How should historians approach elites?

Abstract

This paper probes the various methodologies that an historian of elite groups and elite culture can approach their work. Written from the perspective of an historian of nineteenth century elite education the paper segments its survey of the field into one section each on concepts, tools, and futures. In doing so it aims to provide the interested reader with a sense of the state of the art in the field, while also highlighting various conceptual and methodological tools that might enable work on elite groups in the future. The paper draws on years of archival experience researching Irish and British elite groups, and throughout the analysis practical examples are drawn from the researcher’s own experience and practice in the field.