Rethinking Elite Interviews Through Moments of Discomfort: The Role of Information and Power

Abstract

Interviews with policy and political officials are central in social science research. While these actors are traditionally conceived as elites, holding similar or more power and information compared to the researcher, a growing body of research documents that elite constitutes a variable category. We argue that researchers can glimpse the dynamic nature of power and information elites hold in moments of discomfort that arise throughout interview research. These moments illustrate the shift that takes place when the expectations of the elites regarding the researcher’s perceived resources shape the conditions of the production of knowledge. We call for problematizing professional status as the main marker of elite category in fieldwork preparation and training, as labeling people on a single marker of identity shapes how researchers conceive and approach them. The article presents examples from three moments of discomfort by focusing on recruitment of and social interaction with officials working on diaspora policy in Cameroon.