Studying Elites: Challenges, Opportunities and Progressive Potential
Across several dates in 2021 and 2022, Dr Katie Higgins, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford, and Dr Sarah Kunz, Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Essex, delivered online and in-person events as part of their innovation forum.
Events in this project included a discussion with artists Ruth Beale and Amy Feneck (The Alternative School of Economics) and Professor Caroline Knowles (Goldsmiths, University of London), who discussed the potential of art and creative methods for studying elites.
In another event, 30 academic and civil society researchers of elites met for two days in London to discuss methodological approaches to the study of elites, share knowledge and strategies, and build capacity in researching elites.
Outputs
Collection of papers on data, ethics and future directions in research
The project team produced a collection of papers written by academic and civil society researchers of elites. The publication, Studying elites: Challenges, opportunities & progressive potential, shares interventions and discussions from the two-day workshop in London.
The collection is organised around the three themes that structured the workshop: access and the availability of data; ethics and positionality; and future directions in research.
Access the report, Studying elites: Challenges, opportunities & progressive potential
An alternative version of the collection, featuring an interactive contents page, is also available. Please note, this document is not compatible with screen readers.
Access the alternative version of the report
Elite Studies Working Group website
The team has created a dedicated Wordpress site for the Elite Studies Working Group, a research network on wealth and political elites. The website includes information about the group, such as its aims and members, plus details of upcoming activities.
Video of dicussion on creative methods
A video of the discussion with Ruth Beale, Amy Feneck and Professor Caroline Knowles is available to watch below.