Returning Home and to the FieldFootnote^*

* This article owes much to a stimulating panel discussion on “Exploring Cultural and Political Terrains of Qualitative Methods,” held during the 2000 annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. I thank Vincent Del Casino, Dydia DeLyser, Jennifer Hyndman, Suzanne Michel, Richa Nagar, Yamuna Sangarasivam, and the attendees of that session for their insights. Helpful comments on earlier drafts of this essay came from Susan Terrio, Patricia Ehrkamp, Joan Hackeling, Steve Pile, Mary Thomas, Dydia DeLyser, Paul Starrs, Heike Alberts, and participants in the 2001 University of Minnesota Advanced Qualitative Methods Seminar. My warmest thanks are also extended to the many individuals in Berlin who have shared their lives with me. Without their generosity, my research would not be possible.

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