Preface  xi
A Note of Fonts, Pseudonyms, and Pronunciation  xiii
Acknowledgments  xv
Prologue  1
Part I. Research under Surveillance
1. The 1970s: "The Folklorist" as Military Spy  33
2. The 1980s: The Enemy's Many Masks  111
Excursus. Reflections on Reading One's File  181
Part II. Inside the Mechanisms of Surveillance
3. Revelations  195
4. Ruminations  277
Epilogue  295
Notes  299
Bibliography  309
Index  315

"A memoir with the exciting elements of an espionage thriller. . . . This work of anthropological intrigue shows the author’s academic coming-of-age." — Karl Helicher, Foreword

"Fascinating, thoughtful and occasionally riveting." — James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review

"Coming from such a distinguished academic, Verdery’s brutally honest description of herself, including as a naive and careless young scholar, is stunning. Few books reflect so frankly and so powerfully on the nature and complications of an academic career." — Foreign Affairs

"This book raises provocative points about the effect of surveillance that will appeal to most readers." — Laurie Unger Skinner, Library Journal

"To read one’s police file is—suddenly—to have the curtain pulled open. The self you think you know becomes a mask, concealing a devious somebody else whose relationships are mere espionage fakes. . . . [An] unforgettable book." — Neal Ascherson, London Review of Books

"This book constitutes an excellent, detailed foray into the workings of a surveillance state in the Soviet bloc. But ultimately, this book’s strength emerges from its transparency concerning anthropological methodologies, an openness that comprises a foundational read for not only anthropology students but also for any social scientist working in post-socialist states." — Sabrina Papazian, EuropeNow

"Surely one of the finest and most thoughtful accounts of modern surveillance that we possess." — Mark Mazower, Times Literary Supplement

"A memoir with the exciting elements of an espionage thriller. . . . This work of anthropological intrigue shows the author’s academic coming-of-age." —Karl Helicher, Foreword

"Fascinating, thoughtful and occasionally riveting." —James Ryerson, New York Times Book Review

"Coming from such a distinguished academic, Verdery’s brutally honest description of herself, including as a naive and careless young scholar, is stunning. Few books reflect so frankly and so powerfully on the nature and complications of an academic career." —Foreign Affairs

"This book raises provocative points about the effect of surveillance that will appeal to most readers." —Laurie Unger Skinner, Library Journal

"To read one’s police file is—suddenly—to have the curtain pulled open. The self you think you know becomes a mask, concealing a devious somebody else whose relationships are mere espionage fakes. . . . [An] unforgettable book." —Neal Ascherson, London Review of Books

"This book constitutes an excellent, detailed foray into the workings of a surveillance state in the Soviet bloc. But ultimately, this book’s strength emerges from its transparency concerning anthropological methodologies, an openness that comprises a foundational read for not only anthropology students but also for any social scientist working in post-socialist states." —Sabrina Papazian, EuropeNow

"Surely one of the finest and most thoughtful accounts of modern surveillance that we possess." —Mark Mazower, Times Literary Supplement

"With fearless curiosity and a broken heart, Katherine Verdery takes us on a fraught journey into her secret police files, addressing issues of trust and betrayal in fieldwork with such vulnerability you want to hold her hand. A haunting and original mix of autoethnography and history, this book is certain to become a classic in anthropology." — Ruth Behar, author of, Traveling Heavy: A Memoir in between Journeys

“This fascinating and important book should be compulsory reading for all anthropologists and oral historians. There is nothing quite like it.” — Sheila Fitzpatrick, author of, A Spy in the Archives: A Memoir of Cold War Russia

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