Strictly Confidential Anthropology

Anthropological interest in secrecy and silence – related aspects such as lying, knowledge, memory, forgetting has been long precarious. Through what may be called personal anthropology, this article, I describe both private professional anthropological experiences including family memories, fieldwork sites, academic practices. By recalling state socialist ideology, censorship, secrets, illustrate how citizens have relied on each other order to counter hegemony. highlight surveillance Romania expressly encouraged my informants well the secret police engage mutual intelligence observation tactics evasive tactics. Building these strategies, argue that life is not immune secrecy, covert action. introduce an anthropologist who worked for Hungarian police, consider continues rely programs institutionalized hierarchy promote maintain its structures interests.