Re-taking the field. Resuming in-person fieldwork amid COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Italy was among the first countries in Europe to be heavily impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. Northern Italy and Lombardy, in particular, were the most affected areas. In September 2021, the team of “AIS, the digital turn” (AISdt), a project whose objectives include collecting data in 50 locations in Italy, across Lombardy and Piedmont, resumed in-person data collection. Given the field of the investigation and the profile required for the informants (speakers over 60), the decision came only after a long examination of the right conditions and the necessary measures. The paper is intended as a reference text of field investigations amid the pandemic: based on the experience of the AISdt project, it recounts the preparation required by the new modality of fieldwork, the protocols put in place to ensure the safety of all participants before and during the interviews, and the response received from the informants.