varshaver. I think that it was a very good decision. It was good for the students to obtain the basic skills and for those who are engaged in science, because it gives an idea of how people live, what's inside the social world, the relationship between people, institutions of government. Despite the fact that I am not a sociologist, I’m a political scientist, to me it was very interesting, and I hope to go again in a similar expedition. (Yegor Lazarev)
- I went to a summer practice for the first time since I worked in the lab recently. I got here a lot more than expected. There was a company of interesting people with whom we have lived together for two weeks, and that it was necessary to find a common language and common research interests. It was always fun, but not always easy. It was a new experience, I get to know my colleagues better and saw another human life. It cost itself. (Victoria Seneva)
- I am very glad that I came, I do not regret. This is for me a new experience. This practice gave me a lot - I ceased to be afraid to approach people and interviewing. I think this experience is very useful for me in my future profession. (Alexandra Kiseleva)
- This is my second year I go on an expedition, so I can say that this year was more intensive. The expedition was a successful - we fallen asleep every day very tired. It gave us a lot of experience not only in sociology. Here I learned to drive and cook better. (Alex Gorgadze)
- Here lived up all my expectations. Interesting people, good experience. I first tried myself at real fieldwork. Since I am a political scientist we have not accepted to do such research, if I had not gone to the expedition in the Ruza district, it might not have tried this. (Kristina Popova)
- For me, the main thing that I learned from practice was an understanding of what is sociology. During these two weeks, I woke up in a real interest in science, which I do, then I got two years at the University. (Alexander Lukoyanov)
- For me as for person whole life living in a big city, it was very important to see what is really going on in villages and small towns. Before the expedition, I had a lot of stereotypes about this, but now I realize that, even in areas that are not very rich and successful, there is a normal life. For example, I interviewed in kindergarten where 125 children involved - the parents agreed and equipped with their own hands an excellent platform for children. Such observations are very encouraging. In general, it seems to me that the practice was a very busy and productive. For two weeks the new members of the expedition no longer afraid to interview, learned to interpret the data collected with the help of the theoretical apparatus to notice important details. (Veronica Kostenko)
- How this expedition differs from others? First, we had a long preparation. Of course, we have studied our previous districts too, but this time we hooked up to the preparation of all. Even first-year students review of the agencies involved in the area, they made lists of who to contact, where to go. In previous years it was done only by 2-3 people from the Laboratory. Now all got practice of collecting information about the future of the field. I liked the fact that in the Dmitrov district, where we worked in the past year, all communicating with each other, so it was interesting to compare what happens to the community when different forces interact. In the Ruza district we saw, at least, talking about libraries and recreation centers. They do not even interact with each other, even in small towns. It is seen as how community support is important. And the availability to provide resources to the recreation centers and libraries to perform certain social functions is also important. (Vera Titkova)
By Veronica Kostenko
Translated by Ekaterina Trofimova