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This paper describes fieldwork experiences in Algeria following the revolution of the 1960s. It is generally known that political context affects both the methodology and findings of research. Although it is assumed that the political scene and the economic circumstances profoundly affect fieldwork, we have few descriptions of how this occurs. We need more reports of the way sponsorship determines access to the setting, permission to study there and the researcher's relationship with in formants. Sociologists are influenced as much by their own ethnic and political identification as they are by sponsorship. How do these factors interact? This reflection on fieldwork in Algeria offers a case study of the various factors influencing access to informants. It contrasts two approaches-the overt and covert presentation of self as a sociologist. I present this note as a contribution towards a sociology of fieldwork conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]