In the corridors of officialdom: how patience and flexibility unlock elite interviews in Uzbekistan

Conducting field research in Central Asia is neither a smooth nor a straightforward process. The current literature on field research covers structural, ethical and methodological challenges; however, thus far little attention has been paid to the usefulness of a researcher’s interpersonal skills to overcome some of the fieldwork-related obstacles. In this research note, I seek to address this gap by discussing two interpersonal skills – patience and flexibility – that proved crucial during my ten-month PhD fieldwork in Uzbekistan in 2024, specifically in conducting interviews with political elites.