Chronicle of a difficult encounter. Study of elites and qualitative research

This paper introduces the special issues on ethnographic observations of elites, and it is divided into three sections. The first section addresses the problem of defining the term «elite»; It accomplishes this by briefly reconstructing the concept’s history in the disciplines of sociology and political science, thereby illustrating the main debate concerning the identification and observation of elites. The second section addresses the numerous practical and cultural aspects that make studying up difficult in sociology. These include the preference for studying down, or observing the poor and underprivileged, as well as the difficulty of accessing and maintaining relationships with the elite. The third section explores a specific perspective within the subfield of urban sociology. This leads to a discussion of the four papers contained within the issue.