This chapter presents a reflexive invitation to examine the subtle ways
through which the field experience labels us through social categories
that shape our beings in terms of identity markers, which not only
allow us to play diverse roles in our everyday dramas but also make
us vulnerable during our (often) unexpected social encounters in the
ethnographic field.^1 My interest in tango as a research topic emerged
almost as a fieldwork accident, one of the countless providential ser-
endipities that make ethnography a unique field among the social
sciences.
A few years ago, in 1999 to be exact, I decided to conduct the first
anthropological study on Argentines in New York City (nyc), as the
basis for my PhD dissertation thesis at Columbia University. My re-
search project explored the social careers of Argentine immigrants in
nyc, and the diverse health systems they gain access to through their
informal networks and the exchange of social capital, defined as ac-
cess to resources via social relationships. As an Argentine immigrant
myself, I began asking my Argentine friends and acquaintances for
assistance identifying the maze of Argentine immigrants’ 80 social
networks in the city, which are not concentrated in a particular geo-
graphical area as is the case with other ethnic minorities. Therefore,
a great deal of my initial time in the field was spent on drawing the
geographical and social map of Argentines in nyc.
While trying to find Argentine enclaves, I ended up discovering the
world of nomadic milongas (tango-dancing halls), which, in recent
years, have been supported by an eclectic community of tango fans
Field Accounts of Unexpected Vulnerabilities
and Constructed Differences
- Ethnographic Rendez-vous
anahí viladrich