not totally discredit my qualities of observer, while being a place of exper-
tise of my experience of the field, and this without the observed actors’
noticing; I then find myself in front of the observed actors and apply the
benefits I have gained from exchanges with my colleagues.
When immersed in a field of research, one expects to constantly have to
makechoices of position while facing the observed actors. While the initial
positions were chosen on the professional scene, prior to my presence in
the field, I will be forced to adopt other choices during observation. My
experience of the field scene (emotions, expectations, frustrations, successes,
etc.) will trigger the dynamics of interaction with my other scenes (wanting
to tellall, in partor to remain silent). It will fully mobilize the point of
intersection between each of the scenes: my personal scene (what are my
goals for this interaction, to convince, to soften the edges, to submit myself
to criticism, etc.). Conversely, these interactions will partake in the adjust-
ment of my observer positions in the field: discussions with colleagues will
enable me to ponder my involvement in the field in a different way;
exchanges with my close friends and family will draw my attention to unex-
pected conflicts of loyalty.
The Field Scene: Full of SurprisesIn the field scene, I was exposed on a daily basis to the same living and
activity conditions as the observed actors. For example, I had the opportu-
nity to witness the progress of the intervention patrol officers’ shifts which,
among other things, are of a peculiarly random nature. Missions are essen-
tially organized in response to emergency phone calls from citizens in the
district; the police officers learn of their missions only as they are being
notified about them and they find out what the situation is only when they
reach the scene of intervention. Thus, the patrol officers have few ways to
anticipate confrontation with the population, since most of it is dealt with
“on the spot.”
I also experienced this element of surprise, which most likely is a charac-
teristic of any field of observation. But while I was confronted with the
same situations as the observed actors were, I cannot claim to have experi-
enced them under the same conditions: I was not prepared for them in the
same way, and I was most likely not going to react in a similar fashion.
Faced with the same situation, the action of the observed actors is different
from my actions as researcherwitness. As mentioned above, I will not go
into an analysis of police practices as such. However, the following
An Observation Situation: When the Researcher’s Scenes Interact 51