Interviewing Elites
Addressing Methodological Issues
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2385665 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert Mikecz (0000-0002-9342-0340, Liverpool Hope University Business School, Liverpool, UK) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 482-493 |
| Publication date | 2012-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Qualitative Inquiry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1077-8004 • E-ISSN: 1552-7565 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1077800412442818 |
| OpenAlex | W2107157140 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 140 |
| References cited | 37 |
This article focuses on the methodological issues arising from interviewing elites, with an emphasis on gaining access, acquiring trust, and establishing rapport. I argue the central importance of preinterview preparation, which is essential to enhance the researcher's knowledgeability. The success of interviewing elites hinges on the researcher's knowledgeability of the interviewee's life history and background. It enhances the researcher's positionality and decreases the status imbalance between researcher and researched. The researcher's positionality is dynamic; it shifts over the course of research. Moreover, positionality is not solely determined externally in the context of an insider/outsider dichotomy but is on a continuum that can be proactively influenced by the researcher. These issues are discussed with reference to recent research on postsocialist transition in Estonia, which involved interviews with political and economic elites. These experiences will be of interest to social scientists working on elites because it focuses on meeting the challenges of interviewing elites from establishing contact through to postinterview follow-up
Context (archaeology · Insider · Interview · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Social Science and Policy Research
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| Unique citing works | 140 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 10,77 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2026 (14) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 139 |