Studying Up? How to Involve Experts and Privileged Persons in Your Ethnography

November 5-6, 2026

Prof. Dr. Stefan Leins, University of Bern

Violetta Kane, University of Bern

Dr. Jonas Köppel, University of Bern

Prof. Dr. Ashley Mears, University of Amsterdam

Prof. Dr. Graziella Moraes Silva, Geneva Graduate Institute

Since Laura Nader's call to study "the colonizers rather than the colonized, the culture of power rather than the culture of the powerless, the culture of affluence rather than the culture of poverty," anthropology has increasingly expanded its field of inquiry to include the lifeworlds of experts and privileged persons. However, the methods for gaining access to these groups-and the challenges of navigating their hegemonic narratives-remain underexplored.

In this module, we reflect on what "studying up" means in various contexts and examine the issues that can arise when working with individuals of high social and economic status. From the shiny world of fashion models and the polished offices of economic experts to the closed networks of political elites, our invited experts will share their experiences and insights on the opportunities and challenges of studying up.

Many current doctoral projects involve elements of studying up. Perhaps you have interviewed experts for your research, found yourself at a diplomatic dinner under ambiguous circumstances, or navigated the influence of wealthy locals during participant observation. We invite PhD students who are working with-or plan to work with-experts, privileged individuals, or influential actors to join this module and explore strategies of access, rapport-building, and critical engagement.

Biographical Notes on invited experts:

Ashley Mears is Professor of Cultural Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on the construction of value and exchange in the contexts of labor, beauty, elites, consumption, and social media. Her first book, Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model (University of California Press, 2011), and her second book, Very Important People: Status and Beauty in the Global Party Circuit (Princeton University Press, 2020), are both grounded in ethnographic research that exemplifies the method of studying up.

Graziella Moraes Silva is Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Her work addresses questions of race, discrimination, democracy, justice, and inclusion. Since 2021, she has served as the Principal Investigator of the project Elites in Unequal Democracies. She has published widely on what can be described as an "anthropology of elites" and employs the studying up approach throughout her research.

Schloss Überstorf, FR

Participation fee: CHF 60 

For students of the CUSO universities (Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Fribourg) and from the universities of Bern, Zürich, Luzern, Basel and St. Gallen, accommodation and meals are organised and covered by the CUSO doctoral program in anthropology. 

Travel expenses will be reimbursed via MyCUSO based on half-fare train ticket (2nd class) from the student's university to the place of the activity.

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