FIELDWORK EXPERIENCES

WHAT A DOCTORAL THESIS TAUGHT ABOUT RESEARCHING IN THE TERRITORY

Abstract

Introduction: Fieldwork in collective health transcends technical data collection, configuring itself as a deep immersion in the social dynamics and vulnerabilities of the territory. Objective: To report the experiences and methodological lessons learned from fieldwork carried out as part of a doctoral thesis, highlighting the challenges of territorial insertion in adverse contexts. Experience report: The trajectory ranged from rigorous planning, with the development of manuals and practical training in a nursing home environment, to the execution of household data collection. The journey was marked by the need to overcome technological barriers, such as the ineffectiveness of telephone contact due to participants' insecurity, and by facing an extreme climate catastrophe in the state, which required immediate logistical adaptations and emotional resilience from the research team. The experience revealed that research quality depends on the intensity of interactions and the researcher's sensitivity in translating daily life into scientific reflection. The sovereignty of face-to-face contact and methodological flexibility proved essential for data validity and for establishing bonds of trust, proving that the territory is a living scenario of relationships that virtuality cannot replace. Conclusion: The field proved to be the space where theory confronts practical reality. It is concluded that researching in the territory requires not only technical rigor but an ethical and empathetic stance capable of embracing human stories and the uncertainties inherent to scenarios of crisis and socio-environmental disasters.