The Encounter Never Ends: A Return to the Field of Tamil Rituals

The author reflects on the relationship between fieldwork and anthropological knowledge through the analysis of a Tamil ritual practice in a South Indian village. Her immersion into this cultural world took place over 15 years ago, and she returns to these field notes with new perspective, helping her gain insight into the rural society. She also shares her own story of frustration and fascination while conducting fieldwork. Clark-Decès is an associate professor of anthropology at Princeton.