Reflections on interviewing elites

This paper presents one case of the particularities of power. Drawing upon interviews with UK‐based elites, I unpack the general with the specific through discussing how I experienced power as a relational effect of social interaction. Within the parameters of a collaborative research project, this involved the challenge of gaining access to and interviewing elites as means to explore the role of a flagship shopping mall as part of a wider urban regeneration agenda. I conclude with some recommendations on how to negotiate the unequal power relations between elites and researchers.