This paper is divided into four sections. In the first section, the author briefly discusses both the ethnographic and focus group research upon which this paper is based. This research includes 15 months of fieldwork in the Zakarpattja region of Ukraine, most of this in the village where the author conducted her focus groups. The focus groups, which followed the moderator guide and break characteristics used in other Ukrainian language groups associated with the Ford Foundation project, consisted of one menôs and one women's group.

In the second section, the author relies primarily on ethnographic data to establish a narrative of the economic life of this village. Topics considered include the occupations of villagers in Soviet times; changes in the village economy since Ukrainian independence; and the current state of the village economy.

The third section considers four aspects of the relationship between work and identity, and examines the extent to which statements made in focus groups reflect, underscore, or conflict with statements made by villagers in everyday life. The four aspects considered are local understandings of what constitutes "work"; job-related identities; gender identity and work; and the effects of unemployment on identity.

Finally, in the fourth section of this paper the author offers conclusions about incorporating focus groups into ethnographic research, emphasizing the value of the methodology in providing various kinds of ethnographically salient data. At the same time, the author emphasizes the importance of cultural fluency on the part of researchers interpreting focus group data.