This case study considers a range of issues I experienced when beginning ethnographic fieldwork with Croatian minority activists in Serbia. Given the recent wars, tensions between Croatian and Serbian ruling elites, and Serbia's European Union accession hopes--which necessitated an emphasis on minority rights--the context was politically sensitive. In the introduction, I explain relevant features of the context. I then discuss how activists framed my presence and how entry was negotiated in light of these sensitivities, including the alliances made and relationships cultivated. Following this, I discuss certain struggles over ways in which actors defined the situation. Finally, in the conclusion, I summarize some of the wider lessons learnt and highlight the contradictions between studying a nationally defined minority and drawing on an anti-nationalist scholarly tradition
