Studying Up From an In‐Between Position: A Reflection on Elite Research in Nepal

In this article, I examine the methodological and ethical challenges of ‘studying up’ as a global south researcher through my experience studying climate policy elites in Nepal. I explore three dimensions of this process: first, the opportunities and tensions of occupying an in‐between positionality shaped by dual institutional affiliations; second, the emotional and performative labour required to sustain access and legitimacy; and third, the ethical dilemmas of critique and its consequences. I highlight the unique challenges faced by global south researchers embedded within north–south research partnerships where professional vulnerability, institutional networks and overlapping loyalties complicate both the practice and politics of studying elites. I argue that this kind of proximity reshapes the scope and outputs of research. These distinct challenges remain insufficiently acknowledged within existing studies of elites and highlight the need to treat this as a distinct methodological and ethical terrain.